Meet ‘Zuzu,’ on a Hero’s Journey to Improve Plastics Recycling

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By every measure, plastic
pollution
is reaching crisis levels. Each
year, an estimated 14
million tons
of plastic enter our oceans — threatening marine,
human
and planetary health. While many US households say they diligently sort and recycle
their plastic, only 9
percent
of this material actually makes it into the recycling stream rather than our
environment.

On Monday, SC Johnson — together with its
long-time advocacy and impact partners Conservation
International, EarthEcho International and
Plastic
Bank
— launched an advocacy campaign aimed at rallying broader public awareness and
support for collective action, including greater business responsibility, to
reduce plastic waste.

At the heart of the campaign is Zuzu, an adventurous and courageous hermit
crab who undertakes a perilous journey across the world to recycle a bottle left
behind by a clean-up crew on his beach.

The campaign is supported by a variety of sustainability-minded famous faces,
including actors Orlando Bloom, Nina
Dobrev, Dylan Efron, Jared
Leto and more.

“Ocean conservation has always been close to my heart, and the reality is that
our planet can’t wait,” Dobrev says. “Every piece of plastic we keep out of the
ocean makes a difference, but we need businesses to step up and do more. That’s
why I’m so excited to join forces with Zuzu to spark real change. Let’s turn
awareness into action and make recycling actually work.”

SC Johnson has also launched a new hub at
BlueParadox.com — a hub that examines the
paradox of the plastic problem with the usefulness of the material.

Survey: Consumers demand better recycling solutions

A recent Oceana
survey
found overwhelming concern among US consumers about plastic waste in the
environment — but a new SC Johnson survey highlighted the lack of agency many
feel in helping to address it: The company’s recent poll of more than 3,000 US
adults revealed:

While awareness of the problem is high — with 83 percent concerned about
the scale of the issue — only 28 percent feel they have a strong
understanding of how they can help.
Only 2 in 5 people say they strongly believe their recycling efforts make a
difference. When asked about who should solve the problem, 86 percent
agree that businesses should take more responsibility for plastic waste.

The strong level of public opinion for the idea that businesses should take more
responsibility for plastic waste shows that people expect corporate leadership
around sustainability. Given the size of the problem, collective action is
needed with a focus on pragmatic, practical solutions that can be implemented
with the least disruption to the economy and consumers.

Solutions

Businesses and lawmakers have yet to come to consensus amongst themselves, or
each other, as to the most effective approach(es) and
innovations
for reining in plastic pollution; but most proposed
strategies
hinge on effective creation of a circular
economy — where
plastic is reused, recycled or composted; and kept within the flow of
materials for as long as possible, instead of becoming waste.

One aspect of that will be Extended Producer
Responsibility
(EPR) — a policy framework designed to make plastic producers responsible for the entire
lifecycle of their products, especially when it comes to packaging disposal and
recycling. This approach has proven effective in other markets including
Canada: According to a
study
from The Recycling Partnership, British Columbia achieved over a 75
percent recycling rate for packaging materials after implementing EPR. That same
study found that if EPR was implemented in the US, residential recycling rates
could increase by as much as 48 percentage
points.

EPR laws are now in place in five US
states
— California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota and Oregon — with
Washington
State
on deck. But for EPR to have the necessary impact will require a radical
upgrade of our nation’s recycling
infrastructure,
along with increased capability for recovering problematic small-format
plastics
and
films,
systems for effectively removing plastic waste from
waterways,
and more.

Zuzu’s journey

Zuzu made his first splash during a cameo
appearance on the red carpet
at Sunday’s Oscars. Over the next few months, the intrepid crab will appear
as part of relevant moments — including World Recycling Day on March 18
— and work with partners to inspire change and turn frustration into solutions.

The public is invited to engage with Zuzu’s journey, learn practical tips on
reducing plastic waste at home and sign the petition for stronger legislation on
plastic waste on joinzuzu.com.