A gut feeling

Plastics are ubiquitous in our world. We drink from plastic bottles, eat with plastic utencils, wrap our foods and consumer products in plastic packaging, and carry our groceries home in plastic bags.

We’ve all seen reports in recent years of marine animals being found with pounds of plastic in their stomachs. But what has only been proven recently is that our stomachs are full of plastic as well. Read about the study here.

There is a big push to focus on environmental issues right now as part of the global fight to keep the temperature rise under 1.5 degrees over the next 100 years. The World Economic Forum is calling for unprecedented action to help reach this goal. Plastics, especially single-use items and products containing microbeads, are being banned in countries across the globe. Most bans will go into effect at the start of 2020, giving all parties involved, from the manufacturers to the consumers, a chance to adjust to the changes.

Nordic countries are looking to replace everyday items made of plastic with solutions that do not create an environmental burden.

Here are just a few of the innovative projects they are working on:

FINLAND

Finns are creating environmentally-friendly product options:

• Sulapac makes cosmetic containers out of wood – pretty, cool, and packs a nature kick to boot. 
• Onbone’s woodcuts product makes casts without plastic 
• Kotkamills food packaging coffee cups and boxes are fully recyclable

SWEDEN

SAS just attended “CEOs for a sustainable future” in Oslo last week, committing to a goal that all domestic flights will run on biofuel by 2030. Read about the event here.

DENMARK

Denmark just held the P4G Summit, working to form a coalition to help reach the world’s sustainability goals.

Carlsberg’s new recyclable plastic glue means no plastic can rings.

NORWAY

Norway is investing in helping other countries clean up the ocean. Read the details here.

Grocery stores in Norway are getting involved in reducing the amount of plastics used in packaging food. Read the article here.

A Norwegian is building a boat to collect and recycle plastics from the ocean. 

ICELAND

Iceland will ban all single-use plastic items, including plastic silverware and shopping bags. 

What did I learn from this?

Nordics are willing to work hard to keep the environment safe.