🧦 The Great Plastic Recycling Scam
Café Leon Dore, Whalebone, Patagonia Farm Boys, BIG OIL BS, Arvin Goods Take Back
'The Clean Up' is a weekly newsletter that mixes in some Arvin Goods news, products, as well as stories we saw during the week that are worth a share. From books to podcasts, sustainability to business news, we try to keep it interesting, and fun. If you are not a subscriber, sign up and join everyone who receives The Clean Up directly in their inbox every Sunday.
Arvin News
Hello and Happy Sunday!
We have tried from the get go to be open and transparent about the “S” word. There is no magic solution for the damage the apparel industry does. But, there are positive steps we can move forward with. Today we wanted to give a little history lesson on the world of plastics, and marketing spin on recycling.
The global plastics industry is a staple of modern life, providing convenience, durability, and versatility to a wide array of products. However, as the reliance on plastic products has grown, so has the concern for the environment. With plastic pollution posing a significant threat to our ecosystems, the role of recycling has gained prominence. Recycling plastics may seem like a straightforward solution, but there's a darker side to the story – including misleading claims by the plastics industry about their efforts to combat the plastic waste crisis.
To comprehend the scale of the issue, start by looking at some staggering statistics. Since the 1950s, the world has produced over 9.2 billion tons of plastic, with a significant portion ending up in landfills, oceans, and other natural habitats. The annual production of plastics has increased exponentially, from around 1.5 million tons in 1950 to a staggering 360 million tons in 2019. This upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing down, with production projected to double over the next 20 years.
As plastic pollution received more and more attention from the public and policymakers, the plastics industry responded with claims of its commitment to recycling. Many companies have championed their efforts to incorporate recycled content into their products, boasting of their contributions to a greener future. However, these claims usually paint an overly optimistic picture of the recycling process.
It is very complicated. While some plastics can be recycled, the process is far from perfect. Different types of plastics require different recycling methods, making the process labor-intensive and costly. Furthermore, only a fraction of plastic products actually get recycled. In the United States, for example, only about 8.7% of plastic waste was recycled in 2018. The rest ended up in landfills, incinerators, or the environment.
Beyond the disparities between recycling claims and reality, there are real challenges within the recycling process itself. Plastics can only be recycled a limited number of times before their quality degrades to the point where they're no longer usable. This means that even with recycling efforts, a significant amount of plastic waste remains unrecyclable and contributes to the pollution problem. The international recycling market has faced setbacks due to changes in policies, disruptions in global supply chains, and the sheer volume of plastic waste being generated. These challenges have exposed the limitations of the recycling infrastructure, leading to further skepticism about the industry's claims.
To be fair, not all efforts within the plastics industry are misleading. Many companies are genuinely working to reduce their plastic footprint, invest in research for innovative materials, and improve recycling technologies. However, the gap between the rhetoric and the reality is really REAL.
Addressing the plastic waste crisis requires a comprehensive approach that goes beyond recycling alone. It involves reducing plastic production, promoting sustainable alternatives, and advocating for systemic changes in consumer behavior and government policies. While recycling is a part of the solution to the plastic waste crisis, it's important to be realistic about the claims made by the plastics industry. The BS presentation of recycling efforts serves as a reminder that real change requires transparency, systemic shifts, and a collective commitment to reducing our reliance on single-use plastics.
As consumers, we have the power to drive change by making informed choices and supporting businesses that prioritize genuine change over empty promises. This is what we are trying to achieve at Arvin Goods, and we hope you will join us.
We would love to hear from you. Comment here on substack, hit us on social, or email us info@arvingoods.com. Have a great week. Cheers,
Harry & Dustin (Team AG) ✌️🧦
Stories Of The Week…
Fashion Biz
THE ONLY THING MORE POPULAR THAN AIMÉ LEON DORE? CAFÉ LEON DORE - HIGHSNOBIETY
Food and Fashion… Fashion and Food… Café Leon Dore, Aimé Leon Dore's in-house café, is often overlooked in discussions of ALD's fame, perhaps because it only exists IRL at the brand's NYC and London flagship stores.🍽️☕️👟
Friends
Arvin Goods x Whalebone Socks - Whalebone Magazine
This past week a new collection of socks dropped with our good friends over at Whalebone Magazine in New York. Grab a pair and enjoy the supreme comfort!
🧦🐳❤️
Industry
Farm Boys - Patagonia & Roaring Journals
2023/ 6 Episodes - The world's only hardcore surf and gardening show.
Earth wizards Heath Joske and Addy Jones set about building a garden paradise in the dry Australian bush from some old junk, a handful of seeds and a lot of hard work. Throughout the six-part series they catch up with a network of surfing friends who’ve all made a life out of growing their own food, in their own backyards, in their own way.🧑🏼🌾🚜
Greenwash
How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled - NPR
None of this plastic will be turned into new plastic things. All of it is buried. "To me that felt like it was a betrayal of the public trust," she said. "I had been lying to people ... unwittingly."(Laura Leebrick, a manager at Rogue Disposal & Recycling)
NPR and PBS Frontline spent months digging into internal industry documents and interviewing top former officials. We found that the industry sold the public on an idea it knew wouldn't work — that the majority of plastic could be, and would be, recycled — all while making billions of dollars selling the world new plastic.🧴🐬
