Plastic. It is the miracle material that has quietly become the infrastructure of modern life over the past 63 years and the almost undefeated business model that's continuing climate change and keeping fossil fuel companies alive and reshaping our bodies, our oceans, and our politics.

Yeah, plastic keeps food fresh and hospitals running, and cars and planes lighter, and it's also in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the supply chains that keep churning out more of it while they tell us recycling will handle it.

Meanwhile, cities and states are actually trying to rein it in, companies are pledging circularity, and regular people are left staring at their blue bin thinking, does this matter? Does any of this work?

So what can I do about plastic?

My returning guest is Beth Gardiner, a journalist and author of the new book Plastic Inc. Beth pulls back the curtain on how plastic became so pervasive, why the personal responsibility story has been so convenient for yet another industry, and what the real solutions actually look like, because that's why we're here.

So stick with us because at the end of this conversation, what can I do? Won't feel like a shrug. It'll feel like a plan.

-----------

Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth

-----------

INI Book Club:

North Woods by Daniel Mason
Mark Twain by Ron Chernow
Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links:

Read Beth's book Plastic Inc https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9780593717103
Keep up with more of Beth's work here https://www.bethgardiner.com/

Follow us:

Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com
Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
Get our merch!
Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett
Produced by Willow Beck
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

Mentioned in this episode:

Get beehiiv

Get Readwise

The Plastic Crisis Isn't On You, Actually