The Longevity of Plastic

From the packaging of our food to the products we use daily, plastic has many advantages: it’s lightweight, durable, and versatile. Yet, this very durability is also the problem. Once released into the environment, plastic can persist for centuries or even millennia. But for how long exactly?

Plastic bags: This everyday item can remain in the environment for up to 1000 years. For comparison: The Middle Ages were just as long ago. Imagine a plastic bag from the year 1023 still lying somewhere in the Swiss Midlands today!

Plastic bottles: An average plastic bottle takes about 450 years to fully decompose. That’s almost as long as since Christopher Columbus discovered America.

Straws and cutlery: These disposable items can linger in nature for up to 200 years. This is the time span from the Industrial Revolution to the present day.

Microplastics: These tiny plastic particles, often found in cosmetics or from the breakdown of larger plastic pieces, can remain in the environment almost indefinitely. They are ingested by marine creatures and thus enter the food chain – we wrote about this in our last post.

Why is all this a problem?

Plastic that remains in the environment has devastating effects on wildlife and ultimately on us humans. Animals mistake plastic pieces for food, leading to internal injuries and, in the worst cases, death. Moreover, over time, plastic releases harmful chemicals that can contaminate water and soil.

What now?

The persistence of plastic in the environment is a serious issue that urgently needs addressing. Through conscious consumer behaviour, recycling, and supporting initiatives that advocate for our environment’s protection, we can all make a difference. It’s time to take responsibility for our planet and make sustainable choices – in the shopping centre or at the optician’s. Hereby we recommend glasses from planctons – made from 100% ocean plastic.