Plasticfree July - Choose to refuse

Up to 13 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year. Three quarters of all the garbage in the sea is made of plastic. It can take several hundred to a thousand years for plastic to completely decompose. Plastic is causing problems in our oceans - and is therefore a massive threat to our climate. Reason enough for an Australian activist to launch a plastic-free July.  

When we talk about plastic, we usually mean synthetic material. Synthetic materials are all materials that do not occur naturally but are artificially produced. They usually last a long time - this property is both a blessing and a curse. Plastics do not decay over time like wood or other natural materials, but are instead ground into smaller and smaller pieces, so-called microplastics. It can sometimes take decades for a water bottle that has been carelessly thrown into nature to completely dissolve.
Plastic poses an acute threat to our oceans.  

In response, “Plasticfree July” was founded. The PFJ is an initiative of the “Plastic Free Foundation”, a non-profit organization from Western Australia. It was founded in 2017 by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz. At the beginning, she only operated in a small team consisting of local politicians and activists on the ground.

“Plasticfree July” has now become one of the world's most influential environmental campaigns and has already won several awards. Millions of people around the world take part in the motivational campaign every year and try to reduce global pollution caused by plastic waste.  

The idea behind it is as simple as it is powerful: for a month, participants should try to avoid single-use plastic. How they do this is up to them - but the campaign provides numerous tips and support, and participants are also invited to share their stories and ideas with each other.

The paths taken by the participants are varied. This includes switching to plastic-free dental care and period products, soaps and other cosmetics without microplastics, as well as shopping without packaging or founding local groups and organizing events.  

The initiative is certainly having an impact:  

• Participants reduce their waste by an average of 21 kg.
• 8.5 out of 10 participants have enjoyed the July make the changes they make their long-term habits. 
• Participants also contribute to a total saving of 940 million kg plastic waste per year  

Original Unverpackt was also born out of the idea of ​​doing something to counteract the immense waste problem on our planet. That's why we would like to continue our self-proclaimed educational mission and dedicate July entirely to avoiding plastic.