Plasticfree.com

Co-founded by Sian Sutherland and Frederikke Magnussen, A Plastic Planet is a global campaign organisation with a single goal - to ignite and inspire the world to turn off the plastic tap. A Plastic Planet brings a fresh, pro-business, solutions-focused, approach to environmental issues. A Plastic Planet are highly vocal in the world’s media, working collaboratively with industry, retailers, governments, legislators, and the UN; to accelerate the pace of change at all levels to combat plastic pollution.

Problem

For over 50 years plastic has been the default for designers and packaging companies. It’s cheap, flexible, easy to print, light… and lasts forever. The impact plastic has upon the planet is well documented, but people are stuck. People are now actively looking for inspiration to answer the question “What can I use instead of plastic?”.

Solution

Plasticfree.com will provide the answer with an invaluable resource for product designers, packaging producers and large organisations looking to reduce their plastic production/consumption.

Elevation

Showcasing the future of materials in design, the platform will provide a vital link between product and packaging designers and the manufacturers of sustainable materials.

The library will hold information on hundreds of suppliers of sustainable, plastic-free materials worldwide. A free-to-use resource, it will gives designers throughout the world an unbiased, educated assistant as they seek to design products which will benefit the planet, not destroy it.

Plastic pollution represents one of the most profound environmental challenges of our time. Since 1950, it’s estimated more than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced. Created from non-renewable resources, plastic accounts for 20 percent of the world’s total oil consumption. Rarely recycled, plastic almost always ends up in incineration or the environment. The sight of plastic littered across the world’s once pristine beaches is now the norm, not an exception.

But plastic remains the go-to material. Current production rates estimate around 300 million tonnes of plastic is being made each year. It’s speeding up, not slowing down. Plastic is so engrained in our hyper- consumption society that designers and producers are unaware of the abundant alternatives which are readily available now. Despite plastic pollution being seen everywhere, with new and emerging studies showing plastic entering our seas, the environment and even our bodies, plastic remains the most prominent material.

Governments around the world have failed to accelerate change. A Plastic Planet realised that for change to happen, it would be brought about by the businesses and designers who will shape our consumption habits of the future. It is those who need to be inspired to act.

Plasticfree.com will provide a database of plastic-free materials and their suppliers which can be used by designers, packaging producers and other organisations. With people around the globe actively looking for ways to dramatically reduce plastic pollution, Plasticfree.com answers the question of ‘what can I use instead of plastic’.

It will act as a trusted, comprehensive information hub of plastic-free materials. For far too long the language surrounding plastic, and other materials, has been very complicated. The vast array of recycling symbols today do little to inform consumers who are left confused as to whether the product they buy will have a lasting impact on the earth.

Plasticfree.com will simplify the language. Easy to navigate, a user will simply select a material and is directed to a description of where the plastic-free material derives from, its uses, the pros and cons of using the material, and the organisations who supply it.

A filter system will enable users to select an industry use, for example food packaging, and the qualities they want the material to possess, which then directs them to the appropriate material and supplier. Users can then directly link to the suppliers via their website.

Plasticfree.com will provide an invaluable resource for product designers, packaging producers and large organisations looking to reduce their plastic production/consumption. Showcasing the future of materials, the platform will provide a vital link between product and packaging designers and the manufacturers of sustainable materials.

But it goes beyond designers and producers. The impact of plastic pollution is far reaching. From deep-sea marine trenches to high mountain tops, from bustling cities to the world’s most remote locations, plastic is everywhere. A heavy reliance on recycling has failed to solve the issue, yet we continue to pump plastic out at an alarming rate.

Plasticfree.com will be designed to improve a global community by showing the alternatives to plastic which are readily available now. Consumers are calling for change, and so A Plastic Planet engages with global media to champion the need for producers to adopt plastic-free materials in their products. By continuing to raise the impact of plastic pollution as one of the most pressing environmental issues through the media, stakeholders and governments, A Plastic Planet aims to create a ground-swell of pressure for the alternatives Plasticfree.com presents to be adopted, and so turn the tide on plastic pollution.

When plastic originated in the 1950s, it was seen as a revolutionary material. Fast-forward 70 years and we are now aware of the damage it causes to nature. But plastic is so enshrined in our daily routines it seems almost unfathomable we could replace it despite its environmental impact. Plasticfree.com challenges this. It empowers people to choose materials which won’t harm the planet. It empowers the generation now to act responsibly and protect the planet for future generations to come. It takes a global issue and elevates a solution available to all. Plasticfree.com fuels change on an international scale.

A Plastic Planet has a single goal; to ignite and inspire the world to turn off the plastic tap to dramatically reduce it destroying the world’s oceans, its soils, the air, and health of future generations.

Scrutinising conventional plastic, especially that used in single-use packaging, we focus on the sobering concept that the public have no choice but to buy their products packaged in plastic. Gluten-free, fat-free, dairy-free are readily available, but why not plastic-free? Our first campaign, A Plastic Free Aisle, delivered the world’s first plastic-free shopping aisle in Dutch supermarket chain Ekoplaza in 2018. During the campaign it was evident packaging producers wanted to avoid plastic but had little knowledge of how to do so.

With a core value of working with businesses to bring about positive change, we realised that for plastic- free materials to be adopted on a wider scale there would need to be a clear, simple, and accessible resource which directed organisations to more sustainable materials. So, we invented Plasticfree.com to empower users with encyclopaedic knowledge of materials which can act in plastic’s place, but crucially do not have the same environmental impact.

While the world is aware of plastic pollution, there’s been little action to combat it. Some ideas resonate with people, some ideas tackle a single global challenge. Almost none do both simultaneously. Plasticfree.com is the first of its kind, raising the issue of plastic pollution among the public while providing designers, packaging producers and other organisations the tools to choose plastic-free materials which do not cost the earth.

Recently the world has become preoccupied with the coronavirus. But once the virus is gone there will still be a planet which needs saving. Plasticfree.com will help realign focus, guaranteeing the issue of plastic pollution remains at the top of the agenda. It defies the notion that the war on plastic must be put on hold. Importantly, it provides the world with tools to tackle the plastic crisis which we’ve never had before, the knowledge that alternatives to single-use plastic are readily available.

For too long our hyper-use of plastic has gone unchecked, and recycling has failed to be the silver bullet we once thought it would be. Plasticfree.com changes that. It opens the door to the innovative materials and their suppliers which will help us meet the plastic crisis head on.

A Plastic Planet is a global campaigning organisation with a single goal - to ignite and inspire the world to turn off the plastic tap. In February 2020 it launched Sack The Sachet, a campaign to see the scourge of plastic sachets ended. In 2018, it launched the world’s first Plastic Free Aisle, inspiring millions around the world to call for an end to plastic pollution.

Pro-business, A Plastic Planet works by collaborating with businesses and organisations to bring powerful plastic-free change to ensure the pollution made today is not felt by the generations of tomorrow. As entrepreneurs, A Plastic Planet works with all stakeholders – industry, retailers, packaging suppliers, schools, media, NGOs, Government, and the UN to accelerate the pace of change in four ways.

• Using the media to shine a spotlight on the issues caused by plastic pollution.
• Engaging with industry to inspire brands and retailers to adopt plastic-free measures.
• Using public opinion to pressurise governments for legislative change.
• Education; developing Plasticfree.com as a trusted resource library.

This approach has given A Plastic Planet a wealth of experience, from working out which materials are practical, and importantly the innovative companies providing plastic-free solutions. In just over three years, A Plastic Planet has been pivotal in turning the tide against plastic, creating the world’s first Plastic Free Aisle, a Plastic Free Consumer Trust Mark to let shoppers know their products are plastic-free, and securing legislative change to reduce plastic pollution.

When A Plastic Planet began, the environment space had a wealth of competing voices calling for a reduction in plastic pollution. However, with so many trying to tackle all issues in the plastic space simultaneously, little progress was being made. Using the entrepreneurial background of its co-founders, A Plastic Planet employed an emergency hammer approach to apply pressure on one single issue. This enabled us to put our full force behind one outcome to dramatically reduce plastic pollution, which could be delivered.

With our first campaign, the world’s first Plastic Free Aisle, major supermarkets in the UK felt it was unachievable, believing the public would not warm to the idea. However, working through collaboration with Dutch supermarket Ekoplaza, we provided powerful insights into suppliers and consumers to achieve it. Rather than stand on the outside and demand, A Plastic Planet integrated itself with Ekoplaza to help shape positive change.

Made up of more than a thousand innovative plastic-free products, the Plastic Free Aisle showed shoppers, supermarkets, and packaging producers around the world that plastic-free shopping could be achieved. The aisle itself has acted as a practical blueprint for other supermarkets to follow and dramatically reduce their plastic.

While the issue of plastic pollution was becoming more prevalent, it was still fairly low down on the agenda among governments and the media. Furthermore, while other NGOs and campaign groups had spoken about various issues, there was little traction in measures which would significantly propel plastic pollution into the limelight.

The language had been very much along the lines of plastic pollution is increasing, plastic pollution is bad for the environment, but little to no solutions had been put forward. A Plastic Planet identified plastic packaging as one of the main components of plastic waste. By focusing on this key issue regarding plastic pollution, A Plastic Planet was able to make headway where others had failed to do so.

We launched the world’s first Plastic Free Aisle in February 2018. This was followed by the launch of the Plastic Free Consumer Trust Mark in March 2018. A Plastic Planet has since successfully lobbied the UK Government to introduce a tax levy on plastic packaging and brought an end to the UK’s practice of sending its plastic waste to third world countries. A Plastic Planet’s efforts lead and continue to lead an accelerated charge towards plastic-free change.

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Problem

For years shoppers have been sold the lie that plastic is an essential material in packaging for food, drink, and other products. Major producers maintain the necessity for plastic’s use, highlighting qualities such as strength, durability and lightweight as their reasons. However, these are the same qualities which see it last in the world’s environment for centuries. Made from toxic chemicals, this indestructible material is destined to pollute our planet, our oceans, and now new research shows, even our bodies. Now the world is waking up to the impact of plastic, we want change. But such is our relationship with plastic, the idea we can use other materials is regarded by producers and supermarkets as unfathomable and attempts to remove plastic’s stranglehold as the go-to material have been resisted by major organisations. Plastic lobbying groups’ efforts to promote plastic as the only safe material during Covid-19 emphasize this

Solution

A complex problem required a simple solution, Plasticfree.com. The first of its kind, it will be a truly unique resource of sustainable, plastic-free materials which do not cost the earth. Easily accessible, using simple language outlining the pros and cons of each material, it delivers an easy to follow roadmap for designers and organisations to choose plastic-free. Showcasing the future materials of packaging readily available today, Plasticfree.com challenges the status quo by promoting the suppliers of new and emerging, innovative materials which will help the world dramatically reduce plastic pollution.

To ignite and inspire the world to turn off the plastic tap and accelerate change, A Plastic Planet utilises a four-pronged approach:

• Using global media to maintain awareness and apply pressure to reduce plastic pollution
• Working with industry, brands, and retailers to accelerate change
• Pressuring governments for legislative, taxation and policy change
• Educating all stakeholders on how they can implement plastic-free alternatives

To affect change we built public awareness about the impact of plastic, identifying that its use in packaging was unnecessary and something which could be easily changed. Around 40 percent of all plastic is used in packaging and by putting our full force into challenging this, we saw our message resonate with the public as they use it every day. Raising the profile of the impact of plastic on the planet and our health saw the public support a reduction in plastic packaging. In 2018, more than 90 percent of the UK public wanted a plastic-free aisle in their supermarket according to Populus polling we carried out.

Having garnered public support, we worked to showcase the innovative plastic-free alternatives which are readily available now. When launching the world’s first Plastic Free Aisle, we used international media to showcase the alternatives to a global audience. This armed us with public support, and viable alternatives to plastic packaging.

Using the leverage of readily available alternatives and public opinion, we are able to work with stakeholders from governments to retailers to packaging producers, to adopt plastic-free materials using the positive environmental impact and sound business sense as reasons to do so.

Plasticfree.com is the next step to creating a new normal for shopping. With a comprehensive resource library, extensively researched, we will be able to work with organisations not against them. This enables A Plastic Planet to integrate with businesses and help them achieve their plastic-free goals, and in doing so take a step closer to turning off the plastic tap.

As plastic pollution is a global issue which affects everyone on the planet, we consider Plasticfree.com will serve an international audience.

Specifically, Plasticfree.com will act as a resource for product designers, packaging producers and supermarkets.

Within the next year we aim to make Plasticfree.com the most comprehensive resource library for plastic-free materials. With a starting base of more than two hundred suppliers from around the world A Plastic Planet is making great progress. However, we will look to carry out extensive research into new and emerging innovative materials which can be added. The aim will be to hold information of suppliers of plastic-free materials in every country in the world.

In five years-time, we aim for Plasticfree.com to be positioned among packaging producers and designers so it is used as an everyday tool. To have Plasticfree.com as an invaluable resource for product designers. The aim is to position the plastic-free materials in the resource library as the go-to material for designers and packaging producers instead of plastic. We want to subvert the norm and create a shift away from plastic, so that the packaging seen on supermarket shelves are the sustainable materials identified on Plasticfree.com.

By championing sustainable, plastic-free materials we aim to create a boom of green innovation among producers and designers, helping to usher in a new era where the products humanity makes are designed with the planet in mind, and inspiring humanity to consider the health of the earth when embarking upon new ventures.

While public opinion is generally negative towards plastic pollution, it has not stopped major plastic organisations and plastic lobbying groups seize every opportunity to stop the momentum of the plastic- free movement. When Covid-19 emerged in the US, the Plastics Industry Association was quick to pounce upon people’s fears surrounding the virus, stating that plastic was the safest material to use during the pandemic, suggesting bans on items like plastic bags should be rescinded. This was despite research from University of California’s New England Journal showing the virus survives longer on plastic than other materials.

Governments around the world have been slow to act to combat the threat of plastic pollution. While many have acknowledged the problem, little action has been taken to accelerate change. Steps taken to stem the flow of plastic are minute and do little to abate the growing amount of plastic waste.

Recycling, despite having never solved the problem of plastic pollution, continues to be touted as the answer to solving the crisis with millions invested in it, but there are two glaring omissions:

• Plastic can only be recycled once or twice before becoming completely unusable, at which point it will end up in the environment, in incineration, or in landfill.
• Global recycling infrastructure doesn’t have the capacity to process the plastic waste we produce. Of all plastic made, only 9 percent has been recycled.

We must move away from recycling and look towards other, more sustainable materials. 

While the plastics industry pushes back, the public is now aware of the impact of plastic on the planet. News of plastic harming the oceans or being ingested by animals is increasingly common. Additionally, we are now becoming aware that plastic is entering human bodies via the food chain, from both animals and now, thanks to recent research, fruit and vegetables. The pressure is on major organisations to reassess their plastic use. Coca-Cola in recent months has gained widespread criticism for a lack of action to curb the plastic it produces. We aim to keep the pressure on via campaigning, using the world’s media to further shine a spotlight on plastic pollution as one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Governments are slow moving, however they can act at pace when they realise the public is behind certain initiatives. Throughout A Plastic Planet’s time, we’ve worked with politicians in the UK, the EU, and the UN to accelerate the pace of change. In 2019 we successfully lobbied for a tax to be implemented by the UK Government on plastic packaging. We will continue to work with governments around the world to accelerate the pace of change.

We will further promote plastic-free materials among businesses, the media, and governments. This will create demand for investment in waste infrastructure to better process them as they become used on a broader scale, which in turn will inspire a shift away from futile investment in plastic recycling infrastructure.

For the initial design stages of Plasticfree.com, we have partnered with global technology company IBM who are carrying out work pro-bono.

While A Plastic Planet is not currently partnered with any other organisations, we have worked on numerous campaign initiatives and projects in collaboration with other organisations.

We worked with Dutch supermarket Ekoplaza to create and launch the world’s first Plastic Free Aisle.

Design and branding of the aisle was carried out by creative design agency Made Thought.

We worked with Iceland Foods Group to launch the Plastic Free Consumer Trust Mark. The major UK supermarket adopted the mark onto their own brand packaging.

When launching One Plastic Free Day, a social media campaign to urge users to go plastic-free for one day, we worked in collaboration with numerous organisations to see it go viral. This included: UNEP, WeTransfer, Soho House, Just Eat, Design Miami, BT, The Dieline, TimeOut, The Ocean Bottle and Percol Coffee.

We have collaborated with numerous universities to see research highlighting the impact of plastic pollution on human health delivered to a global audience via the world’s media. The latest research, which found microplastics in fruit and vegetables, was carried out by University of Catania in Italy, Leiden University in the Netherlands, and the Yanthai Institute of Coastal Zone Research in China.

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IBM has become our first founding funder for Plasticfree.com, giving expertise in excess of $900K.

Our aim is to raise a total of $1.4 million of altruistic funding in H2 2020.

This funding is to be used to complete the design and build of the website, create and maintain content, build partnerships, drive relevant traffic and scale rapidly.

Founding funders, will have a highly visible, pro-business, pro-active legacy along with having the right to promote association with Plasticfree.com.

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Plastic pollution represents one of the most profound environmental challenges of our time. But it means more. A Plastic Planet sees plastic pollution as the key to unlocking solutions to other environmental threats to the planet, from climate change to biodiversity loss. We believe this because to tackle plastic pollution, there has to be a monumental shift in the way we approach our lives. We have to move from a hyper- consumption, throwaway culture to a more mindful, resourceful approach. We have to completely change our mindset, looking at products which will not leave a long-lasting impact on the planet. Once this change in tact is taken, humanity will be far better placed mentally to meet other environmental issues head on.

The Elevate Prize can act as catalyst to turbo-charge plastic-free change, giving prowess and funding towards A Plastic Planet’s efforts. It will help amplify our plastic-free message further, enabling us to spread turning off the tap to every corner of the globe.

It will empower us to further carry out valuable research into plastic-free materials and the impacts of plastic pollution, which we can use to demonstrate to governments the urgent and pressing need to accelerate action to combat plastic pollution.

It will give A Plastic Planet more influence to promote plastic- free materials among businesses, the media, and governments and in turn, help us create demand for investments into these materials so they become used on a broader scale, which will dramatically reduce plastic pollution.

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