plastic rehab lab
Treating our addiction; reinventing our future.
Why plastic? Why now?
We are addicted to plastic, and our world is drowning in it. A staggering 430 million metric tons of plastic are produced annually (OECD) - it's in our clothes, the food we eat, air we breathe. It’s in our brain, in our lungs. Micro and nano plastics have even been found inside our cells.
In 2023 we created our Plastic Rehab Lab to treat this addiction. We believe that this will require multiple systemic shifts around our materials and consumption culture, which can only be achieved when governments, businesses and the public work together. Through a series of experimental initiatives that provide actionable solutions for policy-makers, industry and the public to beat the plastic addiction, the holistic goal of the Lab is to protect humanity and our environment from the disastrous harms caused by plastic.
2024 is a decisive year for the future of plastic. The UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, ongoing until December, offer a critical chance to combat the plastic crisis. All of the Lab’s initiatives have the common mission to drive towards securing an ambitious, robust treaty.
The Resilient Approach
Recognizing the urgency required to tackle the plastic crisis, Resilient uses human health as a relatable entry point, making the issue tangible for everyone. The campaign aims to reveal the alarming impact of plastic on our health, prompting a bold solution: divestment from plastic production. This approach targets the root of the problem by pushing for an ambitious treaty that cuts plastic production, reducing demand for new plastic and pressuring the industry to adopt sustainable alternatives, ultimately protecting our health and planet.
Our Lab has two key focus areas:
Raising awareness about the dangers plastic poses: Highlighting the severe health consequences of plastic production, consumption and recirculation, and the disproportionate impact on marginalised communities, as a pressing global issue.
Exploring solutions and imagining a plastic-free world: investigating how the financial system props up plastic production and our single-use culture, and how we can redivert these resources to fuel a sustainable materials revolution.
Through these efforts, we aim to achieve a threefold impact:
An ambitious treaty: Securing a strong, effective treaty to address plastic pollution.
An empowered public: Educating and mobilizing the public to take action.
A responsible private sector: Equipping businesses and financial institutions to transition away from plastics.
In line with our story selection and curation strategy, we've holistically applied the Resilient Lenses framework to Plastic Rehab Labs.
Decoding Complexity:
Explaining the problem; making science accessible
A series of portraits spotlighting the scientists, and their groundbreaking discoveries, at the forefront of research into the health consequences of plastics.
“Scientist speak out” series
Changemakers & Visionary Futures:
Highlighting solutions and innovators as role models to follow and support
A campaign exploring how we can redivert financial resources away from single-use plastic towards sustainable materials alternatives and consumption systems.
divestment campaign
Every day, scientists around the globe are discovering new evidence linking plastic to negative health outcomes. These studies reveal how plastic is silently impacting various aspects of our well-being, from reproductive health and liver function to brain development and hormonal balance - yet these findings rarely make it into policy-briefings, let alone popular media.
To bring these critical discoveries to light, Resilient joined forces with Plastic Soup Foundation – with the support of A Plastic Planet and the Plastic Health Council – to create the “Scientists Speak Out” series.
The series aims to make the latest, cutting-edge scientific into plastic and human health research accessible to the public, policy-makers and plastic industry. Each episode spotlights a scientist at the forefront of research into the health consequences of plastics, delving into their shocking findings and the story behind them.
“Scientist Speak Out” Series
Episode 1: Cancer & Plastic
The first episode, “Scientist Speak Out: Plastic & Cancer,” follows world-renowned pathologist and cancer researcher, Professor Dr. Lukas Kenner and his research into plastic and cancer formation.
In the 6 minute portrait, he explains how plastics are absorbed by cancer cells, and appear to make these cells more aggressive.
Plastic Action Zone Event: “Is plastic causing a cancer epidemic? What can we do to stop it? Hear from leading health scientists at INC4”
On the 24th of April, we hosted an event in parallel with INC4 in Ottawa. The event had a clear goal: to advocate for an ambitious treaty which prioritises human health.
After premiering the first episode of the "Scientists Speak Out", we invited Kenner and other leading scientists to engage in a candid discussion with the audience about their research and address two critical questions: "Is plastic making us sick?" and "What can we do about it?"
Over 120 attendees from government, industry, non-profits, and media engaged in discussions about the latest research and its implications.
Key takeaways from ottawa event
Despite strong attendance at our event, results from the fourth round of UN negotiations show that there’s still a long way to go for public health to be protected from the dangers of plastic, and that continuing this work is critical.
In order to protect our health, we need to drastically reduce plastic production and turn to sustainable materials and reuse systems. Yet, under the influence of a strong petrochemicals industry lobby, discussions about reducing plastic production were excluded from intersessional work - which will make it difficult to include legislation around cutting plastic production in the final treaty.
With the fate of our plastic at stake, it’s imperative that:
Governments listen to health experts as they warn about the consequences of plastic production and explain what a robust treaty which protects public health should look like
Industry understand their role in the problem and responsibility in divesting away from plastic production by opting for alternative materials
General public are aware of the impacts of plastic on their health and daily lives as well as empowered to pressured governments and industry for alternative materials
Press
New research suggests that microplastics can play an important role in the speed and aggressiveness of cancers in humans.
At last week’s fourth round of negotiations for a global plastics treaty (INC-4), The Plastic Health Council — a group of scientists advocating for stringent reduction policies — held a talk on the link between plastic exposure, cancer and other serious diseases.
Microplastics in the body could make cancer more aggressive and cause it to spread faster, a new study shows.
learn more about our work in plastic
#sickofplastic
Urging individuals and international organisations to turn off the plastic tap at the source and embrace our shared responsibility to preserve our health and ecosystems.
plastic justice?
Highlighting the interconnectedness of environmental and social justice issues, and addresses plastic pollution's disproportionate impact on marginalised communities.
