The Indisposable Podcast: Bioplastics and Plastic Alternatives

The Indisposable Podcast: Bioplastics and Plastic Alternatives

Author: Anja Krieger February 27, 2024 Duration: 33:03
You’ve probably heard of bioplastics, these new kinds of plastics that are marketed as environmentally friendly. If you’ve been following this show, you might know the episode from 2019 in which Anja tried to better understand this group of materials and the confusion around it. If you haven't listened, here it is: https://soundcloud.com/plastisphere-podcast/ep-7-bioplastics After speaking to several experts from science, industry and NGOs, Anja came away with the conclusion that bioplastics have their own issues, and that they won’t be a silver bullet for solving plastic pollution. That was five years ago. Since then, things have developed - and Anja repeatedly heard about one material that people put a lot of hope in: PHA, short for polyhydroxyalkanoates. The interesting thing is that PHAs are made by bacteria, but we only covered them shortly in our previous episode. Now the people over at The Indisposable Podcast just posted an episode that covers this in greater detail. If you don’t know their podcast yet, do check it out! The Indisposable Podcast is produced by Upstream, a change agency in the US that works on the transition from the throw-away economy to one that is regenerative, circular and equitable. You can visit them at https://upstreamsolutions.org/ They recently had Lisa Erdle on the show, who works for 5 Gyres. 5Gyres is the NGO from California that has been leading the plastic discussion since the very beginning. It was their founders who first sampled all five ocean gyres for plastic pollution. Find out more here: https://www.5gyres.org/ Lisa shares their latest research with Upstream’s host, Brooking Gatewood: They tested biodegradable products in different environments, from a desert to the sea. Enjoy listening! Find more episodes of The Indisposable Podcast here: https://upstreamsolutions.org/podcast

Anja Krieger hosts Plastisphere: A podcast on plastic pollution in the environment, a series that digs into the complex story of synthetic polymers. This isn't just a catalog of environmental damage, though that reality is confronted directly. Instead, the podcast carefully examines how these materials, foundational to contemporary life, now permeate every corner of the natural world and our own bodies. Anja guides listeners through a nuanced exploration, asking whether a sustainable coexistence is even possible. She doesn't provide easy answers but facilitates necessary conversations, bringing together researchers, activists, industry insiders, and communities on the front lines. Each episode is built on specific stories and scientific insights, moving from the deep ocean to human bloodstreams to policy halls. You'll hear about the chemistry of plastics, their journey as waste, and the cultural and economic systems that perpetuate their use. The strength of this podcast lies in its commitment to presenting a genuine spectrum of perspectives, avoiding simple blame in favor of understanding a truly global dilemma. It’s a thoughtful, sometimes surprising, and always human-centered look at one of the most defining material challenges of our time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 67

Plastisphere: A podcast on plastic pollution in the environment
Podcast Episodes
How [Not] To Make A Plastics Treaty - The Mysterious Midnight Meeting [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:26
It's 2026, and we still don't have a plastics treaty. Will we get one, what kind, and when? All of that is up in the air at this point. And after the failed round of negotiations last summer in Geneva, some strange insig…
Tackling Plastic Production: Why and How to Do It [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:52
It's the elephant in the room: The growth of plastic production and how that contributes to pollution. In this episode, we're taking a look at why it's important to not only tackle the waste plastic causes, but also the…
Beyond Recycling - The Many Meanings of the Circular Economy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:22
When we speak about plastic pollution, a central idea to solve it is that of the circular economy. And when this idea of circularity is mentioned, recycling is often the first thing that comes to mind. But recycling is j…
Guilt-free plastics? The idea of plastic credits and its realities [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:40
Wouldn’t it be great to have something like guilt-free plastics? A plastic product you can just buy without worrying that you are contributing to pollution in the environment? That’s the promise of plastic credits. The i…
Plastic Pollution in Turkey, from Biology to Waste Trade [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:20
In this episode we’ll travel to Turkey with Sedat Gündogdu. Sedat is a Turkish marine biologist and works as a professor at Cukurova University in Adana. When Sedat realized how much plastic trash was polluting the water…