SUSTAINABILITY FOR OUR FUTURE
Understanding the problem
Plastic pollution is now an environmental and existential crisis.
While plastic is a great invention that supports our modern world, its cheap and convenient properties caught us unprepared to its massive usage across all sectors. It can be shaped to fit almost any purpose and last for a very long time. This is perfect for products that will be used for years and that will be easy to collect and recycle once disposed.
But plastics are not ideal for single use items and packaging that do not need such durability and that are much harder to collect or even recycle. Those are the products, trillions and trillions each years, that are responsible for the plastic waste crisis.
Finding the cure
To solve the plastic waste crisis and go from a linear to a circular economy, 2 main trends exist:
Recyclable products
Plastics are often blended and mixed together or with other materials to reach the technical properties needed. Because recycling is nearly impossible for this type of products, industrials are now developing single material solutions that are suitable for recycling. Plastic recycling can be very effective for certain items in regions where the collect and recycling infrastructure is well developed. But single use items and packaging are in most cases small, light weight, a mix of different materials and dirty from their usage or after being dispose. It makes it impossible to recycle and the work needed for the collection and washing is not economically viable. As a result, less than 10% out of 150,000,000 tons used each years is effectively recycled! Those numbers are mind blobbing and call for other solutions.
Biodegradable and compostable products
This option is most suitable to replace plastic packaging and single use items that do not fit in the plastic recycling stream. Landfills all over the world are now filled with plastic waste that will last many hundred years slowly degrading and contaminating everything. In addition, due to the nature of their purpose which is to be used in our everyday lives everywhere and at any time, that creates the conditions for many of those items to make their way into the environment with devastating results. This is why for single use items and packaging it is important to develop ecofriendly alternatives that can be easily composted if not recycled and that will degrade safely and in a short period of time in landfill and the environment.
Founders’ commitment
In 2018, as Mrs. Hang and Mr. Raphael prepared to welcome their first child, they felt a growing concern about the future. Determined to create a healthier environment for their family and future generations, they took on one of Vietnam’s most pressing issues: plastic pollution.
Together, they dedicated their future to the mission of combating plastic waste to restore a clean world. This green seed evolved into a powerful movement, fueled by hope, resilience, and the unwavering belief that if no one else will act, then we must.
Through countless challenges and opportunities, the vision grew organically, supported by a network of like-minded partners. This collaborative effort has transformed a family vision into a significant force for environmental change now under TURN GREEN HOLDING.
Mrs. Hang comes from La Gi, a famous traditional fishing town in South Vietnam. Years after years she could witness how plastics destroyed the livelihood of the local people with a huge impact on the environment.
For many of us, childhood memories of holidays by the sea are those of paradise. The reality is that now beaches are natural garbage collectors with each waves bringing its additional load of horrible waste.
