‘I WANT TO INSPIRE THE WORLD TO TURN OFF THE PLASTIC TAP’

This year, the world has truly woken up to the problem of plastic pollution and campaigner Sian Sutherland is at the forefront of bringing change.

Iam certainly not a plastic saint. I’ve always drunk from plastic bottles and filled up countless shopping bags at supermarket tills. In fact, I’m worse than most – I spent much of my career running two skincare brands. I was essentially putting thousands of single-use plastic bottles out into the world. I never even considered this was an issue.

My awakening came in 2015 after selling the brands. I began consultancy work and one of the projects I worked on was a documentary called A Plastic Ocean. It was terrifying to see how much plastic was floating in the oceans, attracting toxic chemicals and being eaten by fish.

I felt so guilty that I had contributed to this problem. I wanted to stop using plastic, but when I walked into a supermarket, it was everywhere. Sandwiches, apples, milk – it seemed insane that such temporary items are packaged in something so indestructible.

I wanted to make a difference – I couldn’t look my sons, Tom, 24, and Charlie, 25, in the eyes and say I knew about this problem and did nothing to fix it. So, along with my friend Frederikke Magnussen (who also worked on the launch of the film), I decided we could use our skills to set up a social impact movement – A Plastic Planet.

Food and drink packaging makes up 40% of all plastic production, so we started campaigning for supermarkets to have a plastic-free aisle. Our campaign made the front pages and attracted a lot of attention, and we were soon joined by an army of like-minded experts. In January 2018, Theresa May made it part of her 25-year environmental plan. This was such a positive step, but we knew the pace of change had to be quicker.

The campaign gained huge momentum when Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet

II documentary aired and viewers saw oceans full of plastic. That same month, we collaborated to open the world’s first ever plastic-free aisle in Ekoplaza supermarket in Amsterdam. It was a symbol that progress doesn’t have to happen in 25 years. It’s possible today.

We have also launched the Plastic Free Trust Mark that can be put on products that meet our standards. In May, Iceland supermarket started using it, along with other big brands like Teapigs. My sons often send me pictures of goods with the mark on – it’s so exciting and makes me so proud.

The past year has been full of more amazing moments: I spoke at a United Nations conference, and we initiated One Plastic Free Day when millions of people around the world said ‘no’ to plastic packaged food and drink for a full day.

In 2019, we’re launching an online resource library to help companies seek eco-friendly alternatives, including algae, bio-materials and plant starch, such as potato. I believe consumers want to stop using plastic, but they just don’t know how – our goal is to make it as easy as possible. I know that with passion, dedication and unity, real change is on the horizon. I’m honoured to be a part of it.

I felt so guilty that I’d contributed. I wanted to make a difference