Every week it seems I see that some new lab has created a way to replace plastic made by fossil fuels. There are plastic substitutes made from seaweed, from food manufacturing waste, from wood pulp and mushroom. And yet, even if you shop at the farmer’s market and a store that aims for zero-waste, (as I do) it’s nearly impossible to avoid buying petrochemical plastic.
We gasp and groan at the information that invisible plastic fills the oceans and that sea creatures starve because they eat plastic instead of food. Plastics have been found in human placentas. It’s microplastics, and not cell phones, that may be the cause of male fertility issues. Plastics are causing heart disease. They’ve been found in every human organ and in the soil and plants–meaning the future of our ability to grow our own food is at risk. We’re killing our live planet for the sake of convenience.
And yet, at the Global Plastics Treaty, the petrochemical countries that produce plastic are stalling on agreement to capping production. Let’s just keep recycling, they say.
It’s time to invest seriously in alternatives. A globally-funded series of incubator/accelerators to give plant-based plastic substitutes a fighting chance. They could include scaleable, customizable on-site manufacturing plants–already being used in everything from hydrogen production to home building–to produce packaging for specific products. Designers and marketers could help make various packaging types appealing and generate awareness and marketing campaigns.
You know, something like “Did your straw collapse? Would you rather it was your liver?“
Supply chains could be built and crowd funding could offer people a lever by which to rid the world of plastics. What the heck, add opportunities for circularity companies and companies that help retailers, such as supermarkets, develop plastic-free sections the way they developed health food aisles years ago.
We have had the solution for decades. It’s insane to keep expecting people to hunt and forage for solutions to stem their small contribution to the plastics problem while petrochemical countries and companies like Coca-Cola that refuse to abandon plastics continue to profit off death and destruction.
Fight bad business with good business. It’s time to end this.
