PLASTICS: ThisIsPlastics.com is the place to go for plastics education
There’s nothing like going to a party, telling someone you work in plastics and then getting pelted with criticisms based on misconceptions about plastics. We’ve all been there.
The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) is making an effort to keep that from happening with ThisIsPlastics.com — a website for telling positive stories about plastics and explaining the advantages they bring to society.
An important part of the site’s mission is to provide a counterbalance to the negative perception of plastics that often comes across in the media. “It’s important to highlight the many roles plastic plays in our everyday lives,” said Clara McGrail, senior director for ThisIsPlastics. “We help people understand that there are reasons why we’ve turned toward plastics for so many uses, reasons why our computers, phones, contact lenses and even toothpaste tubes are made with plastic.”
Reaching out to everyone
By offering visitors fast access to plastics information, delivered in laymen’s terms, McGrail and her team also seek to inform people the public relies on for information. “We also see it as a resource to educate media and policymakers,” she said, “that’s why we have a lot of great content around ‘Plastics 101’ for people who need to go in-depth very quickly.”
ThisIsPlastics.com began as a site geared more toward the industry than the public at large. Its content assumed a fairly high level of technical knowledge, so it wasn’t particularly user friendly for non-industry visitors. The citizen seeking to inform his or her vote on a plastics-related ballot initiative, or the high school student trying to do a school project wouldn’t have found the content very useful.
The team at ThisIsPlastics.com has changed that situation by incorporating accessible explanatory language and making use of contemporary information tools such as infographics to communicate messages quickly and clearly.
Addressing important issues
What ThisIsPlastics.com is not is an attempt to deny that there are things the industry needs to work on. “There’s also a huge narrative around plastic waste,” said McGrail. “The industry does have a responsibility and is taking responsibility for mitigating plastic waste.” But she also points out that the waste issue is multifaceted: “People need to understand that if we simply say, ‘No more plastics. Let’s use current alternatives,’ we’re going to end up with much greater negative ramifications for the environment. Other current materials like aluminum and glass have a larger carbon footprint than plastics.”
The website also contains excellent content on the contribution plastic can and does make in the effort to create a sustainable, circular economy. Plus, visitors will find pieces on issues the public might not otherwise associate with plastics, such as equity. ThisIsPlastics has explored how plastics can help make housing more affordable and how essential plastic is to members of the disability community — for instance, plastic is now the top material choice for prosthetics.
So, next time someone at a party seems misinformed about plastics, point them toward ThisIsPlastics.com for some very interesting and informative reading.