Water, water everywhere — except it’s full of plastic. From the deepest crevices of the hadalpelagic zone to the brightest coral reefs along the coasts, massive amounts of plastic debris are being dispersed throughout the oceans at an alarming rate. According to a 2017 study published in Science Advances magazine, it’s estimated that out of the approximate 6,300 metric tons of plastic waste that has been generated up until 2015, only about 9% of that has actually been recycled.
How Much Plastic is in the Ocean?
According to a 2015 study published in the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Science journal, it was estimated that 275 metric tons of plastic waste were accumulated along the shores of 192 coastlines in 2010, with up to 12.7 million metric tons entering the ocean. Once at sea, these plastics release toxic pollutants into the water, which can have disastrous effects on marine ecosystems.
A portion of this ocean pollution is microplastics, which are tiny pieces of plastic materials that measure 5 mm or less. As plastic drifts throughout the open ocean, UV radiation, salt, animal predation, and the general roughness of the water cause the structure to degrade and break into smaller and smaller pieces. Because of their tiny size, these plastic pieces can end up in unlikely places, and have been found everywhere from Arctic icebergs to the deepest, most remote regions of the sea.
In 2016, the United Nations warned that microplastics in the ocean not only have significant impacts on both fresh and saltwater ecosystems, they also pose a serious risk to human health. Oceans cover 70% of the planet, contain 97% of the earth’s water, and have an effect on everything from food to oxygen to drinking water.
As governments, scientists, and consumers alike become more concerned by these trends, many are calling on consumer product companies to practice a higher level of corporate responsibility during manufacturing processes.
How Food & Beverage Companies Plan to Address Plastic Pollution in the Ocean
As a result, many businesses have started changing their practices to address these environmental issues. Starbucks, for example, recently announced their plan to eliminate single-use plastic straws from all locations by 2020. Similarly, Nestle will also stop using straws and many of their plastic bottle packaging materials by 2025.
Coca-Cola is partnering with outside vendors to recycle three-quarters of their product packaging, mainly cans and bottles, to prevent the materials from ending up in the ocean or other environments.
Kraft Heinz has also implemented a plan to make all of their product packaging recyclable by 2025. McDonald’s has promised to use only renewable, recycled, or certified sources for all food packaging by 2025. The brand has also noted they will recycle any qualifying packaging in their restaurants within the same timeframe. Many other brands are following suit with similar promises to utilize recyclable materials, reduce their use of single-use materials, and educate consumers on sustainability initiatives.
Clothing Brands Experiment with Eco-friendly Shoes, Vegan Fashion
In July 2018, multinational footwear and athletic apparel manufacturer Adidas announced that they will aim to use more sustainable materials in their clothing and shoes, and have pledged to use only recycled plastics by 2024. Part of this undertaking includes the elimination of virgin plastics in their offices, warehouses, distribution centers, and retail outlets, which will save approximately 40 tons of plastic a year. Adidas also announced that their apparel lines will contain about 41% recycled polyester by spring and summer of 2019.
Adidas has been focused on a more eco-friendly approach for the past few years. In 2015, for example, they teamed up with Parley for the Oceans, an organization dedicated to spreading awareness about environmental threats to the oceans and coordinating collaborative projects to help mitigate those threats.
Together, Adidas and Parley started producing special sneakers spun from plastic waste, which they intercept before it reaches the ocean. Every 50 pairs of shoes consist of approximately 16.5 bottles and 13 grams of plastics derived from gillnets. They sold 1 million pairs of the Parley ocean plastic shoes in 2017, and predict that sales will jump to 5 million pairs this year.
This dynamic duo also teamed up to produce a line of swimwear made entirely of a technical synthetic yarn fiber called Econyl, which is upcycled from discarded nylon from fishing nets. And in the spring of 2017, Adidas partnered with Stella McCartney — a leading vegan fashion designer and a vocal proponent of sustainable practices — to develop running shoes made from recycled yarns.
Adidas isn’t the only footwear company focusing their energy on innovative sustainability efforts – there are also a number of smaller companies that have made their mark. For example, Third Oak, a relatively new footwear brand, employs a closed-loop recycling method to manufacture a line of practical, fashion-forward flip-flops made from soy-based biomaterials.
There’s also Veja, who manufactures a full line of eco-friendly shoes and accessories using a mix of materials to create their minimalist sneakers. These materials include recycled plastic bottles, tilapia hides, and recycled flannel.
Although the plastic pollution in the oceans isn’t going to be fixed overnight, the recent uptick in sustainable business practices is certainly encouraging, and hopefully a sign of things to come.