Discussing our increased use of plastic packaging during COVID-19 and the revolutionary companies on the front lines

By Georgi Annenberg

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are experiencing clearer skies and breathing fresher air. This is mostly due to CO2 emission reductions in manufacturing, aircraft and automobile industries. It is wonderful to hear about some of nature’s restoration during this collective pause and recalibration. 

However, what is falling by the wayside during the pandemic is the ongoing environmental conundrum and design failure that is plastic pollution. 

As consumers, many of us are employing even more single-use plastic in our lives as we purchase more sanitary products (such as wipes, sprays, masks and gloves), non-perishable items, frozen foods and takeout from restaurants that are no longer serving food on plates. Even the most eco-conscious consumers are struggling to avoid plastic entirely. Citizens have been advised to stock up, and frequent trips to the farmer’s markets (where consumers have the opportunity to purchase produce sans packaging)  are generally less accessible. In these unprecedented times it is deemed acceptable to prioritize safety and comfort over environmental concerns.

Conversely, the pandemic has shown our unfortunate reliance on single-use plastic and the sheer influence of the plastics industry. 

While there has been regulation to curb single-use plastic over the years, such as NYC’s plastic bag ban, and polystyrene foam food container ban, the plastics industry has used the pandemic as an opportunity to roll back these policies. In research funded by the plastics industry, it is stated that “bans on single-use plastic is threatening the health of society.” This biased study is contentious and conflicts with another study that has shown that the coronavirus lives longer on plastic than other materials. According to the research, the virus lives approximately on plastic for 2-3 days, versus 24 hours on cardboard. There is little evidence to show that single-use plastic bags are safer to use than washed, reusable canvas bags. Yet, grocery stores and coffee shops are less likely to accept customer’s reusables at this time, largely in part due to the plastics industry’s lobbying.

At the same time, with so many unknowns, it is to be expected that businesses and consumers alike are concerned about potential contamination from reusables. Overall, there is less control and certainty. However, the plastics industry appears to be spreading misinformation to create fear, while gaining financially.  

Whether they like it or not, consumers and businesses are having to default to polluting, low-quality and toxic virgin packaging. 

What may put consumers at ease, however, is the idea that their single-use plastic items are eventually going to be recycled after disposal. But this is not necessarily the case. Out of all the 300 million tonnes of plastic produced annually (with 50% being single-use), only about 10% actually gets recycled. Even if a plastic item is recycled, is it most likely going to be part of a low-grade product that will generally only have one life before ending up in a landfill.

What has been brought to the surface recently is that recycling is a propaganda tool created by the plastics industry to produce more plastic. In the NPR and the PBS series Frontline it is revealed that the plastics industry knew from the 1980s that recycling plastic would not be economically viable, leading to extremely low recycling rates from the beginning. On the other hand, general consumer perception is that almost all single-use plastic will be recycled at end-of-life. In reality, 90% or more of our disposable plastic ends up in a landfill and with China no longer accepting trash from the USA, Indonesia has become the new dumping ground. 

Additionally, the triangular arrow symbol on all types of plastic items does not equal recyclability. According to the Frontline episode, the symbol was intentionally placed to give consumers a false sense of hope that their single-use plastic items would have a continuous life - a cunning greenwashing tactic. 

Making matters worse, many recycling plants have closed down during the pandemic, due to health and safety concerns. This makes the overall recycling success rate even more dismal, generating more environmental pollution. 

Ultimately, virgin, single-use plastic will always win, unless we undergo systemic change. This includes tackling the issue at the material level, as well as creating circularity for longterm resolve. This will not be easy, considering the size and hold of the plastics industry, as well as the versatility, cheapness and ubiquity of the material. However, we need innovation in sustainable alternatives. 

Below are some of the companies that are shifting the conversation and opening our minds to what is possible in counteracting single-use plastic pollution. These companies are nowhere near the same scale and reach as the global plastics industry, but they are producing and/or conceptualizing sustainable solutions to single-use plastic packaging that will give consumers access to items without the burden of excess waste and toxicity. 

Shopping Bags: 

Apolis Jute: A B-Corp certified company creating customizable and reusable bags out of sustainably sourced jute (a natural fiber) and leather. 

Baggu: Creates colorful reusable, washable bags out of nylon or nylon and 40% post-consumer waste. Although nylon is a synthetic (plastic)  material, the longevity and durability of the bag makes it a step in a more sustainable direction. 

EnviGreen: An Indian-based manufacturer that produces biodegradable shopping bags made from natural starch and vegetable oils. The bag can decompose within 180 days or fully dissolves within 24 hrs when submerged in water. 

Containers and Bottles: 

Notpla: Made from sustainably sourced brown seaweed, Notpla creates flexible packaging for beverages and sauces that completely biodegrades at end of use. 

Ecovative Design: Creates high-quality packaging from mycelium (mushrooms) and hemp that fully decomposes within 45 days or dissolves in water within minutes. The material takes 7 days to grow, making it highly efficient and cost effective. 

Grocery Shopping: 

Waitrose: The UK-based grocery chain has removed packaging from most of their fruit and vegetables, along with all their dry goods to encourage consumers to bring their own reusable containers. According to the company, buying this way reduces prices for consumers by 15%. 

Whole Foods: Pre-COVID, Whole Foods was allowing customers to bring their own bags and containers for bulk goods. 

Precycle: Based in Brooklyn, Precycle provides package-free bulk produce and dry goods. Personal containers can be weighed at the store to get accurate pricing. 

Grocery Shopping Delivery:

Loop: A start-up, created by the founder of Terracycle, has partnered with a variety of brands to deliver groceries in reusable containers that get returned or refilled after use. This results in a closed-loop system whereby no waste is created. 

Imperfect Foods: Tackling issues of food waste, Imperfect Foods delivers rejected (but perfectly safe, fresh and healthy to eat) fruits and vegetables to your door. Produce arrives in recyclable cardboard packaging with a natural insulation foam that completely dissolves when submerged in water. 

Package Protection:

Cruz Foam: Utilizing crustacean waste as their primary material (the second most abundant polymer according to the company’s page), Cruz Foam has developed a biodegradable, high quality foam that has an array of applications, including packaging protection. 

Green Cell Foam: Creates biodegradable, corn-based packaging foam, including shipping coolers. The foam can be composted at an industrial facility, dissolved in water, or burnt safely in one’s fire. 

Home Cleaning Products: 

Blueland: Provides one-time starter kits of durable, BPA-free bottles plus tablets that combine with water to make different toxic-free cleaning liquids. Each time the user needs a refill, more tablets are sent their way. The bottle remains in constant use, avoiding the landfill. 

Truman’s: Model is the same as Blueland, providing recyclable concentrated refill pods. 

Clean Revolution: Amazon’s private label brand offers reusable bottles and enough concentrate for six refills per bottle. 

Cosmetic Products:

Humankind: Offers refillable deodorant made with toxic-free ingredients, as well as water-free shampoo bars via a subscription service. 

Myro: Model is the same as Humankind, including the use of clean deodorant ingredients. Myro’s refillable pods are also recyclable. 

Kjaer Weis: Offers a packaging reuse program, whereby consumers can get their makeup refilled. There are step-by-step instructions on the company’s site so consumers know which parts to recycle and which parts to keep in use and refill. 

RMS: The company’s products come in recycled glass pots and boxes made from 80% recycled material. Unlike plastic, clean glass has a higher acceptance and recycling, making RMS’s products in line with circular business practices. 

The main issues with some of the aforementioned brands becoming mainstream is price and scalability potential. The majority of consumers are most likely unable to afford zero-waste grocery delivery subscription services, $68 customizable jute/leather grocery bags, or $38 eye shadows that come in recycled glass packaging. Additionally, many consumers may not have easy access to zero-waste grocery stores in their respective neighborhoods. Preventing plastic waste should be easy and accessible to all, yet our current system, which thrives off cheap oil and low quality plastic products, makes seeking alternatives exclusive and difficult to attain for the large majority.

It must also be noted that almost all of the above products still have some kind of environmental impact, such as emissions coming from transportation, via the subscription services, or the production of a refillable plastic item, even though it is built to last. For example, the refillable deodorants and cleaning products (which are fossil-fuel derived) are relatively sustainable as long as the user does not dispose of the primary container and keeps it in circulation for years to come. Products that have the most potential are ones that derive from sustainable and renewable sources, take little resources to grow and can successfully compost within a matter of days or dissolve in water, like Ecovative’s mycelium packaging and Notpla’s seaweed sachets. 

While no system or brand is without limits, creating circularity in the packaging sector and beyond should be a prime goal in order to combat plastic pollution, our ever-growing landfills and anthropogenic environmental destruction. Some of the above brands are leading the way in material science while others are changing a sect of consumer purchasing habits for the better (albeit not for the large majority). We need more investment in brands like these to shift into new ways of operation that ultimately lessen, and eventually eliminate, our dependence on single-use plastic, while ensuring accessibility and inclusivity. By many stakeholders, such as policymakers, manufacturers, brands, investors and consumers, working toward a shared goal that sets to eliminate unnecessary waste, this reality could come to light and we could see the end to the plastic industry’s stronghold on society.