Reasons to ditch as much plastic as you can

Our over-use of unrecyclable items and packaging is one of the reasons we are facing a climate emergency. About half of all the plastic produced around the world each year is just thrown away – including single-use plastics such as straws and food packaging.

On top of that, the plastics issue isn’t just about single use, however. It’s also about the make-up of the plastic we use – which can in itself be potentially dangerous.

Breaking down the plastics issue

Did you know:

• Between 10% and 13% of plastics are recycled worldwide. That leaves millions of tonnes of plastics that are just dumped – nearly half of them after only one use?
• In England alone, we use 1.1 billion single use plates and 4.25 billion items of single-use cutlery. Of these, only around 10% are recycled?
• The UK throws away 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups every year?

Plastics do break down. But they do not biodegrade – essentially decomposing into the soil. Instead, they break down into particles, and those particles still contain the harmful chemicals used to make the original plastic.

What can you do?

Avoiding plastic wherever you can is the best thing to do:

• Look for products labelled as BPA free. If it’s not labelled, the plastic may well contain some levels of BPA.
• Stop reusing plastic water bottles – the BPA can transfer into the water you’re drinking. It’s better to buy a proper reusable drinks bottle.
• Reduce canned food too – this will help you to reduce the amount you recycle.
• Look for alternatives – use glass or ceramic containers to microwave food rather than plastic – the heat can break down the plastic over time, releasing BPA into your food.
• Look for compostable packaging – this is better than biodegradable, and both are better than plastic.
• Consider using refill shops to help reduce the amount of packaging you use.
• Look for alternatives – there has been recent significant growth in the cleaning products market, with companies such as Cert, Spruce, Ocean Saver and Smol offering soluble cleaning products, including washing and dishwasher products, that significantly reduce plastic use.

Who’s doing this well?

There are a number of independent brands who are taking the BPA and plastic issue seriously, both in their packaging, and in their social initiatives:

Life Water UK provides spring water in BPA free aluminium cans. When they began doing this in 2018, they were the first British company to take this approach, and every can sold also funds clean drinking water projects in third world countries.

Good Club is a door-to-door grocery delivery company that only uses reusable or refillable containers which are returned and reused.?

Karma Drinks has just committed to removing a further 1.4 million tonnes of plastic from its supply chain. All its drinks are already packaged in aluminium cans.

Brands will have to reassess their packaging and plastics use from April 2022, as the government’s new plastic packaging tax comes into force. Products with less than 30% recycled plastics in their packaging – whether the plastic is created in the UK or imported from overseas – will be subject to the tax.

Why not book a free 30min session to find out how we can help your brand take sustainability seriously – and give it a commercial boost? Just contact [email protected] to find out more.