Plastics have taken over the Earth.

It can be found in product packaging, cosmetic ingredients, clothing textiles, construction materials, and countless other applications.

Their growing production and usage pose a threat to contaminating every corner of the planet, particularly the oceans – the final destination for many of them – where they severely harm aquatic ecosystems' health and the survival of the species inhabiting them. We encounter them on the beach, on rocks, floating in the water, and even in the deepest regions. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, in populated areas and uninhabited islands. Every year, the oceans receive up to 12 million tons of waste.

TOO MUCH PLASTIC!

  • One family throws away 200 plastic bottles x year on household and personal care products.

  • A single hotel (200 rooms) can consume 800.000 pieces of single-use plastic in one year. This translates to 12 TONS of plastic waste underscoring the hospitality industry’s challenge to become plastic free

    *9% will be recycled and 91% will end in the landfill or in the ocean.

Plastic has inundated our daily lives: it can befound in product packaging, cosmetic ingredients, clothing textiles, construction materials, and countless other applications. Plastics have taken over the Earth. Their growing production and usage pose a threat to contaminating every corner of the planet, particularly the oceans – the final destination for many of them – where they severely harm aquatic ecosystems' health and the survival of the species inhabiting them. We encounter them on the beach, on rocks, floating in the water, and even in the deepest regions. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, in populated areas and uninhabited islands. Every year, the oceans receive up to 12 million tons of waste.

The global situation is dire, especially considering that plastic production continues to increase, reaching 380 million tons worldwide in 2015. These quantities, their ease of dispersal, and their slow degradation process make plastic the number one enemy of seas and oceans. Its usage is tied to consumption patterns, as the majority is employed in single-use packaging. Spain ranks as the fifth-largest plastic producer in the EU.

All the plastic bottles existing today in the ocean can cover an area the size of these countries together

The amount of plastics thrown into the sea every year is equivalent for 4 times the weight of the Tour Eiffel

Particularly harmful are microplastics, which are fragments smaller than 5 mm. They can result from the breakdown of larger pieces or have been directly manufactured this way, as is the case with microbeads found in hygiene and cleaning products like exfoliants, toothpaste, or detergents. It's estimated that a 100ml container may contain between 130,000 and 2.8 million of these tiny plastic beads that make their way into the sea through drains, as their small size prevents them from being caught by wastewater treatment filters.

Recent studies have observed marine animals ingesting these microplastics, leading to gastrointestinal blockages and disruptions in their feeding and reproductive patterns. But it doesn't stop there: there's evidence that they transfer along the food chain and end up on our plates.

And there's more to it – both microplastics and macroplastics have significant economic and social impacts. Accumulated waste on beaches directly affects a tourism sector reliant on the coastline's health and the marine environment. Meanwhile, necessary cleanup efforts result in substantial public expenditures.

 What can we do about it?

The Today Project offers you a new way to purchase personal and household hygiene products free from plastic packaging.

Furthermore, The Today Project aims to promote product developments based on the circular economy principles, prioritizing reduction and advocating for the reuse of raw materials and new materials with lower environmental impact.

We strive to eliminate packaging waste and ensure proper recycling by implementing container deposit systems.

You can play a significant role in this change by adopting these measures with the other consumer products you purchase. Reducing the usage and impact of plastics on ecosystems is the responsibility of everyone, including public administrations, manufacturing companies, and consumers.

Are you curious about our proposal?

Check out how we manage to get rid of the plastic.