“I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world… Life in plastic, it’s fantastic”.
Some of you may remember the catchy Eurodance track by Aqua. Some of you won’t (it was over 20 years ago, after all!). Anyway, the point is, it’s true. Not the bit about being a Barbie girl, the bit about plastic being fantastic. Plastic is literally a wonder material: possessing a multitude of different properties for virtually any application; it’s easy to form into shapes that are ergonomically comfortable and aesthetically pleasing; and a super low cost of production (more on that later). But there’s a catch. A biggie. Plastics – or synthetic polymers to give them their proper name – are causing harm to our planet’s bio-system and to human health as it degrades, leeching toxins into the land and oceans and entering the food chain as micro plastics. Such is the damage being caused by plastic to the environment, there’s a call for a global treaty to end production of virgin (new) plastic by 2040.
To anyone taking any vague notice of events over the past couple of years, it’s now obvious that plastic’s reign is coming to a close. Which leads us to wonder what a world without plastic would actually be like to live in. Join us in this series of blog posts as we delve into a world without plastic. Each week we’ll showcase alternative materials; exciting, innovative products; as well as how our lives will change as we hurtle towards a brave new plastic-free world.
So, what will become of Barbie? Does she still have a place in the postplastic world? Most probably, although she’ll likely be made from an equally fantastic alternative material. Yay!
