Environmental stress cracking of high-density polyethylene under plane stress conditions

•Plane stress fracture behaviour of a HDPE was studied with a J-integral approach.•Environmental Stress Cracking of HDPE occurred in an aqueous surfactant solution.•Environmental Stress Cracking resistance was influenced by the stress state.•Environmental Stress Cracking resistance wasn’t influenced by production process.•The surfactant solution induced a ductile to brittle transition under plane stress.