It’s just one bottle.
Said 15 million people.
Each day.
15 million single-use plastic bottles get thrown out every single day and every minute, a truckload of plastic still enters the ocean from polluted waterways around the world.
What can we do?
Designing fully recyclable plastic products
The ultimate goal for a product designed today involving plastic is to be fully recyclable and kept in the circular economy for as long as possible; doing the least damage to the planet’s resources, in its lifetime.
Toxic materials, paints and additives are often bonded to easily recyclable materials and labelled as recyclable. This is the kind of labelling we refer to as 'greenwashing'.
Whether it's a paper cup that’s waterproofed or a plastic item that has been painted, once it's bonded to the plastic, it can't be fully repurposed, except in highly specialised environments; which costs a fortune and is still not readily available.
That's rubbish for the consumer and the planet.
At the other end of the scale, you have companies like Ocean Bottle, a fellow B Corp UK, that is significantly moving the needle for good, in the area of ocean plastics and design for the circular economy.
Recently we met with their team, to dig deep and see if any part of the product’s cycle from start to end could be improved from the perspective of circular product design. They are convinced there is still room for improvement with their products, so every element of the bottle fits into the circular ecosystem.
It was a real privilege to work with them and discover they really are ‘walking the talk’. They are not willing to rest up and are keen to move the needle, towards continuous improvement of their beautifully designed products for the sake of the oceans.
You may have noticed lot’s of messaging around #PlasticFreeJuly, encouraging you to switch from single-use, to durable and reusable products.
Even better if they are designed using recycled materials.
Go for it! But please don't forget to scratch below the surface first and avoid being dazzled with greenwashing promises.
Find out more about Circular Product Design here.