Limiting Plastic Polluters
Humans are the only species to dig their own graves.
What I mean by this, is that humans are the only species to deliberately endanger themselves with their innovations and ignore the consequences.
Where Does This Start?
The issue arises from waste consumption. Plastic is among the highest polluter on Earth. For example, there are 1 million plastic bottles consumed every minute, adding to the ever-growing piles of trash that pollute our land. 88% of the ocean’s surface is polluted by plastic. The world uses over 500 billion plastic bags a year — 150 for each person on Earth. The average consumer holds onto a plastic bag for 15 minutes. Unfortunately for the ocean, it holds onto that same bag forever or until some unexpecting wildlife becomes its victim.
I am sure most of us have heard by now that by 2025 there will be more fish than plastic in the ocean. The ocean is being choked to death by the amount of plastic that we throw away. It has become paramount this past decade that humanity finds a way to conserve what we still have left.
Plastic is edging its way into our ecosystems and the bodies of our wildlife. So much so that 100% of baby sea turtles have plastic in their stomachs. Adding on, more than 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals die from plastic pollution every year.
We have restricted our lives to be surrounded by plastic. We drive in it. We talk into it. We eat out of it. And we eat it.
Yes. We eat it. Plastic is now not only in our wildlife, but it is in our bodies as well.
Effect On Humanity
Plastics can take hundreds of years to decompose — and in the meantime, it slowly breaks down year after year and decade after decade until it goes beyond what the naked eye can see. Unfortunately, this is not one of the “I cannot see it, so it isn’t my problem” type of situations. And for your information, those situations do not exist.
Just because we cannot see it does not mean the problem is out of sight. After years and years of erosion, plastic breaks down smaller and smaller into microplastic. Microplastics are defined by any time of plastic less than 5 millimeters in length.
Microplastics have been detected in marine organisms as small as plankton and as large as whales. To further complicate matters, traces of microplastic have been found in commercial seafood and even in drinking water. Alarmingly, our standard water treatment facilities are not designed to remove all traces of microplastics.
The issue intensifies on a molecular level with something known as the invisible toxic effect. As plastic floats through the ocean, it binds with other harmful chemicals and impurities before being ingested by marine organisms. After some 50 years, it absorbs all of the contaminants in the ocean that normally do not pose much of a threat since they are diluted in the water. This plastic now harbors a concentration of contaminants on its surface more one thousand times higher than the surrounding seawater.
The plastic acts similar to a sponge. If you were to place a dry sponge in a bucket of water, the sponge would absorb and hold all of the water.
When an animal eats contaminated plastic, toxins leach into their bloodstream. As the food chain takes its natural course, microplastic’s and other toxins spread farther and farther up until eventually, they meet back to their maker: humans.
At the top of the food chain and highest in intellect, most of us fail to see that our own actions are increasingly contributing to our downfall.
Sustainable Fashion
Now, using the words “our downfall” may have been a bit dramatic. Even disregarding the invisible toxic effect, plastic is still a major contributor to pollution.
The best way to protect the environment, the wildlife, and ourselves, for that matter, is to repurpose the plastic currently polluting and limit our intake to decrease plastic production.
Similar to plastic, the fashion industry is also one of the world’s largest polluters. An estimated 82 lbs of clothing per year are thrown out by the average American. Approximately 203 billion pounds of clothing are thrown out each year which unfortunately sits it landfills for hundreds of years before it decomposes. And, with fashion trends constantly changing, clothing waste continues to grow at higher rates than ever. By 2030, it is expected that almost 300 billion pounds of clothing will be thrown out each year. To avoid this, we need a change.
Sustainable fashion is changing fashion products and systems towards greater ecological integrity and social justice. With new and innovative methods of production, clothing made out of recycled plastic have been showing up more in the past decade. When plastic bottles are recycled, they can be made into lots of things: t-shirts, sweaters, jackets, sleeping bags, totes, and of course, more bottles.
By making clothing out of recycled plastic, we can kill two birds with one stone.
How does this happen?
In recycling centers, transparent plastics (such as water bottles) are grinded down and broken up into smaller and smaller pieces until they finally qualify as microplastics. Thankfully, in this scenario, microplastics are being used for good!
From here, the plastic is heated so any and all imperfections can be baked out. From here, it is passed through a spinneret to form thread that is wound into spools. Each spool is made up from, on average, 560 plastic bottles and can produce on approximately 70 shirts. This thread is then balled, dried, and knitted into polyester fabric which can be safely repurposed into clothing!
Polo Ralph Lauren
Polo Ralph Lauren is one among many brands trying to adapt to be more environmentally friendly. The Earth Polo was designed with Mother Nature in mind.
The story began in 2010. After the earthquake in Haiti, Ian Rosenberger saw a unique opportunity to help while assisting cleanup efforts. Since much of the donated supplies directed to aid those affected by the disaster ended up on the island’s beaches, sanitation services had become overwhelmed by the increase in plastic waste. Rosenberger’s concept was to employ the local workers to collect waste and then repurpose it in some way useful, like fabric. After removing plastic from the environment, it is repurposed into innovative thread used exclusively for their initiative. From this, the Earth Polo was born.
Every Earth Polo, on average, is made up of 12 plastic bottles.
Additionally, Ralph Lauren is working to minimize its brand’s impaction on the environment and protecting Earth’s natural resources by focusing on renewable energy, waste management, water stewardship, and much more. By 2025 they plan to:
- Recycle 170 million plastic bottles in their products and packaging (with the Earth Polo)
- Eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals in their supply chain
- Sustainably source 100% of their critical materials
- Reduce total water usage across all operations and value chains by at least 20%
- 100% of packaging material will be recyclable, reusable, or sustainable
For more information on the story of the Earth Polo, please visit RalphLauren.com/earthpolo.
Everlane
Similarly to Ralph Lauren, Everlane is also working to minimize their footprint on the environment. In 2018 they set a goal to remove all virgin plastic from their entire supply chain. Currently, they are 90% of the way to the “No New Plastic” goal. Their carbon-neutral sneaker is one example of entirely sustainable, zero-impact products.
The sole of the shoe is constructed 94.2% free of virgin plastic. In comparison, the average sneaker sole is almost 100% plastic. According to their website, they use “recycled and natural rubber instead, keeping 18,000 pounds of rubber out of landfills — and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 54%.”
The leather of the shoe comes directly from a gold-certified tannery that maintains environmental protocols. The brand has decreased electricity usage by 47%, water usage by 62%, and CO2 emissions by 46% from this method.
Additionally, each pair of shoes reuses on approximately 10 water bottles. “The total emissions per pair at 28.9 kg CO2e for the Trainer and 24 kg CO2e for the Court Sneaker. That accounts for every step of production (even back to growing food for the cattle).”
Ecofriendly Alternatives
Finding Ecofriendly Alternatives to plastic is another great way to reduce plastic usage. Over the last few years, many companies have popped up proposing the idea of “plant-based” alternatives to plastic.
BIOFASE
Americans, on average, consume 8 pounds of avocados per capita which adds up to a lot of food waste over long periods.
The startup BIOFASE is working on an initiative to replace plastic and reduce pollution caused by conventional plastics.
Their products are 100% bioplastic made from biopolymers from the pit of an avocado. The composition is 60% avocado-based biopolymers and 40% synthetic organic compounds.
This alternative can replace polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene, which are high plastic polluters — especially in our oceans. Since all of their products are natural, they all freely biodegrade in land and landfills.
Their products include: avocado seed drinking straws, forks, knives, spoons, and various containers. With these alternatives, BIOFASE hopes to:
- help reduce global warming and have a minimum carbon footprint
- significantly contribute to reducing plastic on the planet due to its high plant matter content
- contribute to being the best alternative to plastic
It is companies like these that are the future. If we want to avoid a life ruled by plastic waste, we need to develop innovative ways to repurpose it and adapt to eco-friendly alternatives.
Our oceans and wildlife are silently suffering from our own creations. If we do not make a change in our behavior soon, we will be further victimizing ourselves.
Key Takeaways
- Over the years, plastic has become a heavily increasing issue
- Plastic breaks down into Microplastic which makes its way into our bloodstream through the food we eat
- Sustainable fashion is one way to decrease the amount of plastic waste on Earth
- Polo Ralph Lauren and Everlane are two companies making ground on this front
- Ecofriendly Alternatives to plastic is another approach to reducing the amount of plastic we use in our daily lives
- The startup BIOFASE is making plant based alternatives to plastic
Hey, my name is Norah Waegner, I am an 11th grade student in Los Angeles, California and innovator at The Knowledge Society. Thank you for reading my article! Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! Feel free to connect with me through LinkedIn, email, or Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter too! Take care!
