Dear John,

You’ve likely seen headlines about plastic straws lately, due to a recent policy change by the current U.S. Administration—and if you think the focus on straws is ridiculous, you might be surprised to learn that we think so too. While plastic straws are part of the problem, they’re a small piece of the much larger issue of plastic pollution. And this indiscriminate attention on straws presents an opportunity to shift the focus to the crux of the issue: the massive production and consumption of toxic single-use plastic. With more than 400 million metric tons of plastic produced annually—more than 40% of which is designed for just one use—significantly reducing plastic pollution at the source is the real challenge that needs to be addressed.

Plastic poisons people and makes our world more prone to toxic disasters. In the aftermath of the devastating plastic-fueled Southern California wildfires, we’ll be holding a special roundtable event on Thursday, March 6, with an expert panel to discuss the increasing impact on human and environmental health in our plastified world, and how Los Angeles and other regions impacted by fires can rebuild better. Sign up to attend the roundtable event. We also have a series of informative blogs about the effects of plastics fueling wildfires—read more about impacts on air quality, drinking water, as well as long-term environmental damage.

To further plastic-free solutions, our February webinar, Solutions Series: Less Plastic, Better Business, brought together business leaders Danielle Del Sordo, Co-Founder of Pirani Life; Kate Jakubas, Founder of Meliora Cleaning Products; and Justin Wolff, CEO of JunkTheory with our Coalition Program Manager, Aidan Maguire, as moderator. The panel discussed their experiences in scaling small businesses that hold themselves to high standards of plastic mitigation. You can watch the recording here.

An important part of real solutions to plastic pollution involves holding polluters accountable. Plastic Pollution Coalition recently filed a complaint in the District of Columbia Superior Court against The Wonderful Company, LLC and FIJI Water, LLC, makers of FIJI Water bottled water, for alleged “false and deceptive marketing” in violation of the District of Columbia’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA). Learn more here.

Plastic pollutes at every stage of its existence, and we’ll continue to tell the truth loud and clear, and importantly, advance the real solutions we need. Thank you for your continued support.

Onward,

Amelia Hanson
Project Manager
Plastic Pollution Coalition

P.S. Please consider supporting our work, and help us create a world free from plastic pollution and its toxic impacts.

★ Plastic Pollution Coalition Files “False and Deceptive Marketing” Complaint Against Makers of FIJI Water
Plastic Pollution Coalition filed a complaint in the District of Columbia Superior Court against The Wonderful Company, LLC and FIJI Water, LLC, makers of FIJI Water bottled water, for alleged “false and deceptive marketing” in violation of the District of Columbia’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA). The Wonderful Company, LLC and FIJI Water, LLC promote FIJI Water as “natural artesian water,” “protected from external elements,” and “untouched,” despite test results revealing that these products contain health-harming microplastics and plastic chemical bisphenol-A (BPA), and the companies’ roles in creating plastic pollution. Read more.

★ Think the Focus on Plastic Straws is Ridiculous? So Do We.
Yes, plastic straws are part of the problem, but they’re just a tiny part of the much larger crisis. We need to shift the conversation to the overarching issue: ending plastic pollution and its toxic impacts. Our leaders must support policies that reduce plastic production, not increase it. And reducing plastic use and production is what a significant majority of Americans across the political spectrum want: 81% of U.S. voters support a reduction in plastic production, and 85% want to see a rise in reusable packaging and foodware. Read more.

★ Plastic Worsens Long-Term Environmental Damage After Wildfires
Even after wildfires are extinguished, the widespread use of plastics in the built environment worsens the long-term damage to the natural environment. Toxic pollution from wildfires can harm the health of people, the planet, plants, and wildlife for years or even decades. Learn about long-term wildfire pollution, environmental damage, and how best to protect yourself. Read more.

★ Filters Can Protect Kids from Contaminated Water
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers officially declared 2025 the Year of the Kid. As part of this proclamation, he’s made access to safe drinking water a top priority—with good reason. Clean drinking water is a fundamental human right. But for many Wisconsinites, access to clean water is threatened. Read the op-ed co-authored by Sofia Johansson from Plastic Pollution Coalition's Filtered Not Bottled team, published by The Cap Times.

★ Excessive Plastic in Healthcare: The Growing Crisis
Excessive plastic usage in modern healthcare is adding to the plastic pollution crisis. Plastic items have proven useful, even critical, in life-saving treatments—yet their overuse and lack of widely available plastic-free alternatives have led to an escalating environmental and health crisis, with the healthcare field being a significant contributor to plastic pollution globally. We take a closer look at modern healthcare’s plastic problem, as well as possible solutions. Read more.

➤ Find more Latest News on our website.

★ Special Event: How Plastics Fueled the LA Wildfires & How to Rebuild Better
On March 6, 2025, at 5pm ET, Plastic Pollution Coalition will hold a special roundtable event with an expert panel to discuss the increasingly devastating toll of wildfires on human and environmental health in our increasingly plastified world, and how Los Angeles and other regions impacted by wildfires can rebuild in a better, more resistant, and more resilient way. Joining the discussion will be Silverio Caggiano, Member of International Association of Firefighters Retirees (IAFF); Cassidy Clarity, Materials Researcher, Habitable; and Tevin Hamilton, Coalition Coordinator, Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles (PSR-LA). The discussion will be moderated by Dianna Cohen, CEO & Co-Founder, Plastic Pollution Coalition. Sign up.

★ Beyond Plastics: In Conversation with Matt Simon
Join Beyond Plastics on Thursday, March 6, at 7pm ET/4pm PT for a conversation with Matt Simon. Simon is the author of A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies. He has also written two other books: Plight of the Living Dead, about the many parasites that mind-control their hosts, and The Wasp That Brainwashed the Caterpillar. Join the conversation.

★ Plastic, the New Coal: An International Exhibit by Apexart 
Apexart’s exhibit, “Plastic, the New Coal” will present the work of seven artists from March 15–April 15, 2025, including participants in an online Plastics Dialogue since the fall of 2021. The Opening Reception will be held on March 15 at 6pm CST at The Descendants Project, Education and Cultural District, 167 Alexis Court, Vacherie, Louisiana. Selected artists include: Hannah Chalew, Shana M Griffin, Heather Bird Harris, Pamela Longobardi, Juan Carlos Quintana, Renee Royale, and Luba Zygarewicz. Click here for more information.

★ PPC March Webinar: Grasping at Straws: Policy Solutions for Safe Drinking Water
Plastic straws in news headlines can make many lose sight of the real problem: the continued widespread production of single-use plastics and increasing severity of the plastic pollution crisis. All people deserve access to safe drinking water that is free from microplastics and toxic chemicals, and with one in five people in the United States consuming exclusively plastic bottled water, it is critical to address the myriad issues involved with using single-use plastic bottles. Join Plastic Pollution Coalition on March 20, 2025, at 5pm ET, for a discussion with experts in advocacy, policy, and media on how local and state governments can provide access to filtered, not bottled water; advance policy solutions; and dispel myths about single-use plastic straws, water bottles, and more. Sign up.

★ Plastic People Makes Its TV Debut in Canada and at the DC Environmental Film Festival
Tune into CBC's The Nature of Things on Thursday, March 20, at 9pm to see the Canadian broadcast premiere of the award-winning documentary Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics. After it airs, it will be available to stream on CBC Gem across Canada. And if you’re in Washington, D.C. for the DC Environmental Film Festival, be sure to get tickets to see Plastic People on Saturday, March 29 at 2pm ET. Learn more about the Plastic People documentary here.

➤ Find more Events on our website.

★ The Silent Harms of Plastic Foam Earplugs & GOB’s Mycelium Solution
In a collaboration between Plastic Pollution Coalition and GOB, we are shedding light on an unusual suspect that contributes to plastic pollution– earplugs. 40 Billion foam earplugs, mostly made from PVC, are produced and thrown “away” every year. GOB, a startup from Northern California, launched this week to help decrease the impact from foam earplugs through a regenerative replacement made from mushroom mycelium. Read the blog and visit GOB for more info.

★ PPC February Webinar: Solutions Series: Less Plastic, Better Business
On February 20, 2025, Plastic Pollution Coalition was joined by three innovative founders to discuss their experiences in scaling small businesses that hold themselves to high standards of plastic mitigation. How do sustainable business practices help their companies maintain consumer loyalty and hedge against an uncertain regulatory future? Which challenges have they overcome, and which do they now face in creating safer products in plastic-free packaging? Joining the discussion was Danielle Del Sordo, Co-Founder, Pirani Life; Kate Jakubas, Founder, Meliora Cleaning Products; and Justin Wolff, CEO, JunkTheory. The webinar was moderated by Aidan Maguire, Coalition Program Manager, Plastic Pollution Coalition. Watch the recording.

★ Beyond Plastic Straws: A Collaboration with LOLIWARE
This month we worked with PPC Business Member LOLIWARE to advocate for systemic change and urge society and policymakers to not get hung up on the plastic straw debate. We are far beyond that, and the recent plastic straw debate has proven to be a distraction from the larger issue that is plastic production and fossil fuel expansion. This collaboration stemmed from an original blog post by Plastic Pollution Coalition. Read the blog here. 

★ Join Plastic Pollution Coalition
Not yet a member of PPC? You may join as an individual, organization, or business. Apply here.

★ Tell Adidas, Amazon, Apple, H&M, Shein, & Unilever: Stop Trashing the Planet!
We are calling on some of the world's largest companies in their sectors—Adidas, Amazon, Apple, H&M, Shein, and Unilever—to immediately reduce their use and production of plastic packaging and cheap disposable products that are trashing our planet. Urge these companies to implement stronger targets for reducing plastic waste and increasing reuse efforts, and scale back their manipulative ads that drive the relentless cycle of overconsumption. Sign the petition.

★ Tell U.S. Leaders to Take a Strong Stance on the Global Plastics Treaty
The UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations have been extended to next year with INC-5.2. Urge U.S. leaders to lead by forging ambitious solutions—like reduction of plastic production and freedom from corporate influence—instead of leading the world in generating plastic pollution. Sign the petition. 

★ Tell EPA: Ensure Safe Drinking Water Without Plastic Pollution
Join us in calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure access to safe drinking water and stop the harms of single-use plastic water bottles. Safe drinking water should be accessible to all without exacerbating the plastic pollution crisis. It’s time for the EPA to take action and advance Filtered, Not Bottled water. Sign the petition.

➤ Find more Ways to Take Action

★ Inland Ocean Ambassador Training Program
Are you passionate about protecting our ocean and looking to make a difference? The Inland Ocean Ambassador Training Program is a 5-session, 5-week online program that prepares individuals to take action to protect our ocean and waterways. Apply by March 12, 2025.

★ Algalita's Student Mini-Grant Opportunity
These mini-grants are available to students looking for financial support for their personal education, school and community projects, internships, networking events, etc. connected to addressing the plastic crisis. Apply through April 15, 2025. 

★ Celebrate Earth Day with a Plastic People Film Screening – Special Discount Available
This year marks the 55th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2025. As we continue the conversation around microplastics and health, we want to help you bring the award-winning documentary Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics to your network—whether it’s your team, community, or supporters. There are a range of resources available to make it easy to engage and inspire action, including a Social Media Toolkit, a Community Screenings Toolkit, and an Education Toolkit. Plus, for a limited time, use the special code PLASTICPOLLUTIONCOALITION to receive a substantial discount on the license fee. Let’s make this Earth Month one to remember—reach out directly to [email protected] to get started.

★ Brower Youth Awards
The Brower Youth Awards are looking to recognize a young leader of an environmental group or effort. Youth environmental change leaders ages 13 to 22 living in North America (including Mexico, Canada, and U.S. territories) are encouraged to apply. The application deadline for submission is Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Recipients will receive a $3,000 cash prize, a short film produced about their work, a trip to participate in leadership development activities, flights, meals, and lodging accommodations. Apply here.

★ Plastic Kills… Again! Short Film Contest
PPC has teamed up with Earth Angel for a second round of our popular Plastic Kills short film contest. We’re challenging filmmakers to create original horror short films that highlight the terrors of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on our bodies, children, pets, and planet, while also helping to show real solutions to this real-life menace. This time, we’re offering cash prizes for first, second, and third place, with a grand prize of $3,000. Submissions are due September 15, 2025, giving you plenty of time to scare up your spookiest stories. Sign up for email updates.

➤ Find more Resources in our Resource Library.