MANY COMPANIES FEEL THAT THEY CAN ONLY PACKAGE THEIR PRODUCTS IN PLASTIC. PLASTIC SOME OF WHICH ENDS UP IN NATURE, THE SEAS AND OCEANS.
PERVASCO, PRODUCER OF BEST-SELLING ANTA FLU THROAT LOZENGES, HAS REPLACED ITS PLASTIC WRAPPERS WITH BIODEGRADABLE PAPER WRAPPERS.
THEY TOOK THIS STEP AFTER DIRK GROOT AND I CONFRONTED THEM, ALONG WITH A BAILIFF, WITH 16,000 PHOTOS OF LITTERED SWEET WRAPPERS.
Anta Flu proves that things can be done differently: sweets can be wrapped in biodegradable paper instead of plastic. And our campaign shows that you can reduce plastic litter by holding companies responsible.
In 2017 Zwerfinator Dirk Groot and I joined forces. Dirk did research on the distribution of litter by collecting photos with an app that allowed people to send in photos of litter.
Dirk keeps a Top 10 of the most frequently found litter. In it, the plastic wrappers in which Anta Flu throat lozenges are packed score very high: about 500,000 litter wrappers a year. You find them everywhere.
Dirk asked Dutch litter rapers to send photos of Anta Flu wrappers lying around and within a year we had 16,000!
In October 2018, we took the photos and the distribution data to Pervasco, the producer of the Anta Flu throat lozenges. Together with the bailiff.
The bailiff handed a Judicial notice to the CEO of Pervasco. With this notice we formally inform companies of the pollution, dangers and consequences of littering by "their" plastic packaging. After that, a company can't claim that they didn't know about it. They are held accountable.
I had previously used this legal instrument during the deposit campaign, the year-long struggle for a deposit on plastic bottles and cans.
On our first visit with the bailiff, photos and distribution dates, we were pleasantly surprised by the CEO's response. He promised a solution to the Anta Flu plastic wrappers within one year.
And indeed: after more than a year of research, the throat lozenges were packed in biodegradable paper wrappers with a wax layer. This does not solve the litter problem, but the wrappers that end up in the environment will be broken down by nature.
Dirk and I thank Pervasco and everyone who sent in photos for their cooperation!
The Plastic Soup Surfer believes storytelling is a powerful way to get the message across. The attention is focussed on those that make the decisions like politicians and company CEO's. We are dedicated to change, sustainablity and making impact.
