PLASTICS

Plastics have provided huge benefits to mankind, from keeping food fresh for longer, hospital and medical goods and services, lightweight components for cars and consumer goods, storage of chemicals, and a myriad of other uses.

The plastics industry only consumes 4% of the world's oil production as feedstock. The rest is used for energy and transport. The production of most plastic products is not energy intensive compared to metals, glass and paper.

The problem with plastics is they are non-biodegradable, and when not recycled or sent to landfill it ends up as litter.  Ultimately, most litter ends up in waterways, and can have a major impact on fauna, particular marine animals.

The ‘plastic island’ in the Pacific Ocean is common knowledge, however there are five ‘plastic islands’ around the world, the largest called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, covers an estimated 1.6 million square kilometres. (that is 1,000 km x 1,600 km, or roughly the size of Queensland)

For many people, the idea of a 'garbage patch' conjures up images of an island of trash floating on the ocean. In reality, these patches are almost entirely made up of tiny bits of plastic, called microplastics. Microplastics can’t always be seen by the naked eye. Even satellite imagery doesn’t show a giant patch of garbage. The microplastics of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch can simply make the water look like a cloudy soup. This soup is intermixed with larger items, such as large containers, fishing gear and shoes.

Here are two links that provide easy to understand information National Geographic and Plastics at SEA 

These islands consist mainly of small pieces of plastic broken down from larger items, but also microplastics.  Microplastics are plastic particles less than 5 mm long.  Most of these microplastics are polyester sourced from washing clothes containing synthetics. 

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This why all of Easter Planet clothing products are manufactured from organic bamboo or organic cotton.