The document discusses the issue of plastic pollution and efforts to reduce plastic waste. It notes that while plastic has been useful since the 1950s, only 9% has been recycled with most thrown away. Plastic pollution in oceans is destroying habitats and entering the food chain. Some major brands like Nestle and M&S are taking small steps to reduce plastic use but more needs to be done, as retailers like H&M use extensive plastic packaging. Reducing plastic waste will require efforts from both businesses and consumers.

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ZackRobinson
So Much Plastic, We Are Drowning In It
Cheap, and completely workable - plas c is a wonderful material that has proven so
helpful to humans since the 1950s.
But over the past 70 years, just 9% of plas c has been recycled, with 79% thrown away
and the rest incinerated.
So it‘s safe to say, no ma er how useful, plas c is a problem - and plas c pollu on in
the ocean is destroying our planet.
The problems are chronic, eternal, because unlike the marine debris of the centuries
past, commercial plas cs do not biodegrade in the seas saltwater. Instead, they
persist and accumulate over me. But of course, aside from the fact that sea
pollutants can travel, they are also visible, unlike emissions in the wind.
Saying this, you’d be wrong in thinking that I’m here to make accusa ons without
facts, and I do, however, understand that there are some gaps in our understanding
about plas cs.
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2. It’s not unreasonable for us to fill those gaps with specula on to a certain extent, as
in many ways it raises awareness. Though, unsupported specula on can lead to
scarce resources being misdirected, which is something we should avoid, as other
environmental issues could be affected in a bad way.
According to the UN, about 8 million tonnes of plas c waste is dumped into the
world‘s seas annually. Not only is it harmful to fish and other marine creatures, but
its destroying habitats and entering the food chain, which has been highlighted by
Sir David A enborough on The Blue Planet II television series.
With good cause, it seems to be all we see on the news nowadays too, a ghastly
amount of plas c floa ng in the ocean, or worse, clogged in the stomachs of dead
animals washed up on the shore.
But that’s just a fragment of the problem, and the bigger picture is infec ous.
Are The Big Brands Doing Enough?

3. Just this week, food and drink giant Nestle announced that they will phase out the
use of plas c tops on Smar es. If I‘m honest, this comes as a surprise, as Nestle is
one of the top 10 companies alongside CocaCola and PepsiCo to be using the most
throw-away plas c according to Greenpeace.org.
Needn’t I say, it’s a start, but it’s just a minute step in the right (only) direc on.
Following the reveal of the closure of more than 17 stores, Marks and Spencer have
commi ed to introducing loose produce and sustainable packaging on some of their
products. A bid which they expect to reduce plas c waste by 580 tonnes in two
years.
Shoppers at its store in Tolworth, South London, will be able to pick their own loose
produce displayed in two separate aisles.
M&S have also reintroduced the tradi onal greengrocer back to the shop floor who
will be on hand to advise customers on how to keep their produce fresher for longer
and cut down on food waste.

4. Head of sustainability at M&S, Louise Nicholls said: “We know our customers want
to play their part in cu ng out plas c, while as a business our goal is to become
zero-waste by 2025.”
She described the Tolworth trial as “an important milestone in our plas c reduc on
journey”.
Image is taken from Marks and Spencer Twi er account.
I‘m sure we can all agree that we‘d like to see more of this from large retailers
around the world, especially the likes of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestle.

5. But it’s not just food and drinks retailers that are the problem, major cosme cs firm
Colgate-Palmolive is also among the top producers of the most plas c waste.
Unwanted Plas c From High-Street Retailers
So, prior to wri ng this ar cle, I reached out to a friend who works at the clothing
retail company H&M. I wanted to get a first-hand impression and shine a light on the
things that happen behind closed doors, so I asked her about the delivery methods
and packaging that H&M use.
And this is what she said:
“On average we receive around 50-120 crates of delivery every day, there are
around 20-30 items per crate. Each item is individually wrapped in plas c, even
things like earrings and necklaces are all individually wrapped. At the end of every
day, we throw away around 5 industrial bins full of recyclable plas c.”
This is from just one H&M store, there are over 4,500 worldwide and thousands of
more retailers using the same prac ces.
Now, you‘re probably thinking, ‘It’s recyclable, what’s the problem?’ But as I
men oned at the beginning of this ar cle - over the past 70 years, only 9% of the
world‘s plas c is recycled.
So, What Are Your Thoughts?
It’s evident that we all have a role to play in tackling plas c pollu on. We’ve already
ditched disposable straws, swapped plas c bo les for reusable glass and metal, and
some are avoiding unnecessary packaging in supermarkets. But the tail end of it all is
that unless our retailers provide us with more sustainable op ons - there’s only so
much as consumers we can do, right?

6. plastic ocean plastic pollution colacola recycling waste
ZackRobinson
Other stories that may interest you
To give this debate legs, I need you to get involved. You can leave your thoughts on
plas c pollu on in the comment box below, or if you have any stories about what
you’ve been doing to help reduce the amount of plas c waste, then please, let me
know via the comments.

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Previousresponses
NinaadPairesponded19hoursago
Awesomestu Zack!
AbhishekThakurresponded20hoursago
Thisisamazinglywellwritten.Lovedit.