Since Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, eight billion tonnes of plastic has been produced.
This year’s theme – Planet vs. Plastic – reflects the state of our planet, as we are still to overcome our addiction to plastic. Plastic pollution remains one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, posing a threat to ecosystems, wildlife, and human health.
As a communications agency, we understand the critical role that communication and advocacy have to play in generating public engagement, pressure for policy responses and driving change.
A little over a year ago, Higginson Strategy helped to propel Common Sea’s groundbreaking Blood Type Plastic study into the global spotlight. Exclusively reported in the Guardian, the report revealed plastic particles in human blood for the first time. The resounding impact of the findings spurred the UK Government to establish the National Plastic Research Fund, signally a pivotal step towards understanding the complex relationship between plastic pollution and human health.
Other ongoing work such A Plastic Planet’s Sack the Sachet campaign, aimed at eliminating the 855 billion plastic sachets produced each year. By focusing on this singular issue, Higginson Strategy supported the team with strategic media outreach and coalition-building efforts, culminating in a significant milestone: the EU’s announcement of a ban on cosmetic sachets by 2030. This landmark decision across the channel sets a powerful precedent for other governments around the world to follow as part of their plastic reduction efforts.
Building on this momentum, we have assisted A Plastic Planet to drive policy change, advocating for regulatory measures as drafted in its Roadmap to a Plastic-Free Future. This comprehensive plan outlines a phased course of plastic bans over the next decade, earning recognition as one of edie’s top green announcements from the Labour Party Conference last year.
Today, the government introduced a ban on one such single-use plastic product: wet wipes containing plastic. We proudly celebrate this achievement alongside our clients, including City to Sea, who have been championed this ban and fought against Unflushables since 2017.
Additionally, we have supported Matter in its mission to mandate the use of filters in new washing machines, organising a cross-party parliamentary event to garner support for filtering out microplastics from our wash cycles. These regulatory measures are designed not only to protect our planet but also to safeguard human health.
With plastic policy entering the global stage at the UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, Higginson Strategy supported A Plastic Planet and Plastic Soup Foundation’s launch of the Plastic Health Council – a coalition of world-leading scientists demanding health to be put at the centre of the Treaty, as drafted in the alternative Health Scientists’ Global Plastic Treaty.
During INC-3, our team also headed out to Nairobi to assist EA-Earth Action and collaborate with organisations including WBCSD, rePurpose, and Taka Taka Solutions to promote an all-encompassing plastic footprint system. After our media support for Plastic Overshoot Day – the day plastic waste generated exceeds the world’s capacity to manage it – EA hosted events at the UN headquarters in Nairobi. At these events, we facilitated engagements with global stakeholders, including policymakers, environmental experts, and representatives from Fortune 500 companies to address plastic pollution and enact change at a global scale.
As legislation on plastic tightens, Higginson Strategy also proudly works with innovative plastic-free solutions such as Morro, Xampla’s commercial brand. Producing natural, plant-based materials, the brand’s packaging provides an alternative to traditional plastics, from coatings for paper and cardboard packaging to single-use plastic sachets, and, as they say, ‘put the power to do good in everyone’s hands’.
With the next round of Global Plastics Treaty negotiations starting tomorrow, the call to action could not be clearer and the urgency has never been greater. Our extraordinary clients have been banging the drum, communicating their purpose with purpose. We need bold, ambitious policies cap plastic production and lay the foundations for a plastic-free future.