Planet vs Plastic for Earth Day 2024
Understanding Plastic: From Creation to Pollution
Earth Day is back on 22nd April and this year the theme is Planet vs Planet.
Plastic is so integral to our daily lives - we don’t even notice it. From the packaging of our food to manufacturing parts for our cars and electronics, it’s hard to deny that plastic is both versatile AND convenient. It has been a miracle material. It is also a novel entity - a new type of material introduced into our planetary system without full appreciation of the true cost of this convenient miracle miracle. It is really hard (maybe we should say impossible) to imagine a world now without plastic now.
Did you know?
Did you know that 79% of plastic that has ever been made still sits in landfills or the natural environment. [4]
Perhaps nothing has done more to raise public consciousness in the UK about our plastic problem than the BBC's "Blue Planet II" series, narrated by the legendary Sir David Attenborough. The documentary galvanised both public and political action against plastic pollution, now known as the Blue Planet effect which described the shift in attitude for increased public demand and support for plastic reduction initiatives by businesses.
We escaped the Climate Blame Game
Blue Planet made the plastic problem personal and in 2015, the UK introduced a plastic bag tax, mandating a 5p charge for single-use plastic bags at large retailers. Within the first year, the usage of single-use plastic bags dropped by over 80%, demonstrating how small economic incentives can lead to significant environmental benefits.
We had the perfect dymanic, where people cared enough, so that the government felt they could regulat and business had a level playing-field to respond.
How is Plastic Made?
The first plastic ever made was called Parkesine and it was created in Birmingham in 1869. By the 1960s, there was an expansion of plastic production into consumer products, packaging and disposable items because it was just so convenient and cheap. By the 1970s, the first concerns for the environmental impact of plastic took hold but plastic production just kept going.
Plastic begins its life in oil fields and natural gas plants. The primary raw materials for plastic production are fossil fuels, specifically crude oil and natural gas. These materials undergo a refining process to extract chemicals like ethylene and propylene, which are then polymerised – a chemical process that combines these molecules into long chains known as polymers. These polymers are the basis of the various types of plastics we use every day.
So plastic contributes both to greenhouse gas emissions and to an increase in waste which all goes somewhere…
The Limits of Recycling
Recycling feels like a good way of managing plastic waste, but sadly we can’t recycle our way out of the plastic pollution problem. Why? Because plastic is such a complex material. Different types of plastics require different recycling processes, and contamination among types makes recyclable plastics useless.
And it is still cheaper to produce virgin plastic than it is to buy recycled plastic so if you’re a business that’s always bought new plastic, there’s little incentive to switch to new untested and often more expensive materials.
Enter here the concept of circularity which pushes businesses to think beyond recycling – to redesign their systems of production and consumption so that materials, including plastics, are reused and repurposed rather than thrown away. Imagine all our supermarkets being refill stores.
Stopping plastic pollution requires innovation in materials science, product design, and business and consumer behaviour change.
Types of Plastics 101
Not all plastic is made equally. There are several types of plastic, each with unique properties and uses. The most common types are designated by resin identification codes (#1 through #7), which you've likely seen on plastic products. Common types include PET (polyethylene terephthalate), used in drink bottles and clothing fibers, and HDPE (high-density polyethylene), used in containers and piping. Each type has specific properties and uses, affecting how and if it can be recycled. The variability among plastics underscores the need for better education on recycling practices but as we saw with the plastic tax, we really do need plastic to become as offensive as wearing fur.
Why Plastic Ends Up in the Ocean
Most of us do not throw our rubbish directly into the ocean so why does so much of it end up there? The short answer is inadequate waste management systems and the littering of plastic waste, which can be transported by wind and rain into our drainage networks, rivers, and eventually the sea. Illegal dumping and the sheer volume of plastic produced overwhelm our current capabilities to manage waste effectively. And while we don’t see them, the consequences are dire, with marine life ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic debris, leading to injury, illness, and often death. This not only affects the animals but also the health of ocean ecosystems upon which we depend for food, climate regulation, and more.
The Rise … and Rise of Plastic and the Solutions
We are where we are today but we don’t need to end where we are going. This Earth Day, why not kickstart a conversation in your workplace about what changes could happen in your workplace in a week, in a month, in a year.
And if you want a facilitated conversation, book a DisCom's Team Talk or Climate Game, you can crowdsource ideas directly from your team.
Are you ready to be part of the solution? Join in this Earth Day.
