--- title: "Our planet is not single-use - AlmaScience" description: "We are in “Plastic Free July”, the month in which millions of people around the world refuse to use single-use plastic packaging or products." url: "https://almascience.pt/news/thought-piece/plastic-free-july-our-planet-is-not-single-use" date: "2026-10-16T06:11:01+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- # News ![Plastic Free July: our planet is not single-use]() ## Plastic Free July: our planet is not single-use Filipe Matos, Mónica Simões [Thought Piece](https://almascience.pt/news/thought-piece) 17 July 2024 5 minutes read - [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Falmascience.pt%2Fnews%2Fthought-piece%2Fplastic-free-july-our-planet-is-not-single-use "Facebook") - [ ](https://twitter.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Falmascience.pt%2Fnews%2Fthought-piece%2Fplastic-free-july-our-planet-is-not-single-use&text=Plastic+Free+July%3A+our+planet+is+not+single-use "X (formerly Twitter)") - [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Falmascience.pt%2Fnews%2Fthought-piece%2Fplastic-free-july-our-planet-is-not-single-use&title=Plastic+Free+July%3A+our+planet+is+not+single-use "LinkedIn") We are in [“Plastic Free July”](https://www.plasticfreejuly.org), the month in which millions of people around the world refuse to use single-use plastic packaging or products. This is a most noble initiative, at a key moment when the planet is undergoing its biggest environmental crisis since the beginning of civilization. It is estimated that, of the 380 million tons of plastic produced yearly, around 50% are destined for single-use packaging. Considering that only 9% of all plastic produced is recycled, 50% goes to landfills, 19% is incinerated, and another 22% is just poorly managed. The annual forecast indicates that 53 million tons of plastic will end up in marine ecosystems in 2030, a truly alarming scenario. There is an urgent need to find sustainable alternatives to non-reusable or non-recyclable fossil-based plastics that negatively impact the environment, wildlife, human health, and the economy. ### An ocean of trouble The plastics problem seriously affects our planet on several fronts. In the oceans, plastics can originate from terrestrial and oceanic sources. Plastic pollution from land-based sources is mainly the result of residential and domestic activities, tourism, and other economic activities, including port operations. More than 75% of marine plastic originates from these land-based sources. Concerning plastics from oceanic sources, activities such as commercial fishing, shipping, waste disposal, and aquaculture are mainly responsible for the accumulation of plastic debris in the marine environment and coastal areas. Deep-sea fishing and aquaculture are identified as the main sources of plastic in the oceans, due to abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing nets. Plastic in the marine environment has serious repercussions on both an ecological and socioeconomic level. Ingestion and strangulation are some of the main ecological consequences associated with macroplastic fragments. In 2015, more than 13,000 individuals from 208 species experienced complications associated with ingesting plastics, while more than 30,000 individuals from 243 species suffered complications due to strangulation by macroplastic fragments. Plastic pollution also causes different socioeconomic impacts, as an overload of plastic contaminants in ocean basins and coastal areas has a direct impact on commercial fishing, aquaculture, and even tourism. Thus, pollution causes large sums to be allocated to waste removal and cleaning of the marine and coastal environment, sums that are no longer available for other purposes. ### Microplastics: small but incredibly dangerous According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 2019, 50% of plastic waste produced worldwide was disposed of in landfills. In landfills, non-biodegradable plastics remain in the open for hundreds of years, degrading the soil and releasing toxic and harmful substances that contaminate groundwater, affecting local fauna and flora. As plastics are processed in landfills through thermal, physical, chemical, or biological degradation, they fragment into microplastics that infiltrate soils and drinking water supplies, polluting them, i.e. [a recent study by Barath K. et al. (2021)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653520326977) reported the abundance of microplastics in groundwater bodies about 1-2 km from Kodungaiyur and Perungudi, two landfill sites in India, showing values of 3-23 items/L and 7-80 items/L, respectively. Therefore, it is extremely important to implement mechanisms to remove these microplastics from wastewater at landfills and underground water courses, using physical, biological, and/or chemical treatment processes or even the construction of artificial wetlands. ### Plastic production accounts for 13% of global carbon emissions Finally, the production of plastics itself has significant consequences for the environment, having increased twentyfold in the last fifty years. Studies show that the entire life cycle of plastics is responsible for the release of greenhouse gases, from the extraction and transportation of materials used in their production to waste management and eventual entry into the environment. Cumulative greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production to disposal could exceed 56 gigatons by 2050, representing approximately 10% to 13% of the remainder of the carbon budget. ### Plastics are not truly recyclable The increasingly serious impact of the plastic crisis has attracted worldwide attention. There is growing evidence that the use of plastics, from production to disposal, poses risks not only to the environment but also to human health. Plastic recycling does not allow obtaining a product with the same or similar quality as the original. Therefore, the use of post-consumer recycled plastic to produce new plastics does not represent true closed-loop recycling. The solution to these problems lies in drastically reducing plastic consumption and replacing it with recyclable, biodegradable, or compostable products. The role of Research and Development is essential here, from the conception, validation, certification, and commercialization of these new products to the provision of scientific bases of essential data for making informed decisions, promoting a faster and more efficient transition to ecosystems free of plastic and a sustainable, profitable and circular economy. ### AlmaScience’s contribution to solving the plastic crisis AlmaScience directly contributes to solving this problem, dedicating itself to the [creation of innovative, smart and sustainable products](https://almascience.pt/solutions) in accordance with the pillars of the [bioeconomy](https://almascience.pt/sustainable-technology), from the choice of raw materials used – prioritizing the use of cellulosic materials and/or paper-based – right down to its production methods, which aim for performance, durability, biocompatibility, biodegradability and/or recyclability/circularity. Above all, these innovative and sustainable products function as substitutes for plastics of fossil origin in the most diverse sectors: single/long-term packaging, thermal/sound insulation, textiles, slides for microbiological control, flexible electronics, sensors and biosensors, among others. ![]() Biocomposites are a sustainable, recyclable and compostable alternative to fossil fuel-based plastics With a [multidisciplinary team](https://almascience.pt/about/our-team) of highly qualified scientists specialized in different areas and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, AlmaScience works to create innovative solutions with high added value, performance, and quality, which reduce dependence on conventional plastics, minimize the ecological impact, and promote the protection of the environment, contributing to a more sustainable future. To ensure the dissemination and commercialization of its innovations, [AlmaScience is part of a synergistic network](https://almascience.pt/sustainable-innovation-ecosystem) of well-established industrial and academic partners in the Portuguese industry ecosystem. Interested in learning more about AlmaScience and its work as a developer and incubator for sustainable technologies? [Contact us!](https://almascience.pt/contact-us) We are available to demonstrate our prototypes and/or develop sustainable solutions from scratch that address your specific needs – as long as, of course, they are plastic-free! - [ Plastic free ](https://almascience.pt/component/tags/tag/plastic-free) - [ Sustainability ](https://almascience.pt/component/tags/tag/sustainability) ### Continue reading... 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