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Youtube.
Eight million tonnes of plastic reach the oceans every year, a volume that can be avoided if decisions are made to migrate from the current linear economic model to a circular economy. And at this point, design has a lot to contribute, as shown by the presentations of the webinar Design for Climate Action, promoted this Wednesday (17th) by the What Design Can Do platform, with support from Oceana, the Museum of Tomorrow and the Circular Economy Hub Brazil.
The Seminar is part of the promotion of the No Waste Challenge award, which aims to boost the search for solutions to pollution on the planet. In 2020, Oceana launched the report A Free Ocean of Plastic – Challenges for the Reduction of Marine Pollution, gathering information about the scenario of plastic production and disposal in the country. The publication and support for the No Waste Challenge are part of the campaign developed by the organization to reduce marine pollution by this material.
“But none of this happens without a solid scientific basis. And the challenges proposed by What Design Can Do reinforce this position of science-oriented organization ”, says Oceana’s director-general, oceanologist Ademilson Zamboni.
Circular economy is a production model based on three principles: eliminating waste and pollution from product design; keep materials in use; and regenerate natural systems. “Circular economy is not recycling”, explains Mike Oliveira, representative of the Ellen McArthur Foundation. “Recycling only transfers the problem to the end of the linear production chain, based on extracting, producing and wasting, without taking into account planetary limits, climate change, land use and the loss of biodiversity”, he explains.
To give you an idea, Brazil alone produces around seven million tons of plastic per year, an amount that places the country in the position of the largest producer in Latin America. Of this amount, three million tons are single-use plastics. This production is equivalent to 500 billion disposable plastic items per year, as shown in the study A Free Ocean of Plastic, published by Oceana.
“The amount of waste generated by this disposal is so alarming that no recycling system could handle it,” says Oceana’s plastic pollution reduction campaign manager, environmental engineer Lara Iwanicki.
Marine plastic pollution
According to the Oceana report, at least 325,000 tons of plastic waste are taken to sea from land-based sources, such as open-air dumps and inadequate disposal. “We are being flooded with a material that is not biodegradable. When we see images of plastic islands in the ocean, it is just the tip of the iceberg, 99% of the plastic that reaches the sea will end up on the ocean floor ”, emphasizes Lara.
Once in the sea, the plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller particles, the microplastics, which are ingested by marine animals and humans. Microplastics have already been found in the water we drink, in honey, beer and salt. In addition, plastic waste directly impacts those who live from fishing and tourism. To illustrate the situation, Oceana showed comparative images of the amount of fish and plastic “caught” in a fisherman’s outlet – the plastic box is much more full.
Ways to reduce plastic
To face this problem, Oceana presents proposals that meet the circular economy: eliminate all unnecessary plastic; reuse and / or return packaging, as it was a few decades ago. The solution needs a legal framework to ensure legal certainty, which is why the organization proposes the drafting of a national law that regulates the production and use of disposable plastics.
Another proposal is for companies to offer consumers alternatives to plastic, because in general they have no choice. “Here we have a great opportunity for design, which is to think about innovation so that packaging is made of plastic. Plastic packaging is the biggest bottleneck today, ”added Lara Iwanicki.
Registration is open for creative challenge
An opportunity for designers and creative entrepreneurs to collaborate with this economic model transition is #NoWasteChallenge. With registration open until April 20, the challenge will award 10,000 euros to initiatives that present innovative solutions in design. The winning teams will also participate in a personalized development program to make the project a reality. Each winner will also have the opportunity to present their project to a global audience at What Design Can Do (WDCD) events.
The challenge has two objectives: the reduction of global warming and the transition to a circular economy. “We want creative and inspiring concepts that can reduce the cycle of consumption and production”, emphasizes WDCD director, Lara Snatager.
Examples of inspiring projects were presented during the Design for Climate Action webinar , available on Youtube at the Museum of Tomorrow.