An issue that had recently come to the attention of one of Plastic Prone’s team members, who works in the retail industry, is the enormous amount of plastic that gets wasted and gets disposed of every day. In particular, the overwhelming amount of plastic packaging, such as plastic bags and bubble wrap that comes with every single item from the manufacturer. From t-shirts to socks to belts to sunglasses, every single item comes covered and wrapped in plastic, which then gets discarded to landfill, as the items are unpacked, to go out onto the shop floor for customers. This is an issue that needs to be addressed.

Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues globally. This is due to the increase in production of disposable plastic products, which has overwhelmed the world’s ability to handle it all. Plastic pollution mostly occurs in developing countries such as those of Asia and Africa, in which garbage collection and recycling systems are inadequate or even non-existent (Parker 2019). However, even in developed countries such as Australia, this issue still seems to be present, whereby properly discarding and recycling plastic is still a challenge, an example being the retail clothing industry.

In the past century, the world has seen production and development of thousands of new plastic products that have changed our way of living and have shaped our modern age, to the point where it would almost be impossible to live without all of this plastic. Safety equipment, equipment for health and sanitation, tools, machinery and cleaning products are all examples of how plastic has transformed our lives, with minimal cost. However, with all of these conveniences plastics have to offer, they have simultaneously led to a world with a “throw away” attitude and a “disposable” culture (Parker 2019). Single use plastics makeup for 40 percent of the plastic produced each year globally (Parker 2019). Much of this includes food wrappers and plastic bags, which have a lifespan of approximately ten minutes, yet they may be present in the environment for hundreds of years. The same concept applies to the wasted plastic that comes from the retail clothing industry. Plastic is one of the earth’s strongest pollutants that is made to last. Even long after it has been disposed of, plastic creates greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to global warming (Major 2021). According to WWF Australia (2021), of the approximately 3 million tonnes of plastic that Australia alone produces each year, 95 percent is discarded after a single use, less than 12 percent is recycled which leaves a significant amount to be disposed of.

Plastic litter from land eventually flows into rivers, which eventually all flows into the ocean. At least 8 million tonnes of discarded plastic enters our oceans each year and is expected to double by 2030 (Major 2021). Once in the sea, the plastic breaks down into small particles called microplastics, that spread throughout the water, across the planet. These microplastics are extremely harmful to animals and millions of animals such as birds and fish are killed by plastics every year, mainly by ingesting these plastics or choking on them.

Alarmingly, sunlight and heat cause the microplastic to release strong greenhouse gases, leading to a vicious cycle - as our climate continues to warm, the planet gets hotter and therefore the plastic breaks down into more toxins, exacerbating climate change (Major 2021). The only way we can now address this issue is to focus on the production of plastic, especially the single-use kind and to increase recycling.

This issue works towards the achievement of both SDG 12 - responsible consumption and production and SDG 13 - climate action. Given the preceding information, we pose the following problem statement; what should we do about the enormous amount of plastic waste generated in the retail industry, specifically, what should we do about the packaging of the items that come from manufacturers?