We are in a sea of plastic… but we can get out of it.

Microplastics are contaminating the water we drink, the food we eat, the air we breathe... I think we can all agree that it’s time we changed our ways!

What we are experiencing will be remembered as "the Age of Plastic”. It has been reported that 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s, and of that, only 9% has been recycled, 12% incinerated and 79% landfilled or, worse, lost in the environment. To bring the data to date, in 2018 alone, 700 tons of plastic were poured into the Mediterranean Sea per day (United Nations Environment Program, 2018), a shocking figure that alone causes enormous environmental damage.

It goes without saying that we find microplastics everywhere, even in the food chain. So much so that a person can get to eat up to 5 grams per week simply by eating and drinking, as research emerges from the study by the University of Newcastle. Single-use disposable plastic in particular, is causing a planetary emergency that must be addressed with coherent and shared policies. In order to drastically reduce the consumption and production of disposable items, we must start somewhere. Plastic bottles are a great place to start as alternative has existed for some time, and it is within everyone's reach: drink from a refillable water bottle.

The quality of water for human consumption raises worry and new quality controls are being introduced on the entire water treatment and distribution chain, including monitoring of microplastics and risk assessment. The EU has also banned the distribution of disposable plastic products starting in 2021. By 2029, according to the European Directive, 90% of plastic containers must be withdrawn, the materials making up the bottles must be 25% R-PET by 2025, and 30% by 2030. In addition to this, CO2 emissions must be reduced in accordance with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.