Reducing Plastic Pollution: One Product at a Time
Since the industrial revolution, consumerism has forced mass manufacturing efforts to keep up with demand. Since the invention of plastic and its popularization in the late 1950s, plastic has become one of the products in constant high demand. The versatility of plastic makes it a cheap and reliable product, causing companies across all industries to rely on it to function. According to Greenpeace, over 8.3 billion pounds of plastic have been produced since the 1950s, with only 9% of this plastic being recycled and 79% ending up in our oceans and landfills. To put it into perspective, nearly a truckload of plastic enters our oceans every minute. This startling amount of waste has adverse effects on humans, animals, and the environment as a whole. The longer we continue to use and produce plastics the way we currently are, the quicker the adverse effects of plastic pollution will consume our environment. To help reduce the amount of plastic that is littering our oceans and landfills, many major companies and organizations are taking matters into their own hands. Here are a few companies and their sustainability initiatives to better the environment.
Nike
Nike’s “Move to Zero” initiative is a company-wide movement toward zero net carbon emissions and waste from production. This campaign includes shoes and apparel made from 20% or greater recycled materials including plastic bottles, recycled nylon, and sustainable cotton. One of the company’s earliest and most popular creations is the Nike Flyknit. The Flyknit is made with 60% of the materials needed to manufacture a normal shoe and is made of 6-7 plastic bottles.
4Ocean
4Ocean is an apparel company that uses its profits to fund coastal cleanups where they collect 1 pound of trash for every item sold. Their original and most popular product is the 4ocean Beaded Bracelet which is made of recycled plastic bottles and glass. To date, 4Ocean has collected over 14 million pounds of coastal trash and continues to fund large-scale efforts to collect plastic waste.
Blue Planet Eyewear
Blue Planet Eyewear makes sunglasses and corrective glasses out of recycled and natural materials. Since 2009, they have been taking manufactured waste and using it in conjunction with natural materials like bamboo to make their frames. In addition to being environmentally friendly, Blue Planet Eyewear has donated 1.5 million pairs of glasses to people in need.
Girlfriend Collective
Girlfriend Collective is an activewear company that makes its clothing out of recycled polyester, spandex, and post-consumer plastic bottles. They manufacture all of their products in factories implementing fair labor standards, a practice that many companies overlook when manufacturing outside the United States.
Photo: Nylon
Buffy
Buffy is a bedding company that makes its comforters out of plastic bottles and natural materials. Their goal is to make their products out of recycled materials and fully recyclable in the future to prevent further waste. They also have a takeback program in place to recycle their customers’ old comforters instead of throwing them out.
Lowtides
Lowtides makes beach chairs out of 100% ocean-bound plastic, plastic collected by community clean-up efforts within 50km of the coastline. The plastic comes from “at-risk zones,” places around the globe that don’t have organized clean-up efforts. The company uses this plastic to make multiple different chair models while advocating for increased environmental protection efforts worldwide.
Up-Fuse
Up-Fuse is a bag company that uses recycled plastic bags to make backpacks, tote bags, pouches and more. The company has collected and reused 500,280 plastic bags that would have ended up in coastal communities and wreaking havoc on oceanic wildlife. Up-Fuse employs local artisans and designers to make their products.
While these companies are making a monumental impact with their products and sustainability efforts, consumers also need to begin making their own changes to reduce their contribution to environmental issues. I encourage everyone to be mindful of the companies they are supporting and their personal buying habits to make sure they are doing everything they can to support the environment!
Vocabulary list:
Versatility (n): ability to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities.
Startling (adj): very surprising
Sustainability (n): the avoidance of using all our natural resources and damaging the environment
Zero Net (n): no carbon emissions
Apparel (n): clothing
Conjunction (n): together
Takeback (v): reclaim possession of something
Artisans (n): a skilled art worker
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hailey Womer is a third-year student at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York pursuing a dual major in Public Relations and Political Science. With interests in communications, public diplomacy, and politics & government, she hopes to use communication to grow the passions of the public and advocate for others. In her free time, you can find her editing social media content, engrossed in the fashion trends of the season, catching up on the latest political buzz, or on a philanthropic mission to make the world just a little bit brighter!