Plastic’s Ironic Coming of Age
Plastic Free Challenge: Entry 1
Ubiquitous: existing or being everywhere at the same time: constantly encountered; widespread. -Merriam Webster Dictionary
Name one thing that is everywhere. It’s visible or invisible, structural or fluid, tactile or toxic, enabler or destroyer. Synonymous simultaneously with functionality, accessibility, equality, and obstruction; a paradoxical existence. Plastic has become an integral component to our lives, businesses, and communities. Though a relatively new addition to society, it has managed to infiltrate almost everything.
As countries around the world deal with a growing concern about sustainability, many communities and organizations are exploring ways to minimize plastic use or eliminate it all together.
Plastic to save the elephants!
Though the word “plastic” has become a common expression, the group of materials that we are usually referring to are technically called synthetic polymers. Synthetic polymers were developed to replace natural materials to help deal with growing consumer demands and, perhaps ironically, minimize human’s impact on the natural world. The first synthetic polymer was a celluloid derived from cotton that came into existence in 1869 as a replacement for the ivory that was used to make billiard balls. Plastic to save the elephants!
The first fully synthetic plastic, called Bakelite, was produced in 1905. Its creation was a major landmark in the development of the infrastructure for electricity. It is a great insulator that can be molded into a wide variety of forms. It also contributed to some archetypal products that defined emerging technologies like the iconic rotary dial Model 302 telephone designed by Henry Dreyfuss in the early 1930’s for Bell Telephone Laboratory.
How can something from such humble and virtuous beginnings be so demonized today?
Plastic may have saved the elephants, but it seems to be killing the fishies.
Plastic is taking over the planet. Literally. By 2050 the mass of plastic in our oceans will outnumber the mass of wildlife living there.
A personal story: I was traveling in Hong Kong and visiting some small fishing villages outside the city. I spent a pleasant afternoon sitting near the harbor, watching the boats come and go. It was a mostly lovely sight, aside from the fisherman sorting his morning catch; pulling the fish out of his nets and placing them into bins, then pulling the plastic out of his nets and throwing it back into the water. One fish, one plastic bag, one fish, a piece of styrofoam, one fish, one water bottle. At the end of his work, he put his fish on the pier, finished tying down his boat, and left for the evening as his discarded plastic floated between the other boats, down the river, or back out into the open water.
In addition to “accidental” plastic, copious amounts of industrial waste and intentionally tossed plastic remnants pollute our waterways. Each year, an estimated 10,000 shipping containers fall off barges containing the widest variety of product including medical equipment, cars, plastic cutlery, Legos, and maybe most famously, rubber duckies.
In many places where there is not proper garbage disposal, people throw their trash directly into their natural environment. In many places where there is proper garbage disposal, people don’t know how to sort their recyclables, or they don’t feel like walking to the nearest trash can.
The problem is systematic, cultural, and habitual. It is also multifaceted and complex. The media loves publishing shocking imagery and statistics about the amount of plastic lurking unknowingly in our environment or ingested by innocent sea animals. Every year there are deaths to humans and destruction of our communities caused from the production of plastic or the drilling and fracking of the oil and natural gas used to create plastics. There is constantly debate over the chemical leaching from plastics and its effect on human health.
What to do?
It’s impossible to label a product as “good” or “bad” because it’s made out of plastic. Should we live a life with no plastic? Should we live a life with no computers, MRI machines, or neoprene diving suits? Plastic enables us to do our work, live healthy lives, and interact with our own environment. Should we replace all plastic with non-plastic alternatives?
A personal story: As an industrial designer, I have had the opportunity to visit many manufacturing sights. From handbags, to chairs, to staplers, I’ve seen where many of our things come from. Factories that manufacture plastic products are actually pretty cool. I enjoy watching new things be formed, as they go from becoming a liquid to a very practical solid right before your eyes. Factories that manufacture metals are so dirty and smelly that your eyes start to water before you even enter the building.
There is no good answer, but there is hope. Bio-plastics are in development and provide potential alternatives for a more sustainable future. As individuals, we have the power to say no to unnecessary plastics and shout to our organizations and governments about our need for unified, conscientious consumption.
Plastic Free Challenge
As part of my innovation class in my masters program at Politecnico di Milano, and as a personal challenge to myself, I will be pledging to use no single-use plastic for the next 2 weeks. The challenges, victories, and failures will be chronicled here. I hope you follow along, offer suggestions, and maybe you are inspired to join as well.
Thoughts? Feedback? Are you looking to integrate innovative practices into an organization? Reach out to me. I love to chat about design, innovation, emotional intelligence, and creativity across cultures.
