10 solutions to the problem of plastic pollution

In recent years, the problem of plastic pollution has come under a growing spotlight. Shocking images of plastic flooding our oceans and the discovery of plastic waste on uninhabited desert islands¹ have shifted consumer sentiment and spurred industry efforts to find a comprehensive plastic pollution solution.

Central to this will be the emergence of a new economy, one that’s Circular, Lean, Inclusive and Clean, where we reduce resource extraction, and re-use and recycle more of our existing materials. We call this the CLIC® economy.

Here we identify 10 solutions, as we look at how to tackle plastic pollution.

1. Biodegradable plastic

Much of the plastic we use every day, such as in food or product packaging, is made up of several layers – this can make it difficult, if not impossible, to recycle. Firms at the leading edge of plastics innovation have devised alternative biodegradable plastics using starch, sugar cane or other plant-based materials. Yet even biodegradable plastic requires specific conditions in order to properly degrade.

Scottish firm Vegware understands this. Its solution offers plant-based compostable food-service packaging and ensures that appropriate waste facilities are available to compost and recycle their materials. Vegware is the fastest growing export company selling sustainable, recyclable, compostable products for food and drinks.

2. Managing waste from the bottom up

“Eight million metric tons of plastic dumped in the ocean every year” – that was the warning from National Geographic in 2015. Since then, the problem has worsened – a 2020 report found that the volume of plastic making its way into our oceans is on course to triple by 2040². Plastic, however, which is cheap to manufacture and almost endlessly adaptable, is here to stay – much of modern life depends on it.

While innovative ways to reduce plastic waste often catch the headlines, the starting point for an effective circular plastics system is in getting the basics right – the waste management infrastructure. Government policy must support affordable, easy solutions for consumers and manufacturers to recycle. Investment must be made to improve collection and sorting, increasing the percentage of plastic waste that is successfully segregated and recycled, and drastically reducing the amount of plastic that ends in landfill, being incinerated or leaking into the environment.

Read also: Eliminating plastic pollution: an investor perspective

3. Cleaning-up our oceans

Have you heard of the Interceptor? The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch company founded in 2013, believes this is the answer to ‘turning off the plastic tap’, preventing new plastic waste from entering our oceans. The Interceptor, a 100% solar-powered autonomous catamaran, relies on natural forces to extract debris from rivers. With its long floating barrier and conveyor belt system, the Interceptor traps waste and uses smart software to extract, distribute and offload it.

The company’s research shows that most of the plastic found in oceans made its way there via rivers, and that just 1,000 rivers are responsible for roughly 80% of this river-borne waste. They project that their latest ‘System 002’, which is designed to collect plastic from ocean garbage hotspots, will be able to remove 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040³.

4. Smart packaging

Another way to fight plastic pollution is through software technology. Around 80 million tonnes of plastic packaging is produced annually, and this is expected to triple by 2050⁴. Smart solutions can enhance the productivity of packaging items. ClubZero provides a returnable packaging system for use in-store and for takeaway and delivery, using tracking devices to cut single-use plastic packaging. An RFID⁵ chip built into every cup and tray ensures items do not go abandoned, and instead are returned for cleaning and re-deployment. Their products are also made from 100% sustainable materials.

5. A sustainable fashion industry

What is the environmental cost of your wardrobe? The fashion industry accounts for 10% of all of humanity’s carbon emissions – more than “all international flights and maritime shipping combined”⁶. Yet brands are now setting new, cleaner, trends. From Patagonia to Nike, industry names are cutting their plastic consumption by integrating recycled plastics into their product lines.

Launched in the summer of 2020, Nike’s Space Hippie trainers are made with yarn that uses 85-90% recycled content, including plastic bottles, t-shirts and post-industrial scraps, giving them the brand’s lowest carbon footprint ever for shoes. Nike have since built on this success with their Space Hippe tee – a t-shirt made from 100% recycled material. Meanwhile, Spanish brand Ecoalf has been transforming waste into fashion since 2009. Many of their products are made from 100% recycled plastic and, thanks to their Upcycling the Oceans initiative, they’ve removed 1,000 tonnes of plastic waste from the bottom of the ocean.

6. Using cellulose in cosmetics

From toothpaste to face-peels, cosmetics today are often filled with ‘microbeads’ – plastic particles less than one millimetre across which are added to cosmetic products as an exfoliant. Made of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), these non-biodegradable particles often enter our oceans and our food chain⁷. A number of countries have already banned the sale of cosmetics containing microbeads – on 30 August 2022 the European Commission published a draft proposal that would restrict the use of microbeads throughout the EU bloc⁸.

Award-winning start-up Naturbeads, based at the University of Bath, has found an alternative – biodegradable microbeads made from cellulose. One research study found that cellulose made out of beechwood, oats, wheat and maize can be as effective as fossil-fuel-based plastic microbeads, and could provide a solution to this growing problem.

7. Circular economy

In order to build a sustainable future, we need to decouple economic growth from environmental impact. And one way to do that is through circularity. To achieve this we support the “10 R” strategy: refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle and recover. By properly implementing each of these steps we can create a sustainable, clean, circular future.

Loop, a fast-growing shopping platform, is leading the way by embracing a full circularity strategy. Loop eliminates waste by offering attractive, durable, multi-use packaging for everyday products that can be refilled in-store, everything from shampoo to ice cream. Loop is perhaps the biggest name in a fresh approach to retail that is also being seen through a grassroots movement – in many places new independent “refill-only” shops are appearing, as consumers show strong demand for products without the packaging.

Read also: Empowering the next generation of responsible investors and promoting plastic circularity