Pervasive Plastic | How can we turn off the plastic tap?
In the battle against the continual stream of plastic production, A Plastic Planet has taken a different tactic: helping the industry change from within.
THE PROBLEM
Plastic has become pervasive and we are plastic addicts. As production of plastics continues to skyrocket at an insane pace, environmentalists around the world are looking for the best approach to solving this massive issue. We use plastic in exorbitant amounts. Take a moment to look around you and count the number of single-use plastics in your immediate vicinity; because we have become so accustomed to plastic being our default material, the count for those items will probably be higher than you expect.
Over the years, the world plastic production has increased aggressively from 2.3 million tons in 1950, to 162 million in 1993, to 448 million by 2015. In 2019, the largest outlet for plastics is packaging materials, and this plastic counts for almost half of all plastic waste in the world, and most of it never gets recycled or incinerated. In fact, according to the Guardian, only 9% of plastic waste (in total) is actually recycled.
Let’s use a simple plastic water bottle as the perfect example, have you used one recently? That plastic bottle is responsible for a huge percentage of waste, and 20,000 more plastic bottles are being produced every second, while only 7% of them are being recycled. If you look for the root of the problem, you will find it in the production level. Why are we producing so much? Because they have hooked us, pushed us and created demand. We have all become lazily complacent as we reach for that convenient sip of water.
What is the remedy? How do we turn off this continually flowing plastic production tap? Individually we can make the choice and stand to minimize our single-use plastic usage, but that is only a small drop from the tap. The true change comes from the source of production.
A SOLUTION
A Plastic Planet made their introduction to the crusade against plastic production in 2017, when they launched the Plastic Free Aisles campaign. This campaign urged and encouraged companies to provide an aisle in the supermarket free from plastic packaging. The Dutch chain, Ekoplaza, showcased around 700 products, packaged in bio-materials that will compost completely within 12 weeks, and proved that the adjustment is possible. Plastic Free Aisles was a part of A Plastic Planet’s singular grand effort to “dramatically REDUCE the use of indestructible plastic that is destroying our oceans, our soils, our air and the health of future generations.”
A Plastic Planet is working toward this singular goal through various approaches: media focus, committed projects, pressured campaigns and global events. These approaches are about making changes from within by applying pressure from a business, legislative and popular opinion angle. In order to further inform people, they have also created the Plastic Free trust marks that you can find on the cooperative products; and for those that are committed to being plastic-free, but not yet fully compliant, their industry commitment marks to display.
A big dependency on plastic is existent, but in order to change, what do we use instead of plastic? The call for change is easy, but what about the process of change? A Plastic Planet helpfully provides a user library on their site, complete with material suppliers, for producers who are looking for plastic-free packaging alternatives. From avocado husk to pineapple fibre, the options are many!
As we step into a new vision of the earth’s future, and a large majority of us are taking a look at how our consumerism is affecting the true life sources, even the littlest step can help. While hopefully one day, largely plastic-free supermarkets are an option, today you can join the movement by simply saying “no” to that single-use plastic water bottle today. In addition to passing on plastic, you can follow and support trailblazers like A Plastic Planet, who are doing everything in their power to make the world a better and healthier place for all of us to live.
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