Plastic - a problem that affects us all

Over the last few decades, plastic has become a major problem on our planet. While 1.5 million tonnes of plastic were produced worldwide in 1950, this figure had risen to 322 million tonnes by 2015.

Plastic can be found even in the most remote places in the world. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), there are now up to 18,000 pieces of plastic of various sizes floating on every square kilometre of ocean surface. This poses a major threat to the animal & environment. Plastic waste is one of the causes of species extinction in the oceans, as animals regard plastic as food. For example, turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. As a result, marine animals and seabirds die in agony from pieces of plastic in their stomachs.

Microplastics: the great danger for humans and animals

But the biggest problem is not even visible yet. Researchers from the National Oceanography Centre examined the entire Atlantic for microplastics and found that up to 7000 plastic particles per cubic metre can be found. Using special filters, the scientists collected particles ranging in size from 0.03 to 0.65 millimetres at different water depths. Extrapolations showed that around 12-21 million tonnes of microplastics exist in the Atlantic. The most common are small fragments with a size of around 0.08 millimetres.

Every fish is therefore contaminated with microplastics. The plastic also enters the human organism through the consumption of fish and marine animals. The health consequences for the marine environment and humans are dramatic and should not be underestimated, especially in the long term.

If we don't act now, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. Only together can we prevent this.

With these steps, we as a company can make a difference:

1. we use recyclable plastic that is labelled with the Green Dot

Our cans are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This means that they are recyclable as long as they are disposed of properly in the yellow bin. Our packaging is also labelled with the Green Dot. This is a protected trademark and stands for a functioning circular economy, i.e. the consistent utilisation of recyclable materials from waste. With the ongoing development of recycling, the Green Dot enables more and more recyclable and raw materials to be utilised and put to new use. This protects finite resources, the climate and the environment.

By displaying the Green Dot on our packaging, we show that we fulfil the obligations of the German Packaging Ordinance and that our packaging participates in the recycling cycle and the dual system.

2. we free the oceans from plastic with the help of an organisation

Together with "Honu Movement" and "Plastic Free Planet gGmbH" we fish out the amount of plastic we produce each month from the oceans. This makes us plastic-neutral and we do not cause any further environmental pollution through plastic. "The Honu Movement collects plastic from the oceans by hand, as nets would cause too much damage. The organisation does this with over 150 employees on beaches, estuaries and with boats directly on the sea in South-East Asia and Africa. No controversial technologies are used that also damage the ecosystem of the oceans. The collected plastic is stored in specially built "trach cabins" to prevent it from being dispersed by wind or animals. The plastic is then collected by recycling companies and transported to the appropriate recycling centres.

3 We are working on new innovative packaging that is durable and food-safe.

Many people ask us why we don't just use different packaging or refill bags. The reason is simple: this "new" packaging is often less sustainable than recyclable plastic, as it is made food-safe by several layers of aluminium foil and small layers of plastic. They are therefore a burden on the environment. Nevertheless, we want to offer you and the environment sustainable packaging in the long term and are working hard to find a satisfactory solution. Unfortunately, this will take time, as we have to check this over months.

Your Nutri-Plus team