Plastic: From mega-useful to the king of waste

The material of a thousand uses has become the material causing thousands of problems. Plastics manufacturing is an industry as central to modern society as energy or construction. Yet it remains fraught with environmental and health hazards. What, if anything, is being done about it?

In 1905, Belgian Leo Baekland combined formaldehyde and phenol, which produced a new material that could bind all types of powders together. Once set it wouldn't soften under heat, was water and solvent resistant, insulated electricity and although rock hard, it could still be cut by a knife.

Bakelite, or polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, is considered to be the first synthetic thermosetting plastic. Baekland labelled it “the material with a thousand uses” – he wasn’t wrong. For over a century, plastic has proven to be one of the most versatile materials around.

Plastics are everywhere, in our homes, cars, and offices. They are even filling up our oceans. That last one wasn't necessarily part of the plan but happened anyway. According to Think Beyond Plastic, an initiative which began in Silicon Valley in 2006, in the last two decades we have consumed more plastic than in the entire 20th century, going from 1.5 million tonnes in 1957 to 256 million in 2010.

Worldwide collection of various plastics for reuse or recycling, however, remains at under 10 per cent. Aside from the huge environmental cost being paid, plastics consumption has also been linked to various human and animal health issues.

Despite its shortcomings, plastics, like other super industries, is averse to change. Many of the companies involved have balance sheets akin to the GDP of small nations. Given that most plastic production requires petroleum, those advocating change are in fact competing with two major industries.

"Many plastics contain oestrogenic chemicals, which cause hormonal activity in our bodies," says Michael Usey, chief executive of Plastipur, a consultancy that works with plastics manufacturers to make their products safer. "Because of the stew of chemicals, we already know that there is clear evidence to suggest a number of associated negative health effects: higher rates of certain cancers – ovarian, testicular, prostate – as well as some learning disabilities."

Major plastics manufacturers are well aware of the negative health links associated with their products, but Usey cites an anomalous logic behind their reluctance to change.

“Larger companies are wary of working with us because of liability,” he says. “They are concerned about introducing a safer product because of the danger they’d be sued for what they were selling before. These companies want to quietly make changes but not to talk about it until the market changes, and then they can say they’ve been doing it for years. Many of our clients say they want to be first to be second.”

Consumer alternatives

Most consumers understand that current rates of usage are unsustainable, not to mention harmful. In some extreme cases, people try to avoid plastics completely, which is unrealistic. However, there is a severe lack of alternatives. “You can buy silicon water bottles, stainless steel baby bottles, bio-based and biodegradable resins,” says Usey, “but they don’t address the core issues.”

Modern plastic production is an incredibly difficult industry to compete with in terms of cost and existing infrastructures. "I have no doubt that the Coca-Colas, McDonald's and other big clients of this world would choose a safer alternative to conventional plastic if it existed and was cost-competitive," says Daniella Russo of Think Beyond Plastic. "Advocacy is not enough. We need to create these alternatives."

Given the “first-to-be-second” anomaly mentioned, it is unlikely disruption in this sector will come from within. Rather it will emerge outside the status quo from a smaller outfit with little to lose and everything to gain.

That’s why two years ago, Russo started the Think Beyond Plastic Innovation Forum, a competition to encourage alternatives in plastic production, recycling and overall usage reduction. They just closed this year’s round for hopefuls and received 126 applications from 25 countries, up 20 per cent on last year.

“When we first launched it in 2012, we simply nominated and awarded winners,” she says. “We know now that’s not enough. There is a long journey between winning a competition and winning business. So we have expanded our mission to become the entire social impact venture that it is today.”

Expansion has opened up the initiative to a wider audience. Think Beyond Plastic has moved beyond advocates and introduced a completely different group – entrepreneurs and innovators – who are not necessarily thinking just about environmental issues but also commercial opportunities.

Russo and her team work with impact investors, legal teams, recycling and bioplastic experts so that when they come across a potentially scalable alternative to harmful plastics, they can put the entrepreneurs and engineers involved into a complete programme.

“We’ll start them in an accelerator bootcamp in Silicon Valley where they will get advice on the business, marketing, legal and management side of things,” she says. “Then if you have a material innovation, we offer access to innovation labs where products can be tested for scalability etc. Plastics is so huge an industry that any new product manufacturer must be able to perform due diligence. Is it sustainable? Are the raw materials required cheap and accessible? How do you present your product to big companies averse to change?”

Interest from innovators and impact investors is high. Not surprising, really, as anyone who can break the disposable plastics mold will be entering a €230-billion-a-year market.

"Impact investment is a relatively new branch of financial services, which looks for financial returns along with social missions," says Russo. "It's still a relatively small investment portfolio by industry standards but some really big companies, like Merrill Lynch and UBS, have announced they will get involved with us, if and when we find something promising."