2/ 🌍300% increase in the use of single use plastics
🌍130 billion face masks and
🌍65 billion plastic latex gloves are used globally every month
🌍China manufacturing over 116 million disposable face masks a day
🌍 Number of disposable face masks used per day is over 7 billion
3/
The global packaging market is set to grow from $909.2 billion to over $1,012.billion in 2021 to package PPE, food, consumer goods and groceries for home deliveries. Up 40%.
Because we're too scared to actually go to the shops. #COP26
4/ The UK produces 60,000 tonnes of contaminated plastic waste per day.
🌍disposable masks
🌍disposable antibiotic wipes
🌍microfibre
🌍disposable feet protectors
🌍head caps
🌍plastic film protectors for seats, payment machines and hand rails.
5/ Chemical disinfectants, all to keep us safe, yet all the poison our water and air quality. Creating halogenated organic compounds that are toxic, not only to marine life but also to humans.
7/ There are no recognised waste disposal standards, no incentives, no contamination bins and no reduction targets for the amounts of COVID PPE waste being dumped in landfill - including waste sharps, glass bottles or seals.
9/ Whilst we produce more and more rubbish to keep us "safe" and ignore the daily damage to environments, #COP26 has Copped out totally on any global measures or commitments to regulate any of the above.
▪️Gov will support businesses choosing to use it from step 4
▪️They expect a high degree of take up
▪️SAGE & ethics bodies back it overall
▪️Majority of the public don't
1/ Retailers, online websites and charities all jumped on the BLM merchandise bandwagon. Much of this will have been made in sweatshops worldwide.
This is how cotton is produced.
Don’t these lives mater?
2/ Ethical inspections are the “get out clause” for most retailers. Some, such as Amazon don’t bother at all and only a handful audit their cradle to grave supply chain. Which is why we still have cotton slavery
3/ 18 countries use child labour to produce cotton and 9 use forced labour, 8 use a mix of both
Children plough, weed, sow, remove pests, spray toxic pesticides and are present in the fields whilst spraying, also cross pollinate plants by hand
A short thread about PPE 1/ About 8 weeks ago, we contacted our trusted suppliers and purchased high quality CE tested and marked Surgical masks and Face shields. Initially, we thought these may be used by our own staff, but as we moved into lockdown we found we didn’t need them.
2/ We have thousands of excess pieces in stock here in the UK and so thinking there was a shortage we spoke to key customers a couple of weeks ago including Amazon, all refused to list the products. No reasons were given.
3/ Over the past 2 weeks there have been increasing stories of care homes without these basic essentials. Including reports on various news channels and in most newspapers. We began to contact these care homes.
This is a good thread from @MaajidNawaz but let me add. 1/ Whilst all countries strive for ever increasing GDP through consumerism to fund their increasing debt, they have no choice but to source from the cheapest supplier.
2/ our levels of minimum wage mean that anything we manufacture here will be out of reach of much of the population which will create an even bigger chasm between rich and poor.
3/ the humble washing machine, essential to most families can cost as little as £150 from Logik, which is made in China. The U.K. equivalent (but still made with Chinese components) is £400. That’s a staggering difference.