Ever since David Attenborough shone the light on the damage that can be caused to the natural environment by plastics, we’ve seen householders and citizens across the UK change their views on this controversial material.
People are now asking questions about how and why we are using plastic, and what we can do to reduce its impact. But the topic remains a complicated one, and more needs to be done to educate citizens on the conversation around plastics.
This is where WRAP’s new campaign, Clear on Plastics comes in. Clear on Plastics exists to cut through the confusion and give citizens clear, evidence-based information on plastics and sustainability, allowing them to make their own informed choices.
Why can’t we just ban all plastic packaging? Is recycling just an excuse to carry on producing more plastic? Why can’t we replace plastic with other materials like glass or paper? These are just some of the questions that the Clear on Plastics campaign aims to clarify. Our aim is to give people clear information about the complex world of plastics, waste and recycling – for instance, explaining the role of plastics, and demonstrating the balance between the benefits and drawbacks of alternatives.
The campaign launched on the 2nd March and already has over 500 followers on social media. The campaign is social media led and will be amplified by influencer content and the support of UK Plastics Pact members, Pact supporters and other partners such as local authorities. Driving the campaign will be a series of new channels including a citizen-facing website, social media channels (Twitter and Instagram), and earned media. You can find out more here.
Before we can change the behaviours of citizens, they need to be armed with information to make informed decisions. If we can add clarity in a world of complex information and a complicated narrative on plastic pollution, then there is a greater chance that we can influence positive behaviour change in the future. We see Clear on Plastics as an awareness campaign which has the potential to unlock this behaviour change – it is not a behaviour change campaign itself. As local authorities, you can get involved by helping to spread the word amongst your communities. We’ve created some ready-made templates, which you can tailor, here: https://partners.wrap.org.uk/campaigns/Clear-On-Plastics/
We look forward to working together to change the conversation on plastics!
