When I first learned that I was to debate for the motion ‘This house believes that we must fall in love with plastic again.’, I was flummoxed. How was I to defend a notion that I was conditioned to be vehemently against? Still truly perplexed, I started preparing my arguments for the debate.
Plastic contributes heavily to nearly every segment and is vital to the economic growth of the country, this much was obvious. But delving deeper, I realized just how reliant we are on the material. Nearly every means necessary for the smooth sustenance of our lives is dependent on plastic in one way or the other. Agriculture, medicine, architecture, automobiles, water supply, technology, and nearly everything. The versatility and affordability of the material make it currently irreplaceable. I began reconsidering my stance on the motion “We must fall in love with plastic again” and recognized that the key word here was ‘again’. Generating and exposing the world to more plastic could be detrimental to all the ecosystems of the environment, but the abundant plastic already existing in the world needs to be treated with love. When we love someone, we tend to work on the betterment of the relationship. It is necessary that we apply that same notion to our relationship with the existing plastic. Upcycling plastic is not an uncomplicated solution on a bigger scale, but on an individualistic level, we have the agency to make better lifestyle choices and propagate businesses that are taking a sure step in that direction. To substantiate my case regarding lifestyle choices, I put forth the example of certain South Asian households, with a tendency that almost borders on hoarding, involuntarily counter the ‘throw-away’ culture seen in most societies. For example, a plastic paint bucket is popularly reused as a water bucket for bathing and cleaning purposes. Or a jar of what was meant to be a container for cookies is later reused for any other groceries. The genesis of ‘reusing’, for me, traces back to that. The relationship between the product or the packaging of the product and the user is considerably longer.
Furthermore, to substantiate my case on businesses taking a step in the direction of upcycling, I present to you the example of ‘Gomi’ speakers – a brand that I recently came across during some relaxed browsing. Their speakers are made from non-recyclable plastic bags that would otherwise have been doomed for the landfill. Their batteries are upcycled from damaged e-bikes and to break the ‘throw-away’ culture, the modular design of the speakers allows easy fixability. “With gomi for life, we’re fighting obsolescence, one fix at a time.” – they proclaim on their website. (Gomi Design, n.d.)
The concept of obsolescence is also discussed in the book ‘Emotionally Durable Design: Objects, Experiences and Empathy’ by Jonathan Chapman, in relation to the term “planned obsolescence” that was popularised by Packard in his book ” The Waste Makers”. The author broaches the topic of the deliberate shortening of product life by the manufacturers which is supported by the throwaway culture of the consumers. As a designer, I believe the onus is also on us to shy away from the demands of profit-focused manufacturers and to create ethically designed products that condemn the consumerist culture. Relating this back to my initial argument, I believe redirecting ourselves to ethical businesses that condone sustainable designs produced for longevity and attempt to break the cycle of obsolescence could be a way forward in falling back in love with plastics.
Bibliography –
Gomi Design. “Our Materials – Gomi,” n.d. Available at – https://gomi.design/pages/our-materials.
Chapman, Jonathan. “Emotionally Durable Design: Objects, Experiences and Empathy”, 2015. Available at – http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA76193040.
