16 Facts About Plastic That Will Change How You Shop
What's in it for me to go plastic-free?
We know about the ocean plastic patches, the overstressed landfills, the mountains of synthetic textiles shipped to the developing world for someone else to deal with. We feel it in our bones - this is not sustainable for our planet.
So we try to help. We recycle. We shop consciously when possible. We skip the plastic straw and try despite ourselves to remember our re-useable mug.
But for what?
We all see the news. Forests ablaze, bombs detonating, billionaires hoarding yet more, cost of everything climbing. And we wonder: why am I being asked to use less plastic for the planet when that's all happening?
So this Plastic-Free July, instead of empty hashtags and save-the-earth platitudes, we decided to take action. We wanted to better understand what's in it for me to go plastic-free. In other words, what's in it for you, personally, to do all this work to use less plastic? After all, if those selfish billionaires can constantly centre themselves in this world, we're allowed our moments too.
We sought out the expertise of folks dedicating their lives and careers to understanding the impacts plastics are having on our health, and specifically their advice on what's in it for us to reduce our plastic exposure.
And we filmed it all.
At the bottom of this post we've embedded each of those conversations for you to watch here or on YouTube. You can also find more information about each guest, along with deep dive blogs that source all the stats uncovered in the conversations. And if you prefer quick, easy-to-digest snippets of information, check out our socials at the links below.
- Instagram (our most active channel)
- Facebook (an oldie and still a goodie. Lots of conversations happening here)
- TikTok (we're still pretty new here but very active so please reach out & follow)
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Shorts (new here too but loving the thoughtful conversations)
16 Things We Learned About Plastics
Before presenting you with 3.5 hours of content to choose from, we thought it best to give you a flavour of each conversation first. To achieve this, we pulled 16 of the most jaw-dropping stats from our conversations and have listed them below, along with which conversation they came from.
You'll not only have 16 conversation starters at the ready, you'll also have a taste of each conversation so you know where to start your listening journey.
1. The recycling rate for plastic has never exceeded 9% globally, in the entire history of plastic production. California's Attorney General has sued ExxonMobil for running a decades-long campaign to promote recycling while knowing internally it was never viable at scale. — Plastic Pollution Coalition
2. Global plastic production reached 430 million metric tons in 2024 and is projected to reach 712 million by 2040. A 66% increase from 2019 levels. The plastic problem is not being solved. It is being accelerated. — Plastic Pollution Coalition
3. As the world moves away from fossil fuels for energy, the oil industry has pivoted to plastic as its growth strategy. By 2030, 85% of growth in oil demand is projected to come from petrochemicals. — Plastic Pollution Coalition
4. Plastic production currently accounts for 4.7% of global CO2 emissions annually — more than the entire aviation industry. At current growth rates, that share could triple by 2050. — Plastic Pollution Coalition
5. Single-use plastic packaging alone accounts for 40% of all plastic pollution. 99% of it is made from fossil fuels. — Plastic Pollution Coalition
6. Chemicals in plastic cost the US healthcare system $250 billion in a single year — 2018. That figure accounts for only roughly 10 of the thousands of chemicals used in plastic production. The true cost is certainly much higher. — Plastic Pollution Coalition
7. The average human brain now contains the equivalent of an entire plastic spoon in microplastics by weight. A concentration 50% higher than it was just eight years ago. — Plastic Pollution Coalition
8. Approximately 8,000 chemicals are used to produce synthetic clothing. Even a garment made from 100% cotton can be up to one-third chemicals by weight — dyes, flame retardants, waterproofing agents, and finishing compounds, none of which are required to appear on a label. — 5 Gyres Institute
9. Recycled polyester sheds 55% more microfibers than virgin polyester — and the particles are 20% smaller. Smaller particles travel further and penetrate biological tissue more easily. When a plastic bottle becomes a garment, it also exits the bottle recycling loop permanently. It is the last stop before landfill. — 5 Gyres Institute
10. Toxic chemicals including flame retardants leach out of synthetic clothing into sweat, and up to 8% can be absorbed through the skin. Sweatier, warmer skin absorbs more. Exercise increases exposure. — 5 Gyres Institute
11. 48% of conventional pads and panty liners tested positive for PFAS — forever chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and reproductive harm. 65% of period underwear tested positive. The tissue these products sit against is among the most absorptive in the body. — GladRags
12. Until 2023, no study had ever tested period product absorbency using actual blood. Every industry standard was based on saline. When researchers at Oregon Health and Science University finally did it, they found most products absorb significantly less blood than their labels claim. — GladRags
13. Period product absorbency labelling — super, super plus, super extreme plus — is entirely self-administered by manufacturers. These terms have no standardized legal definition. — GladRags
14. A third of low-income people in the United States have missed school or work due to lack of access to period products. Two in five Americans struggle to afford them. Period product prices have increased 40% in the last five years. — GladRags
15. 120 billion units of plastic packaging are produced by the beauty and cosmetics industry every single year. 95% of it is not recycled. — Notice Hair Co.
16. Plastic only seems cheap. In the US alone, the full lifecycle of plastic — from extraction to waste — is estimated to cost $1.1 trillion per year when health and environmental damage are included. That bill is paid by taxpayers, not by the companies producing the plastic. — Plastic Pollution Coalition
The Conversations with Experts
Aidan Maguire — Plastic Pollution Coalition The communications and advocacy organization working to end plastic pollution at the source. Aidan cover it all - where plastic came from, who's really responsible, and why recycling was never the answer. Find out why we each have a teaspoon of plastic in our brains, and much more in our blog about our conversation (chock full of data and links)
Dr. Lisa Erdle — 5 Gyres Institute 5 Gyres is a science-led research organization whose founders and researchers have sailed over 30,000 nautical miles studying plastic pollution across the world's oceans. Dr. Lisa Erdle, 5 Gyres' Director of Science and Innovation, joined us to share her incredible research on the microfibres shedding from our clothing. Lisa brought the science (with sources and WHOA facts in our blog), and fair warning: this conversation will forever change the way you think about getting dressed.
Ally Teasdale — Notice Hair Co. Co-founder of Canada's leading plastic-free hair care brand. Ally walked us through what's actually in a shampoo bottle, why bars are a return to something older and smarter, and what it means to build a business that refuses to compromise (read the blog here)
Sara & Abby — GladRags The team behind a 36-year-old reusable menstrual care brand made in Portland, Oregon. They told us things about the period product industry that genuinely shocked us - facts that every person who menstruates deserves to know. (read the blog here)
The Best Products You've Ever Owned
The best reason to choose plastic-free alternatives is because you'll get a better product experience.
Here at KOOSHOO, we know that you need our products to be the best hair accessory experience you've ever had, regardless of the ethics and sustainability that underpin our company. That means best-in-class for style, performance, quality, hair health, and joy (because yes, a product should be measured on the joy it brings).
And that's exactly what you get from Notice Hair Co., GladRags, Axiology, and Oneka — all collaborating with us right now on a massive product giveaway — and so many other product makers seeking to offer you a better product experience in every way possible.
That you can have it all, AND lessen your exposure to the plastics industry in the process, is a pretty awesome deal.
Shop KOOSHOO → https://kooshoo.com/