Blink:

Recently a member of my smartketingreflections.com community inquired why I had been posting regularly about microplastic pollution. I indicated my interest in joining the challenge of mitigating microplastic pollution heighten in June when I learned our clothing and washing machines were an alarming source of the problem.

Read On:

Since I started blogging back in 2008, I have periodically posted content about our environment, specifically the impact plastic pollution. In June, while conducting research for my post titled Eureka, I learned recent scientific studies revealed our clothing and washing machines are a leading source of the problem. It has been analyzed 1.5 million micro fibers can be released from a synthetic garment during a wash cycle. Another study indicated five trillion pieces of plastic are estimated to float in our oceans. The dominant form being microplastics pieces less than 5 mm in diameter, either the result of items manufactured at small sizes or the degradation of larger items.

English! English! I have observed when it comes to publishing scientific data points people tend to publish TMI (e.g., a number like five trillion pieces), without a relevant frame of reference which would help the “general public” better understand the magnitude of plastic pollution. To clarify my point about people actually ingesting plastic, below (verbatim) is a prime example I once posted:

In 2019, a study by WWF International concluded we ingest, approximately the equivalent of 5 grams of microplastic per week which is the equivalent weight of one plastic credit card. Recently, Reuters photojournalist Kim Kyung-Hoon published a series of photographs of meals made of plastic to further sensationalize the study’s findings.

• A plastic credit card placed between two burger buns to imitate the 7 grams of plastic someone could eat in 10 days.
• Lego brick pieces on top of sushi rolls weighing 22 grams, representative of the plastic one could eat in a month.
• A safety helmet weighing 248 grams equivalent to ingesting plastic for one year.

Call to Action (CTA): I am looking to connect with business leaders interested in collaborating on an online content marketing movement building consumer awareness how planet earth is currently choking on plastics. The primary objective of the movement will be to educate the “general public” about the magnitude of the problem as well as the best practices/solutions being implemented to mitigate the problem globally. Examples of potential recommended educational content:

• KISS content, simple and concise, less scientific jargon compared to what is currently online so the “general public” understands and gets involved.

• Visual and graphic. Published data will provide frame of reference for clarity.
• Video or a short narrative documentary about the journey of an average sized piece of microplastic.

Business leaders #planetfirst welcomed!