Dear John,

Happy holidays to you and your family from everyone at Plastic Pollution Coalition. What a year this has been for our movement, full of many wins and major steps forward, including:

• The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) agreed on a mandate to negotiate a legally binding treaty addressing the full life cycle of plastics
  
  
• The Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG-AFTRA) announced the formation of a “Green Council” for film and television
  
  
• Yelp added “Plastic-Free Packaging” and other Eco-Friendly business identifiers to their search attributes
  
  
• The California Department of Justice launched an unprecedented investigation into the plastics industry
  
  
• The White House announced a phase-out of single-use plastics in U.S. National Parks
  
  
• The U.S. Government committed to reduce its purchasing of single-use plastics
  
  
• The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing dedicated to the plastic pollution crisis
  

Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) launched our Filtered Not Bottled campaign—urging the U.S. government to avoid replacing toxic lead pipes with plastic, and to provide communities with filtered, not bottled water, during lead pipe replacement. Additionally, we created a way to measure the representation of plastic in film and television with The Begley-Cohen Test, to help creatives craft stories and a culture that is more aware of the global plastics crisis, and to provide the public with a tool to identify and name entertainment projects that both pass and fail in order to Flip the Script on Plastics.

There are tremendous wins already on the horizon as Los Angeles and San Diego passed landmark plastic-reduction ordinances supported by activist and frontline groups, and the United Nations began negotiating a Global Plastics Treaty this month in Uruguay.

As the year draws to a close, and we prepare to roll up our sleeves and redouble our efforts in 2023, we would like to take a moment to say thank you for your continued support of our mission and our work, and for helping us educate, advocate, connect, and communicate the truths of the global plastics crisis to people far and wide.

Onward to a New Year and more wins to come!

Dianna Cohen & the Plastic Pollution Coalition Team
Co-Founder & CEO
Plastic Pollution Coalition

P.S. This holiday season, please consider including Plastic Pollution Coalition in your charitable giving. The support of our donors makes incredible things happen, and we could not accomplish our mission without your generosity. Every gift effects powerful change to create a more just, equitable world free from the toxic impacts of plastic pollution!

★ How to Celebrate the Holidays Plastic Free
The holidays are a wonderful time for gathering with friends and family, enjoying new experiences, and celebrating classic traditions. But too often, we don’t think about how much plastic is involved in our holiday merriments. From the packaging that comes with store-bought gifts, to the decorations, to single-use cups and plates—it’s easy to get wrapped up in the holiday spirit without being aware of the plastic waste our festivities generate. Here are our top tips for celebrating the holidays plastic free. Read more.

★ Five Holiday Favorites That Pass the Begley-Cohen Test
There is so much to love about the winter holiday season, but also massive amounts of single-use plastics to manage and avoid, which can make some of these magical moments downright stressful. In addition to plastic-wrapped treats, plastic decorations, and plastic bows atop our gifts, single-use plastics are popping up in our cherished holiday films. But not every movie is laden with single-use plastics, and we’ve devised a tool to help you decipher if a movie is clear, or at least aware of, the plastic pollution problem: The Begley-Cohen Test. Read more.

★ New Oceana Report Exposes Amazon’s Plastic Pollution Nightmare
A new report from Oceana found that, in 2021, Amazon generated 709 million pounds of plastic packaging waste—an 18% increase from the previous year’s estimate. Up to 26 million pounds of that plastic is estimated to end up in the world’s waterways and oceans, yet Amazon continues to ignore calls by shareholders and customers for company-wide action. At its Annual General Meeting in May 2022, nearly 49% of Amazon’s shares—totaling 181 million shares—voted in favor of a resolution asking the company to be transparent and address its growing plastic packaging problem. This is the most support that a shareholder-led resolution has received in Amazon’s history. Read more.

★ PPC Advisors Testify to U.S. Senate About Plastic Pollution
Last week, PPC Advisors Judith Enck, President of Beyond Plastics and former EPA Regional Administrator; and Dr. Pete Myers, founder and chief scientist at Environmental Health Sciences, were among four expert witnesses who were called to testify at a recent hearing of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works to examine the numerous harms caused by plastic production and use, and identify solutions for addressing plastic pollution. Watch here.

★ California’s New Policies on Plastics and Fossil Fuels
Earlier this month, Los Angeles (LA) City Council passed three plastic-reduction ordinances supported by activist and frontline groups that ban the distribution and sale of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam products, close state plastic bag ban loopholes within the city, and require city departments to implement zero-waste practices at city facilities and events. Additionally, San Diego approved an ordinance banning EPS foam products. On December 2, LA City Council also made a historic unanimous decision to ban all new oil and gas drilling, and to stop activities related to fossil fuel extraction at all of the city’s existing well operations within the next two decades. Read more.

★ UN Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations (INC-1) in Uruguay
Earlier this year, the United Nations (UN) agreed on a mandate to negotiate a legally binding treaty addressing the eternal toxic existence of plastics. This month, the first of five planned sessions to formulate that treaty began, with the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-1) in Punta Del Este, Uruguay. Representatives from UN Environment Assembly governments, the private sector, and civil society—including PPC members and partners from the Break Free From Plastic global movement—attended the meeting. Read more.

★ November – Plastic-Free Presents: Mindful Gifting for Healthier Holidays
Every holiday season, millions of people face the challenge of finding thoughtful gifts for the ones they love. Unfortunately, cultural norms around holiday gift-giving often create an ocean of waste in their wake—in packaging, wrapping, and in the many gifted items that are used a limited number of times before breaking or being discarded. Fortunately, there are alternative ways to celebrate, and by forging new traditions we can gift mindfully for healthier, lower waste holidays. On November 17, we were joined by Alejandra Warren, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Plastic Free Future, and Dr. Manasa Mantravadi, Pediatrician, Founder/CEO of Ahimsa, for a special holiday webinar moderated by PPC Co-Founder & CEO Dianna Cohen. Watch here.

★ Plastic “Tox” Episode 7: A Poison Like No Other: Microplastics Q&A with Matt Simon
During our October 27 webinar, we discussed with author Matt Simon his new book A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies, and the harmful impact microplastics have on our environment, wildlife, and people. We received a record number of questions from our attendees and did not have time to answer them all live, so we asked Matt to sit down with us again a few weeks later to address all of the unanswered questions from that webinar. Matt was interviewed by PPC Communications Manager Erica Cirino. Listen here.

★ Plastic “Tox” Episode 8: Plastic-Free Holiday Traditions With Ranae Hanson
Ranae Lenor Hanson is an author, activist, and educator. In 2021, she wrote Watershed: Attending to Body and Earth in Distress, in part to honor her students’ requests that she share their climate-refugee stories with audiences she could reach more quickly than they could. Ranae spoke with PPC Project Coordinator Amelia Hanson, her daughter, about how their family has maintained a plastic-free and zero-waste set of holiday traditions despite yearly increases in plastic production and a massive amount of plastic involved in the average American holiday celebration. Listen here.

★ Plastic Pollution Coalition’s 2022 Holiday Gift Guide
Plastic Pollution Coalition’s 2022 Plastic-Free Holiday Gift Guide features a wide range of eco-friendly products from PPC Business Members committed to stopping plastic pollution. Enjoy discount codes up to 30% through December 31 and support plastic-free giving. Access the guide.

★ Track Your Spending & Shop Sustainably with Karma Wallet
PPC Business Member Karma Wallet has created a data-driven personal finance tool that allows you to compare retailers based on environmental impact before you shop. They gather data from more than 30 trusted sources to evaluate thousands of retailers on their social and environmental performance. Find retailers that list PPC as a value and choose plastic-free alternatives this holiday season! As part of our partnership with them, PPC Members can create free accounts—making it easy to support our people- and planet-focused PPC Business Members. Create your free account here.

★ White House Council on Environmental Quality Invites the Public to Submit Expressions of Interest in Serving as Members of the WHEJA
The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) invites the public to submit expressions of interest in serving as members of a special environmental justice committee, the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC), to fill approximately fifteen (15) new vacancies for a two-year term. The WHEJAC is composed of a diverse group of experts and representatives from across a broad range of backgrounds with knowledge or experience in environmental justice, climate change, public health, disaster preparedness, racial inequity, and other related areas. Submittals must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on January 17, 2023. Submit your expression of interest here.

★ Tell Amazon: Stop Polluting our Planet with Plastic Packaging
A new report by Oceana reveals that in 2021, Amazon generated 709 million pounds of plastic packaging waste—an 18% increase from the previous year’s estimate, with up to 26 million pounds of this plastic waste entering the world’s waterways and seas. Find out more and sign the petition to tell Amazon to stop polluting our planet with plastic packaging.

★ Tell EPA: Don’t Replace Lead Pipes with Plastic Pollution
The U.S. Federal government has approved $15 billion to replace toxic lead services lines bringing water into the homes of 22 million people in the U.S. Sign the petition to ensure this funding goes to safe, non-plastic solutions that put community health and safety first.

★ Tell EPA to Take Action to Study the Impacts of PVA/PVOH
In November, PPC and other nonprofit groups joined cleaning products company Blueland to petition the U.S. EPA to urgently study and regulate a type of plastic called polyvinyl alcohol (which is also referred to as “PVA” or “PVOH”). Since little is still known about the effects of PVA, even after decades of use, we are calling on the EPA to thoroughly study the impacts these plastics have on our health and the environment. Sign the petition.

★ January Webinar – Washed Up: The Invisible Threat of Plastic Microfibers
Over 60% of clothing sold worldwide contains plastic—in the forms of polyester, acrylic, nylon, spandex, and more. Through regular washing and wearing, synthetic clothing sheds tiny plastic particles called “microfibers.” A single load of laundry can release over 9 million microfibers into our waterways. On January 12, 2023, we will explore how the ubiquitous nature of synthetic textiles is causing a massive and largely invisible plastic pollution problem. We will be joined by Meli Hinostroza, Co-Founder, Aya Eco Fashion & Arms of Andes; Dr. Andrej Kržan, Chief Scientist, PlanetCare; and Dr. Judith Weis, Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. The conversation will be moderated by Madeleine MacGillivray, Climate and Plastics Campaign Coordinator, Seeding Sovereignty. Sign up here.

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