Not Disposable

The end of the plastic pollution story is only the beginning. Plastic pollutes across the entire plastics lifecycle, and a global movement is rising up for justice.

Meet waste pickers around the world as they conduct a global brand audit and identify problematic materials and top corporate polluters.

The petrochemical industry and the pollution it creates disproportionately harms people of color and low-income communities. The need for a comprehensive and systemic policy to address the plastics crisis has never been greater.

A 2018 Ocean Heroes Bootcamp Champion, Dyson Chee goes into schools to raise awareness of the issues of a plastic-filled ocean. Here he shares his experience of helping successfully pass Bill 40, a landmark comprehensive ban on single-use plastics in his home state of Hawai‘i.

In 2017, beach cleanup teams around the world collected trash and sent it to Lonely Whale, which worked with their creative partners VMLY&R to turn it into sculptures that highlight the urgency of plastic pollution. Three years later, the frontline leaders from these cleanups reflect on their ongoing work for clean seas.

Our “throw-away” culture first developed during the 1918 pandemic, when disposable items were sold as the safe option to protect against disease. Today, in the face of another global pandemic and rampant plastic pollution, the plastics industry is taking advantage of the crisis, putting profits over people and the planet.

The plastic straw drew the world’s attention to our plastic pollution problem. Together with the team at Lonely Whale, Dune Ives used this “gateway plastic” to spark a global movement and shift the dialogue on disposability.