Research this week reported that seven out of ten young British adults (16-24 year olds) had climate anxiety (Woodland Trust poll of 2,133 British adults), with vox pop interviewees on BBC Newsbeat sharing feelings of hopelessness and helplessness on the face of the problem.
In response to the findings, a company that has removed 1.2 billion pieces of plastic from the environment by replacing them with compostable alternatives, Cullen Eco-Friendly Packaging, gave students at Neilston Primary School the first consumer look at its latest invention, the ‘Fibre Bottle’. The paper-based bottle can remove a further 170 million pieces of plastic every year.
The intention was to show the students that, rather than being helpless, shops can take necessary steps immediately to stop some of plastic pollution’s worst effects on the planet, by swapping to sustainable alternatives. The under-11 students unanimously agreed, urging retailers and producers to swap plastic for paper-based packaging.
Maureen Stevenson, Head of Marketing for Cullen Eco-Friendly Packaging, said: “An earth-sized problem needs a massive scale solution. Thankfully we’re in the process of ramping production to remove one billion pieces of plastic per year from our shelves, so there is hope. Consumers young and old have a role to play here. It’s their pressure that is driving change, so they can speed up the transition to sustainable alternatives by demanding from their shops.”
Please find videos of the Neilston Primary School students’ responses here.
You can find photos of the Cullen Eco Packaging and its Fibre Bottle innovation here.