Catching up on Sick of Plastic

Through the Break Free From Plastic global network, of which we are members of, we screened the newly released film ‘The Story of Plastic’ in May with our Sick of Plastic partner VOICE Ireland. To build on the conversation and bring the issue closer to home, we hosted awebinar to discuss the plastic free movement in Ireland.

Meaghan, who is our Head of Mobilisation, joined the panel for our this webinar and spoke of the connection between the global glut of plastics on the market and the fossil fuel companies.
Approximately 99% of what goes into plastics is fossil fuels. If you saw the film ‘The Story of Plastic’ you’ll know that the fossil fuel industry and the petrochemical industry (that makes plastic) are owned by the same companies. They use liquid gas that comes from fracking to produce plastics.

Plastic is not driven by demand – it’s driven by supply. Fossil fuels know that their days in generating energy are numbered but by pushing the market for plastics, their business is safe - so they think.

Sick of Plastic have recently launched Friday Conversations - happening every Friday at 12 noon on Instagram Live. Join in for a short chat with plastic activists and hear their story and what actions they are taking to break free from plastic. who are Sick of Plastic and are doing something about it. Guests so far include visual artist Claire McCluskey, Conscious Cup Campaign Coordaintor Sorcha Kavanagh and sustainable chef Conor Spacey. If you’re not on Instagram, or if you’d like to watch these interviews back - you can find them on the Sick of Plastic Youtube here.

Plastic Free July is back - are you up for the challenge to go Plastic Free for the month? We know that this is a big ask so even if you aren’t ready for complete plastic detox, taking the time to become more conscious of the amount of plastic in your life can be a really great place to start. Follow Sick of Plastic on social media throughout the month of July for some great tips on how to break free from plastic. Covid-19 has made it has increasingly difficult to avoid plastic while shopping, with many items such as breads that were available loose before are now wrapped in plastic. It is more important than ever to keep up the conversation with supermarkets and let them know that as we emerge from this public health crisis we want to see such plastics removed again.

Although we couldn’t go ahead with this year’s Shop and Drop day of action, we are still planning lots of actions for you to get involved in. As part of Plastic Free July, Sick of Plastic will be launching a Postcard Campaign to remind supermarkets that we’re still here and we still want them to eliminate excessive single use plastics from products on their shelves.

This action will also include an online petition, launching on July 1st. Stay tuned for more!