Plastisphere: A podcast on plastic pollution in the environment

Early heroines of plastic pollution: Meet the women who started the beach cleanups (part I - Judie) Sep 12, 2025

In this episode, we’re going to head out to the beach for the 40th International Coastal Cleanup Day. It’s a huge event which has been taking place each third Saturday of September for four decades now. Each year that day, hundreds of thousands of people swarm to the shorelines and collect and remove the trash they find. But beyond just cleaning up, International Coastal Cleanup Day is an important part of the science and politics of plastics. But how did it all begin? In the next two episodes, you’ll get to hear the little-known stories of the women who started the beach cleanups in the 1980s. These early activists did not only mobilise citizens to put a global spotlight on plastic pollution. They were also the first to count and classify the trash, which produced invaluable data to better understand the growing environmental issue plastics posed. And right from the beginning, beach cleanups drew the interest of the plastics and packaging industries. We’ll explore this history in more detail with Elsa Devienne. Elsa is an assistant professor in US history at Northumbria University in the UK, and she’s the one who dug up this story. Link to the 1984 video "Get the Drift and Bag it": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEesPuZxCes Elsa's paper: Making Plastics Count: Citizen Science Beach Cleanups and the Ocean Plastic Pollution Crisis (1980s–2020s) https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/737351?journalCode=eh Contact her for a free copy: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/d/elsa-devienne/ This episode was supported by a British Academy Leverhulme Small Grant and co-produced by Elsa Devienne and Anja Krieger. All recordings with Judie by Elsa. Music is by Dorian Roy, and cover art by Maren von Stockhausen.

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - What really happened in Geneva? Aug 26, 2025

After 11 days of talks between 180 nations in the middle of a heatwave, the final session dragged late into the night. The next morning we learned that the plastics treaty talks had - again - ended without an agreement to tackle plastic pollution. So after recovering from this intense week, Anja got in touch with Alexandra Harrington. Alexandra is an expert in law and she wears many hats: She’s the Chair of the Plastic Pollution Task Force at the World Commission on Environmental Law of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a Visiting Scholar at McGill University, and a member of the Plastic Treaty Legal Drafting Group. In this episode, they review what really happened in Geneva. And Alexandra has a hopeful message: Don't give up yet on the plastics treaty. Theme: Dorian Roy Music: Blue Dot Sessions sessions.blue - Plasticity https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/336059 - The Pewter Elephant https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/335775 - Lush Arborio https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/335777 - Blue Latex https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/336061 Sound of protests from GAIA global alliance for incinerator alternatives https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMncIHaNdmg Plenary recordings from the UNEP webcast https://www.youtube.com/@UNEP/streams

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Update from Geneva (INC 5.2.) with Neil Tangri Aug 13, 2025

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Update from Geneva (INC 5.2.) with Neil Tangri by Anja Krieger

The Youth Movement at the Plastics Treaty Talks Aug 11, 2025

Dejea Lyons and Shellan Saling from the Youth Plastic Action Network leave no doubt: To save the Plastics Treaty process and get to a meaningful agreement, serious sh*** needs to happen! Listen to Shellan's statement at the opening plenary and our chat under a tree in front of the United Nations Headquarter in Geneva, Switzerland. Thanks to the security guard who kindly let us sit and record there before he came over and informed us we had set up an alarm by sitting on the ground under the tree, because of "the cables" underneath :) If you're in Geneva: Fast forward all the way to the last ten minutes to get some tips for the morning of August 12, 2025, which is International Youth Day.

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Update from Geneva (INC 5.2) with Magnus Lovold Aug 09, 2025

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Update from Geneva (INC 5.2) with Magnus Lovold by Anja Krieger

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Nothing is Agreed Until Everything is Agreed May 08, 2025

When the plastics treaty negotiations in South Korea ended without a result last December, media reports suggested they had failed. But not so fast - the negotiations are far from over, and continue this year. In this episode, you'll get an update on where we stand on the path to a global plan to tackle plastic pollution - and what’s to come. You'll hear from three of the smartest observers of the process: Magnus Lovold from NAIL, the Norwegian Academy of International Law, Chris Dixon from EIA, the Environmental Investigation Agency, and Andrés Del Castillo from CIEL, the Center for International Environmental Law. Oh, and for the first time, there's an extra little track at the end of the episode. Don't miss it, it's lovely! And a call for support: To travel and stay in Geneva for two weeks will be super expensive. So please help me (Anja, host of this pod) get there if you can. Every contribution helps, no matter how small. You’ll help me continue my work: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/plastispherepod Credits: Thanks to Dorian Roy for the theme, Blue Dot Session for additional music, Maren von Stockhausen for the cover art, and the UNEP team for allowing me to use the excerpts from the conference videos.

Guest Episode: Why didn't the plastic pollution talks in South Korea yield a treaty? (In Focus) Jan 22, 2025

In this guest episode, G. Sampath and Satyarupa Shekhar discuss the fifth meeting of the UN’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) and why it ended without delivering a legally binding treaty to address global plastic pollution. Continue listening to the full episode here: https://www.thehindu.com/podcast/plastic-pollution-treaty-collapse/article68946877.ece

Plastics in the Media - A Review with Nanoplastics Researcher Denise Mitrano Dec 12, 2024

In recent years, a lot of new research on micro- and nanoplastics has come out. Reporting in the media sounds pretty scary, with nanoplastics found in the human body. What's does the science know for sure at this point, and what is still open and under investigation? Anja speaks with Denise Mitrano, a professor at the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich, the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, about media reports, journalism, the state of the science, and Denise's own research. Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions

Fact-check your assumptions: Become a plastic mythbuster! Dec 05, 2024

The Plastic Mythbusters project is a collaboration between the Helmholtz Centre Hereon and the University of Strathclyde. Try our quiz and learn more in our detailed answers. You can also send us new claims to check or comments on our answers via the feedback form at the end of the quiz. We’d love to hear from you – to tackle the most persistent plastic myths! Links - Quiz: https://hub.hereon.de/portal/apps/experiencebuilder/experience/?id=07c344c64d1c42f89807351b9ad4a219 - About the project: https://www.coastalpollutiontoolbox.org/112001/index.php.en - Coastal Pollution Toolbox https://www.coastalpollutiontoolbox.org/ Music by Blue Dot Sessions.

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Midnight Update from #INC5 in Busan Dec 01, 2024

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Midnight Update from #INC5 in Busan by Anja Krieger

Why production reduction and a fair transition are so important (with GAIA and Grid Arendal) Dec 01, 2024

Why production reduction and a fair transition are so important (with GAIA and Grid Arendal) by Anja Krieger

Meeting the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty at #INC5 Dec 01, 2024

Meeting the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty at #INC5 by Anja Krieger

Event Recording: How governments subsidize plastic production - QUNO/Eunomia/IUCN at INC5 Dec 01, 2024

Event Recording: How governments subsidize plastic production - QUNO/Eunomia/IUCN at INC5 by Anja Krieger

Event Recording: The Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty at #INC5 Nov 30, 2024

Event Recording: The Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty at #INC5 by Anja Krieger

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Things Get Circular (INC-5 in South Korea) Nov 28, 2024

The saga continues: Anja and Magnus meet in Busan, South Korea, to discuss the unfolding treaty negotiations on Day 4 of the INC5. Thanks to Grid Arendal for the travel grant!

#PlasticsTreaty Shorts - Brackets Busan Style Nov 26, 2024

Anja is at INC5, the final round of negotiations for the global plastics treaty. On the opening day, she asked people about their expectations - and witnessed the magic of diplomacy: Break free from brackets! With input from (in order of appearance): - Smail Alhilali (UNIDO) - Anjeli Debaraja - Jose Lopez Reyes (Dominican Republic Delegation) - Angelica C. Pago (Greenpeace East Asia) - Doe Johnson (International Alliance of Waste Pickers) - Indumathi, translated by Akbar Allahbakash (Hasiru Dala) - Shanti Tamang, translated by Janu Dangol (Trash for Peace) - Maria Angelica Ikeda (Representative of Brasil) - Winni Lau (Pew) Thanks to Grid Arendal for supporting Anja's travels to South Korea with a grant!

Guest Episode: Will we get a viable Global Plastics Treaty or will compromise water it down? Nov 22, 2024

---Guest episode by Environmental Investigation Agency's "What on Earth?" podcast series--- The fifth round of talks in pursuit of a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty kicks off in Busan, South Korea shortly – but will we emerge with an agreement capable of tackling the world’s plastic crisis or will vested interests compromise the final vision? In this excellent episode, of the "What on Earth" podcast, EIA Ocean Campaign Leader Christina Dixon and Ocean Campaigner Jacob Kean-Hammerson join Senior Press & Communications Officer Paul Newman for an update on the progress so far and a look ahead to the challenges remaining for negotiators in Busan. Published: 19 Nov 2024 Subscribe and listen to more "What on Earth?" episodes: https://eia-international.org/podcast/

REPOST: The scientists who discovered plastic pollution over 50 years ago (2020 episode) Nov 19, 2024

---Repost of the 2020 episode, originally titled "The Discovery of Plastic Pollution"--- As we head into the final round of negotiations towards a global plastics treaty, it's important to remember how long it took for the international community to get here. While plastic pollution has only risen to attention in the past few years, the problem really isn’t all that new. Some scientists have been aware of plastic in the ocean for over half a century. So, how was plastic pollution first discovered? And why didn’t we hear about it earlier? For this 2020 episode, Anja took a deep dive into the history of science, and spoke to the scientists who called attention to the problem long before it was widely discussed. What happened back then, and how did we get to where we are now? Ed Carpenter, Steve Rothstein, Elizabeth Venrick, Arne Holmström, Hans van Weenen and Peter Ryan share their stories. Share the LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/meet-scientists-who-discovered-plastic-pollution-over-50-6kw5e/ Transcript and credits: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2020/07/17/ep-9-transcript/

Guest Episode - Plastics in Drinking Water Oct 22, 2024

Elena Berg is an environmental scientist and water sommelier. Her series „Something in the Water“ is a ten-part podcast mini-series on the fine water industry. As part of it, Elena addresses the elephant in the room: Plastic pollution. How much plastic is there in our drinking water? What’s the difference between tap and bottled water? And how concerned do we need to be? Elena and her guests, the anti-plastic activist Malia Elder and researcher Dr. Sherri Mason, will provide you with a lot of food for thought on social and environmental justice as well. If you’re familiar with the debate around plastic pollution and would like to go straight to the part on drinking water, you can skip the first fifteen minutes. However, the introduction is also really insightful, especially the part on closing the tap (the plastic tap, not the water tap). If you liked this guest episode, check out the other episodes: www.pineforestpods.com/pods/something-in-the-water The series is produced by Clark Marchese of Pine Forest Media, who recently started his own Plastic Podcast - very much worth checking out as well: www.pineforestpods.com/pods/plastic-podcast Thanks to Clark and Elena for sharing the episode and to their guests for their insights!

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Bracket-Breaking News (Potentially) Oct 08, 2024

On the way to the final round of negotiations towards the global plastics treaty, things are moving fast. And there's a major development on the road to Busan, something that could change everything. Ambassador Luis Vayas, the chair of the intergovernmental negotiating committee, made a move that could help the treaty text break free from all the brackets to get the process back on track. Magnus Løvold from the Norwegian Academy of International Law just published the details on his blog, Points of Order. And one of his first readers was Rebecca Altman, an environmental sociologist from the US who's currently writing her first book on plastics. We agreed that this is too insightful not to share it with you. So Rebecca went into the studio at Brown University and recorded the audio version of Magnus' blog post for us. This podcast is produced in the spirit of the gift economy. If you enjoy listening please support the production on https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/support/ Find Magnus' written blog post "a basic proposal" here: https://medium.com/points-of-order/a-basic-proposal-ad5e455c3480 Read Rebecca's writing on plastics: https://rebecca-altman.com/home Thanks to Katie Silberman at the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society for helping us record the episode - and to Dorian Roy for the music. The studio recording is by Ray Mandel-Mueller, made possible through programming by the Brown Arts Institute. Thanks for the great sound, Ray!

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Phantom of the Ottawa (INC-4 in Canada) Sep 22, 2024

The final meeting to negotiate the global plastics treaty is coming up this winter. But if you’ve listened to previous episodes of our series, you know that little progress had been made in the first three INCs. At the negotiations in Uruguay, France, and Kenya, strategic games were played. They held up the process and sabotaged the road to an ambitious and binding treaty. Now, in the run-up to the final round of negotiations in November and December in the city of Busan, in Korea - the INC-5 - we’re taking a closer look at what happened last in Ottawa. And who else could explain the INC-4 better than Magnus Løvold? He’s an expert in international treaties from the Norwegian Academy of International Law, and has attended all the meetings in person. +++If you enjoy this series, please support the production! Go to https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/support/ to find out more.+++ In this episode, we are discussing clips from the live-stream of the previous meeting. You’ll get to hear from Jyoti Mathur-Filipp (Executive Secretary of the Negotiating Committee), Luis Vayas Valdivieso (INC Chair), Inger Andersen (Executive Director of UNEP), a representative of the BreakFreeFromPlastic Youth, Janelle Nahmabin (Society of Native Nations), Patrick Umuhoza (representative of Rwanda), and the Representative of Fiji. For more insights on Ottawa, go to the Indisposable Podcast and listen to Jamala Djinn, Policy Advisor for Break Free From Plastic, and Rachel Radvany, Environmental Health Campaigner for the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL): https://upstreamsolutions.org/podcast/toward-a-global-plastics-treaty

Fast Fashion, Single Use, Packaging: It's Plastic Overshoot Day 2024 Sep 05, 2024

September 5, 2024, is Plastic Overshoot Day. The world has been able to handle its plastic waste until this day, but the waste produced the rest of the year statistically ends up as pollution. Imagine the huge pile of plastic packaging and other stuff that the world disposes of in just four months - that will end up in the environment, according to this calculation. Sarah Perreard of Earth Action, the NGO that calculates the Plastic Overshoot day, explains how she and her colleagues arrived at this date, whether waste management is improving or not, and what that means for the global treaty to tackle plastic pollution. Listen to our 2023 episode with Sarah as well: "What Day is Plastic Overshoot"? https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2023/07/09/plastic-overshoot-day/ Visit the Plastic Overshoot Day website and find out more about each country: https://plasticovershoot.earth/

Forever Chemicals (Teaser) Jun 05, 2024

Happy World Environment Day! We’ve got a treat for you. There’s a new podcast series which is really great – and we wanted to share it with you. It’s called Forever Chemicals, and it’s produced by Meg Carney and team at Black-Footed Ferret Productions. Listen to the teaser here on Plastisphere and then head over to https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/forever-chemicals to binge the whole series! Transcript: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2024/06/05/forever-chemicals-teaser/ Voices in the teaser (in order of appearance): - Stefan Posner, Textile and Polymer Chemist - Arlene Blum, founder of the Green Science Policy Institute - James Pollock, PFAS Lawyer - Mike Schade, Toxic Free Future - Alex Lauver, Outdoor Research - Matt Eshed, Research Fellow - Ammi Borenstein, Snaplinc Consulting - Philippe Granjean, Environmental Epidemiologist

#PlasticsTreaty Shorts: Burning plastics and chemical recycling with Sirine Rached Jun 02, 2024

Sirine Rached is the Global Plastics Policy Coordinator at GAIA, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. In her message, Sirine shares why she doesn’t believe in certain technologies that are currently promoted to solve the plastics crisis. Read more on GAIA’s positions in the PlasticsTreaty talks here: no-burn.org/unea-plastics-treaty Send me a voice message - it might be published! Follow the instructions here: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/send-a-voice-message/

#PlasticsTreaty Shorts: Report from INC-4 in Ottawa with Stephen Leahy May 04, 2024

The penultimate session to negotiate the global plastics treaty ended just a few days ago in Ottawa, Canada. One of the journalists attending was Stephen Leahy, a science and environmental journalist who’s reported on climate and other issues for the past 30 years. Steve has written for dozens of publications including National Geographic, the Guardian, New Scientist and The Atlantic. Anja asked him about his impressions of this fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, the INC4. Hear more in Steve's audio message. You can follow Steve’s reporting via his substack page leahy.substack.com To send a voice message follow the instructions here: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/send-a-voice-message/

Pushing Back Against Corporate Capture at #INC4 Apr 29, 2024

It's Monday, April 29, 2024, and the INC4, the fourth round of negotiations for the plastics treaty, is in the final hours. Negotiators of countries from around the world are sitting in conference rooms in Ottawa, Canada, debating how to end plastic pollution. Around them, the presence of the fossil and chemical industries has grown significantly. Compared to the last meeting in Nairobi 37 percent more lobbyists are attending. The effort to quantify this lobby presence was led by CIEL, the Center for International Environmental Law. In a press conference that Plastisphere is sharing with this episode, the NGO brought together speakers from Greenpeace, the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, and the Indigenous Peoples Caucus. It’s a very impressive hour. For context, one of the First Nations in Canada just had to declare a state of emergency: A plastics plant in their vicinity had released chemicals into their environment. This is just one of the incidents that points to the burden frontline communities living close to production and disposal facilities are carrying around the world. So environmental justice is a huge issue when it comes to plastic pollution. Hear more from the panel: - Delphine Levi Alvares, Global Petrochemical Campaign Coordinator at CIEL - Laura Salgado, Head of Campaign and Partnership at GGTC - Graham Forbes, Head of Delegation, Greenpeace International - Yuyun Ismawati, Convenor of the Indonesian Zero Waste Alliance (AZWI) - Suzanne Smoke, Indigenous Knowledge Keeper from the Indigenous Peoples Caucus - Bethanie Carney-Almroth, professor in ecotoxicology at Gothenburg University and Member of the Scientists’ Coalition For An Effective Plastic Treaty CIEL's analysis of lobby attendance at INC4 was carried out in collaboration with Greenpeace, the Break Free From Plastic movement, the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), and the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC). Here's the link: https://www.ciel.org/news/fossil-fuel-and-chemical-industry-influence-inc4/

In Focus by The Hindu: Where does India stand in the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations? Apr 26, 2024

In this episode we focus on one of the biggest countries in Asia - India. India just passed its Plastic Overshoot day on April 23. India is the world's third largest contributor to plastic waste after China and the United States – but it also has a huge population, 1.4 billion people. So per capita, Indians produce only small amounts of plastic waste - much less than a person in Belgium, for example. What has been India’s position in the plastics treaty talks? Is the country on the right track to tackle the pollution? In this guest episode, you'll hear an excerpt from the podcast "In Focus" by The Hindu. It's hosted by G. Sampath, the Social Affairs Editor of The Hindu, who speaks with Satyarupa Shekhar, a public policy advocate who works on urban governance, data justice, and plastics pollution. Satyarupa tells us more about India's positions on the global plastic treaty. Besides its opposition to a majority voting option - a huge issue hindering the progress of the negotiations - what kind of treaty does India envision? Many thanks to Miko Aliño for sharing the Hindu's episode on Social, where I found it! Links: Listen to the full episode on The Hindu: https://www.thehindu.com/podcast/where-does-india-stand-in-the-global-plastics-treaty-negotiations-in-focus-podcast/article68032094.ece Listen to "In Focus" on your favorite app: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/in-focus-by-the-hindu/id1494440867 Read India's country profile in the 2024 Plastic Overshoot report (page 138): https://plasticovershoot.earth/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/EA_POD_report_2024.pdf Read more about the chemicals in plastics in the PlastChem report: https://plastchem-project.org/

Plastic Money - Turning Off the Subsidies Tap Apr 20, 2024

In March 2024, negotiators and experts came together in Bellagio, Italy, for an exclusive meeting to discuss an essential topic: Plastic money. And we’re not talking about credit cards here, but the actual money we people around the world are paying for the production of plastics through our governments’ subsidies. Ronald Steenblik was the one who made me aware of this issue. He’s worked on subsidies to fossil fuels for over 30 years, and was the Special Counsellor for Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform at the OECD - the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Today, Ron works with the Quaker United Nations Office QUNO. Together with his colleagues and other plastic experts, he organized the meeting in Bellagio to shine a light on the issue of plastic subsidies. This meeting was co-organized and supported by CIEL, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and The Rockefeller Foundation. I met with Ron and his colleague Andrés Naranjo, and they brought along Alexandra Harrington from Lancaster University Law School. She also chairs the Plastic Pollution Task Force of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. Learn more from them about plastic subsidies in this episode! Transcript: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2024/04/19/plastic-subsidies-transcript/ Links: - Briefing by CIEL on plastic subsidies: https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Tackling-Subsidies-for-Plastic-Production_FINAL.pdf - Report by QUNO on the Bellagio convening: https://quno.org/timeline/2024/4/quno-hosts-meeting-minds-plastic-pollution-bellagio

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Leave Bad Faith Behind (INC-3 in Kenya) Mar 23, 2024

What happened at the INC-3 in Kenya? Recap 3/3. “If a credible majority of states can come together and adopt global rules to prevent plastic pollution, they can also do the similar things on climate change, on biological diversity, and indeed also other issues of environmental and global concern,” Magnus Løvold says. He was present as an observer at all negotiation meetings towards the #PlasticsTreaty and shares the story so far on the podcast - a game with shaky rules. How will the saga continue? Will we see courageous states stepping up to stop plastic pollution? Stay tuned! If you like this show, support the production! Go to anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/support/ Read „Points of Order" - independent reporting on multilateral processes, treaty-making and diplomacy" by Magnus Løvold and Torbjørn Graff Hugo: medium.com/points-of-order Music: Dorian Roy Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen All production: Anja Krieger

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Drama and Delay (INC-2 in France) Mar 16, 2024

What happened at the INC-2 in France? Recap 2/3. The negotiations for the global plastics treaty are haunted by major issues that have long stalled progress on other problems as well, like climate change and biodiversity loss. To understand what’s happening, Anja teamed up with Magnus Løvold, an expert in diplomacy and international law. Magnus was present at all the meetings of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee for the plastics treaty - the so-called “INC”. Here comes the second part of their recap of plastic diplomacy: They take you to Paris in the summer of 2023, where the second negotiating meeting took place, to learn what happened there. A note: If you haven’t listened to our recap of the first INC in Uruguay, we recommend to go back an episode and start listening there. Episode transcript: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2024/04/01/transcript-plastic-treaty-making-part2/ Music: Dorian Roy Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen All production: Anja Krieger

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Ambition in Brackets (INC-1 in Uruguay) Mar 08, 2024

What happened at the INC-1 in Uruguay? Recap 1/3. This year, 2024, is the crucial year for the plastics treaty negotiations. If you haven’t heard about them, the United Nations are working on an international, legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution. It’s been called the most important environmental deal since the Paris climate accord. Many countries want it to be an ambitious agreement that covers the full lifecycle of plastics, from production to disposal. But some countries are not so keen on this, and they have held up the development of the treaty. How and why exactly did they do this, and is there still hope for a strong and effective international agreement? To explore this, Anja connected with Magnus Løvold, an expert in Peace and Conflict Studies, and advisor with Lex International and NAIL, the Norwegian Academy of International Law. In his blog „Points of Order“, Magnus describes his observations at the diplomatic meetings he attends. This is the first of three parts of the conversation. Magnus and Anja will take you back into each meeting of the treaty negotiations - INC-1 in Uruguay, INC-2 in France and INC-3 in Kenya. We’ll talk diplomacy and give you a better understanding of what’s going on on the international stage. Read our guest's blog: "Points of Order" - independent reporting on multilateral processes, treaty-making and diplomacy" by Magnus Løvold and Torbjørn Graff Hugo: https://medium.com/points-of-order Episode transcript: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2024/03/08/transcript-plastic-treaty-making-part1/ Music: Dorian Roy Cover: Maren von Stockhausen If you like this show, support the production! Go to https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/support/

The Indisposable Podcast: Bioplastics and Plastic Alternatives Feb 27, 2024

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

[German] "Wege aus der Plastikkrise" - a Panel Discussion on Solutions to Plastic Pollution Feb 23, 2024

- A heads-up for all international listeners: This the first-ever episode in German. If you don't speak the language, don't despair. The next episode in English is already in the works! - This episode features an in-depth panel in German language on solutions to plastic pollution with experts in ecotoxicology, the reuse economy and politics, including the lead negotiator of Germany for the plastics treaty. Anja, host of Plastisphere, also speaks at the event organized by Exit Plastik, a German alliance of NGOs, at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin. It was part of the first German civil society conference on plastics. Wir sprechen über das globale Abkommen der Vereinten Nationen, das dieses Jahr fertig verhandelt werden soll, über Mehrwegsysteme und ihre Vorteile, die Chemikalien im Plastik und das Wachstum der Branche - und wir schauen in die Zukunft. Viel Vergnügen bei unserer Panel-Diskussion dazu, wie wir das Plastikproblem lösen können. Weitere Infos gibt es bei https://exit-plastik.de/ Transkript (bearbeitete/gekürzte Podcast-Fassung): Folgt demnächst! Mit: Alexandra Caterbow (HEJ Support) Jane Muncke (Food Packaging Forum) Axel Borchmann (BMUV) André Lang-Herfurth (Mehrwegverband und zerooo) Anja Krieger (Plastisphere Podcast) Die Exit-Plastik-Konferenz fand am 6. Februar 2024 in Berlin statt. Zum Bündnis Exit Plastik gehören: HEJSupport, Forum Umwelt & Entwicklung, Greenpeace, der Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz, Zero Waste Germany und Kiel, a tip:tap, die Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung und Women Engage for a Common Future. Exit Plastik ist Teil der globalen Bewegung BreakFreeFromPlastic.

#PlasticsTreaty Shorts: The Fossil-Fuel Lobby at INC-3 with Julien Gupta Nov 19, 2023

Welcome again to Plastisphere, the podcast on plastics, people, the planet – and politics! Today, the INC-3, the third round of negotiations towards a global plastic treaty, will wrap up in Nairobi – and Anja received a timely message from one of the attending journalists: Julien Gupta is a freelance journalist from Germany working on climate and the environment. He says some of what he observed at INC-3 in Nairobi very much surprised him. Listen to his message from yesterday, Saturday, November 18th, 2023. You can find the CIEl report referenced by Julien here: https://www.ciel.org/news/fossil-fuel-and-chemical-industries-at-inc-3/ If you’d like to learn more about the role of science in the negotiations, listen to our episode from earlier this year, “Science over Profit”: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2023/05/12/ep13-plastictreaty/ Find out more about the Scientists 'Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty here: https://ikhapp.org/scientistscoalition/ If you are currently at the negotiations in Nairobi and have comments to share, we’d be super grateful to hear about them! Send Anja a voice message by following the instructions on the Plastisphere website: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/send-a-voice-message/ For German listeners, you can follow Juliens reporting here: https://steadyhq.com/de/treibhauspost/newsletter/sign_up https://taz.de/teamzukunft

#PlasticsTreaty Shorts: Waste Colonialism with Nirere Sadrach and Sharifa Ismail Nov 16, 2023

For a long time, we treated disposable plastic and waste as if there was an “away” – a place, where we could safely dispose of our trash. But as we all know, nothing disappears just magically. Each year, the world produces over two billion tons of waste, and hundreds of millions tons of that are plastic. There is no away, and all this stuff goes somewhere – to landfills, dumps, incinerators, recycling facilities, or into the environment. But our plastic products don’t always end up close to where they are used. Waste is traded globally, and especially the hard-to-recycle plastics are shipped to places abroad. Often, there’s not enough infrastructure to deal with this waste plastic in a safe way. So it is openly dumped, recycled without protecting the workers’ health, or lost to the environment – with impacts for the local people and ecosystems. Listen to messages by Nirere Sadrach from Uganda, and Sharifa Ismail from Malaysia. You can read the transcript of this episode here: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2023/11/16/plasticstreaty-shorts-waste-colonialism-with-nirere-sadrach-and-sharifa-ismail-transcript/ Learn more about your country in the "Plastic Overshoot Day" episode (second half): https://soundcloud.com/plastisphere-podcast/plastic-overshoot-day WWF study on costs for low vs. high income countries: https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?10004441/lifetime-cost-plastic These messages are part of the #PlasticsTreaty Shorts series. If you’d like to share a thought on solutions for plastic pollution, send Anja a voice message. Her mailbox is open for contributions until the end of the treaty negotiations. Some of the messages will be published. Please follow the recording instructions here: anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/send-a-voice-message/

#PlasticsTreaty Shorts: Production Caps and Moratoriums with Andrés Del Castillo Nov 13, 2023

Today, you’ll hear a message from Andrés Del Castillo in the #PlasticsTreaty Shorts series. Andrés is a Senior Attorney from Columbia working with CIEL, the Center for International Environmental Law in Switzerland (https://www.ciel.org/). CIEL is a non-governmental organization that has long pointed out the broader implications of plastic pollution. They have published reports on the connection between plastics and climate change, human health, and and the petrochemical industry and fracking. Andrés says that we need to regulate the precursors or building blocks, just like the plastics and chemicals they are turned into. But we don’t need to wait for the global community to agree on production caps. There’s another way to halt the growth in production. Hear more from Andrés - and don't miss Rebecca Altman's excellent essay "On Vinyl" in Orion Magazine: https://orionmagazine.org/article/east-palestine-train-derailment-plastics-history/ Find the transcript of this episode here: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2023/11/13/plasticstreaty-shorts-production-caps-and-moratoriums-with-andres-del-castillo-transcript/ Dear listener, if you have a thought to share, you can send me a voice message. Please follow my recording instructions: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/send-a-voice-message/

#PlasticsTreaty Shorts: The Planetary Boundary with Bethanie Carney Almroth Nov 10, 2023

We have exceeded six of the nine planetary boundaries. In her message to Plastisphere, Bethany Carney Almroth from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden tells us about one of them - the planetary boundary of novel entities which include plastics and chemicals. The only planetary boundary we have been able to move away from is the ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere. And why? Because when a ‘hole’ – or a thinning - in the ozone layer was discovered in the 1980s, countries from around the world acted quickly and signed a treaty to phase out the CFCs, the chemicals which were destroying the ozone layer. Let's hope that the plastics treaty follows in the footsteps of this success story! Read the transcript of this episode here: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2023/11/10/plasticstreaty-shorts-the-planetary-boundary-with-bethanie-carney-almroth/ If you’d like to share a thought or demand for the plastics treaty, you can contribute too. My mailbox is open for your voice messages until the end of the negotiations. I will pick some of these messages for a short podcast episode like this one. You can find recording instructions here: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/send-a-voice-message/

#PlasticsTreaty Shorts: Unknown chemicals with Walter Waldman Nov 09, 2023

Similar to how food products contain a list of ingredients, we need to know which chemicals plastic products contain. This is not an easy task, but it would be a huge step if producers lifted the secret around the chemicals they use. Right now we are blindly dealing with a cocktail of chemicals we don’t really understand. Scientists have to reverse engineer to find out what’s in these products, and this is expensive and tedious. Knowing about the chemical ingredients of plastics would give us the chance to decide which risks we are willing to take or not – as a society, and as individuals. Hear more from chemist Walter Waldman from Brazil in his message to Plastisphere. Read the transcript of this episode here: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2023/11/09/plasticstreaty-shorts-unknown-chemicals-with-walter-waldman-transcript/ This episode is part of the #PlasticsTreaty Shorts series. If you’d like to share a thought on solutions for plastic pollution, send Anja a voice message. You can contribute until the end of the treaty negotiations. Selected messages will be published. Find the recording instructions here: anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/send-a-voice-message/

#PlasticsTreaty Shorts: Consumption Reduction with Kristian Syberg Nov 07, 2023

Recycling is often seen as a golden standard for minimizing plastic pollution. And while recycling definitely does play a role in the future, it should not be the first priority. Kristian Syberg, an associate professor at Roskilde University in Denmark working on the circular economy, and the environmental impact of plastics, tells us why. Read the transcript of this episode here: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2023/11/07/plasticstreaty-shorts-consumption-reduction-with-kristian-syberg/ This message is part of the #PlasticsTreaty Shorts series. If you’d like to share a thought on solutions for plastic pollution, send Anja a voice message. Her mailbox is open for contributions until the end of the treaty negotiations. Some of the messages will be published. Find the recording instructions here: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/send-a-voice-message/

#PlasticsTreaty Shorts: Three Principles with Chris Dixon Nov 05, 2023

The global plastics treaty is currently being drafted by the global community - an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. One of the experts attending the meetings is Christina Dixon from the Environmental Investigation Agency. The EIA is an NGO which has campaigned against environmental crime and abuse since the 1980s, from whaling to ivory trade, to ozone depletion and climate change. Chris Dixon is their expert on plastic pollution at the London office, and she sent me food for thought with a voice message. How do we get to a successful plastics treaty? Chris says there are some fundamental principles that can guide us there. Read the transcript of this episode here: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2023/11/05/plasticstreaty-shorts-three-principles-with-chris-dixon-transcript/ If you’d like to share a thought or demand for the plastics treaty, you can contribute too. My mailbox is open for your voice messages until the end of the negotiations. I will pick some of these messages for a short podcast episode like this one. You can find recording instructions here: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/send-a-voice-message/

What Day is Plastic Overshoot? Jul 09, 2023

The global plastics treaty is in the making, and the discussions around solutions to plastic pollution are gaining traction. To give you more food for thought, Anja tries out a new format, the Plastisphere Conversations with interesting people in the field. And this is the first one, with Sarah Perreard and Julien Boucher from the Plastic Overshoot project. Wait, isn’t it called the Earth Overshoot? Well, true - Sarah and Julien took inspiration from that. In 2023, the Plastic Overshoot Day falls on July 28th, and the calculations behind it reveal the different challenges for countries around the world. But first, Sarah and Julien tell us their own stories, which are very insightful when it comes to the issue and its solutions. Link to the Plastic Overshoot Day website and reports: https://plasticovershoot.earth/ Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by Anja Krieger, published in the spirit of the gift economy. Please rate and review the podcast and support the production costs. PayPal: www.plastisphere.earth/support/ Subscribe: www.plastisphere.earth Follow regular updates on Mastodon: @plastisphere@podcasts.social Follow occasional posts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @PlastispherePod Theme song: Dorian Roy Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen Sound Effect CC-0 from Freesound: ttps://freesound.org/people/qubodup/sounds/182794/ Transcript: On request.

Science over Profit - Demands for the Plastic Treaty May 12, 2023

On March 2, 2022, countries from around the world agreed to establish a global treaty to end plastic pollution. After the first meetings in Senegal and Uruguay, the discussions around the treaty are in full swing. Next, the country’s representatives are heading to Paris, France, in May 2023. They’ll meet for the second session of the INC, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, which is the forum where the treaty is debated. After that, three more of these INC meetings are scheduled. If all goes well, the diplomats could agree on the plastics treaty at the final conference in the summer of 2025. So that’s the rough timeline – pretty ambitious, compared to how slow politics often move. But speed isn’t everything. How will the delegates make sure to actually get a treaty that tackles plastic pollution effectively, and in a fair way? Who gets a seat at the negotiating table, and who doesn’t? And what does the treaty need to contain and cover? In the past months, Anja asked scientists and experts to send her their thoughts and demands. In this episode, you’ll get to hear messages from Richard Thompson, Bethany Carney Almroth, Sonia Dias, Tridibesh Dey, Martin Wagner, Trisia Farrelly, Rebecca Altman and Lesley Henderson. Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by Anja Krieger, published in the spirit of the gift economy. Please rate and review the podcast and support the production costs via PayPal: https://plastisphere.earth/support/ Transcript with links to music and sources: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2023/05/12/ep13-plastictreaty/ Subscribe: www.plastisphere.earth Theme song: Dorian Roy Music: Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/ UNEP video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28mNomsFsFY UNEP video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_GSIL0lLDs Thanks for kind permission, additional audio and images to Miranda Grant, Ahmed Yusuf and the UNEP press team. Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen Thanks to: Baldeep Kaur Follow regular updates on Mastodon: @plastisphere@podcasts.social Follow occasional posts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @PlastispherePod

Listening Session with Baldeep Kaur Mar 17, 2023

Baldeep Kaur is a doctoral fellow at the University of Potsdam, studying the afterlives of discarded colonial technologies. Last November, they invited Plastisphere creator Anja Krieger to a live listening session at the Minor Cosmopolitan Assembly, an event organized by the research training group with the same name. Together with the audience, Baldeep and Anja listened to and discussed short excerpts from the podcast's episodes, each highlighting a different dimension of human relationships with plastics at various stages of their life-cycles. Hear more about the production process and behind-the-scenes research stories from both sides, that of the podcast producer and that of the listener. Recorded November 12, 2022, at Silent Green in Wedding, Berlin, Germany Note: The original recording was 85 minutes, this is a 30 minute edited version. More about Baldeep: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/minorcosmopolitanisms/team/fellows/baldeep-kaur-grewal More about Minor Cosmopolitanisms: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/de/minorcosmopolitanisms/ More Plastisphere excerpts (event page): https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/podcast-excerpts/ Music: Dorian Roy (Theme), Blue Dot Sessions (Excerpts) Literature mentioned: - "Pollution is Colonialism" by Max Liboiron of CLEAR lab: https://civiclaboratory.nl/publications/ - "Wasteocene" by Marco Armiero: https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/wasteocene/714CA45E810E6437D5EBB4B71E6C8F71 Special thanks to - Sofia Varino for co-organizing the event. https://www.uni-potsdam.de/de/minorcosmopolitanisms/team/fellows/sofia-varino - Yael Attia and Kathleen Samson for setting up the recording. Check out their own podcast, Minor Constellations: https://minor.hypotheses.org/podcast - Lucas Jenss (photos), Abiral Kumar(lights), Sofie Fingado(sound)and Ricarda Theobald (door) for making this event possible.

The Indisposable Podcast: The Story of Plastic Mar 04, 2023

A new guest episode to inspire your ears, mind and heart, kindly shared by Upstream. Plastic pollution is not just a waste issue. It starts with production, continues during use, and in the end, a lot of it ends up dumped or in the environment. But the problems plastics cause from production to disposal are not distributed equally. They impact some communities more than others, especially those already at a disadvantage and with little political power. One of the people fighting this environmental injustice is Tiza Mafira. She’s a lawyer and environmental activist from Jakarta, Indonesia, and one of the heroes of the documentary “The Story of Plastic”. She recently met up with Matt Prindiville on The Indisposable Podcast, a show produced by Upstream, a US-based non-profit. Hope you enjoy their conversation as much as I did! About Upstream: Upstream is a US-based non-profit organization that sparks innovative solutions to plastic pollution by helping people, businesses and communities shift from single-use to reuse. They are conveners, content creators and curators, and solutions ideators – all in the interest of helping to advance a new reuse economy. Some of their offerings include several networks and forums for policymakers, activists, and businesses; Chart Reuse – a first-in-industry foodware reuse analytics platform - and the Annual Reuse Awards, The Reusies®, live and streaming online on June 7, 2023. Learn more at www.upstreamsolutions.org, www.chartreuse.eco, and www.thereusies.org. Link to the episode page https://upstreamsolutions.org/podcast/story-of-plastic-in-indonesia Mentions and links: Tiza Mafira: https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/people/tiza-mafira/ Plastic Bag Diet Movement: https://dietkantongplastik.info/tentang-kami/ The Story of Plastic Doc https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/the-story-of-plastic-documentary-film/ Stiv Wilson: https://peakplasticfoundation.org/ Break Free from Plastic: https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/ BFFP Brand Audits: https://brandaudit.breakfreefromplastic.org/ Froilan "Froi" Grate: http://www.froilangrate.com/ Plastic Island Doc https://www.netflix.com/de-en/title/81597205 PR3 with Amy Larkin: https://www.resolve.ngo/blog/Meet-the-PR3-Team.htm Algramo: https://algramo.com/en/

What on Earth: Plastics Treaty Negotiations Start in Uruguay Nov 27, 2022

Remember our episode a few months ago on the history of the plastics treaty? To recap: In March, the United Nations Environmental Assembly decided to negotiate a global agreement to tackle plastic pollution. The ambitious plan is to develop a binding treaty covering the full lifecycle of plastics within the next two years, by 2024. This week, this process is moving forward at an international meeting in Uruguay. From November 28 to December 2nd 2022, the first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee – INC1 for short – will take place in the city of Punta del Elste. Anja will be sharing updates on Mastodon, where you find her as @ plastisphere @ podcasts.social. Here on the audio feed, we present an introduction of what’s to expect in Uruguay - a guest episode by the Environmental Investigation Agency, a Nongovernmental Organization involved in the plastic treaty negotiations. Their podcast ahead of INC1 in Uruguay is really insightful, and they kindly shared it with us. Link to the podcast website: https://eia-international.org/news/eia-podcast-what-can-we-expect-from-negotiations-for-the-first-global-plastics-treaty/ Thanks to EIA Ocean Campaign Leader Christina Dixon, EIA Ocean Campaigner Jacob Kean-Hammerson and EIA Senior Press and Communication Officer and podcast host Paul Newman for sharing this episode.

Sustainable Asia: Producer Responsibility and Packaging Design May 02, 2022

We can’t be the only ones responsible for plastic pollution. It’s time for producers and distributors of disposable plastic to take responsibility for where their packaging goes. Plastisphere presents an episode from Sustainable Asia’s “Mapping Asia’s Plastic Crisis” series on producer responsibility and packaging design, featuring experts from Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore, hosted and produced by Marcy Trent Long and Bonnie Au. Transcript: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2022/05/01/plastisphere-presents-sustainable-asia-producer-responsibility-and-packaging-design/ Guests: Helen Panangung, Von Hernandez, Miko Alino, Ashwin Subramaniam Music: Sustainable Asia theme: Alexander Mauboussin, Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/, Plastisphere Theme: Dorian Roy Thanks to: Lili Fuhr, Clemens Kunze, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Berlin/Hong Kong Video credit: Break Free From Plastic Philippines Project Updates on Twitter: @SustainableAsia Listen to more podcasts from Sustainable Asia here: - in English: https://www.sustainableasia.co/listen-in-english/ - in Chinese: https://www.sustainableasia.co/chinese/

Paving the Way for a Global Plastics Treaty Mar 14, 2022

Eight years after first flagging plastics as an issue, the United Nations Environment Assembly met in March 2022 for a historic decision. Delegates from more than 170 nations agreed on a mandate to put together a legally binding global plastics treaty within the next two years. Despite some lobbying against it behind the scenes, the draft for a strong resolution prevailed with just a few cuts. The treaty can now cover plastic pollution across the full lifecycle of the material, from production to consumption and disposal. Learn more about the path that led up to this landmark decision from Brooke Bauman, who hosts this episode of Plastisphere. She explores the concept of waste colonialism and compares the impacts of recycling and incineration in conversation with Alexis McGivern and Claire Arkin of GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives). Transcript with videos, links and photos from Kenya by James Wakibia: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2022/03/12/transcript-ep12-plastics-treaty/ Plastisphere is a research podcast by Anja Krieger. Brooke Bauman reported this episode, based on episode 3 of her “Guilty Plastics” series: Go to https://soundcloud.com/guiltyplastics to hear more. You can support our production via www.plastisphere.earth/support/ Guest voices: Alexis McGivern, Claire Arkin Thanks to: Kevin Fisher, Nils Simon, Karen Raubenheimer, Baldeep Kaur Grewal, Eva Vander Giessen, Tridibesh Dey, Luisa Beck, Inés Blaesius and all the Plastic Tweeps Subscribe: www.plastisphere.earth  Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/ Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen   Updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: PlastispherePod

From Zero Waste to Collective Action Jul 30, 2021

Plastisphere is back with Brooke and Anja! For the tenth anniversary of #PlasticFreeJuly, we dive into solutions to plastic pollution. Hear about Anja’s waste audit and DIY projects during the pandemic year, from home-made milk and laundry detergent to fresh pasta. Making stuff from scratch can be fun and empowering, but what’s the impact of these lifestyle changes? Anja’s packaging bin is a bit lighter now, but still full of plastic - far away from the ideals of Zero Waste. How much influence do individual consumers really have on a systemic issue like plastic pollution? And what are possible scenarios for tackling plastic pollution in the coming years on a global scale? Hear more from biologist Stephanie Borrelle. Transcript with videos and links: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2021/07/30/ep-11-transcript/ BONUS TRACK: How to make your own barista oat milk with Dorian and Luisa: https://soundcloud.com/plastisphere-podcast/barista-oat-milk-recipe Learn how to turn horse chestnuts into laundry detergent with Shia Su: https://wastelandrebel.com/en/make-laundry-detergent-out-of-chestnuts/ Read more about future scenarios to tackle plastic waste on a systemic scale: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6510/1515 Plastisphere is a research podcast by German audio producer Anja Krieger. Brooke Bauman is the co-host and assistant editor for this episode. Support the production: https://plastisphere.earth/support/ Guest voices: Stephanie Borrelle, Kate Nelson, Dorian and Luisa Thanks to: Wastelandrebel Shia Su, Lisa Bryan for the oat milk recipe Subscribe: www.plastisphere.earth  Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/ Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen   Updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: PlastispherePod

Introducing: Life in the Soil (Teaser) Nov 24, 2020

Take a break from plastics to explore the soil - a hidden world beneath your feet. It's the world of earthworms, springtails, fungi, and bacteria. We hardly ever see these little creatures, but their impacts are huge. Soil stores more carbon than the atmosphere and all plants together, filters water, is pivotal for biodiversity and at the center of agriculture and food security. This winter, Anja Krieger, host of Plastisphere, teams up with soil biologist Matthias Rillig and his lab to bring you "Life in the Soil", a podcast mini-series supported by the BiodivERsA research network. Tune in to hear more from some of the world’s best soil scientists, starting World Soil Day, December 5, 2020. Learn more and subscribe: https://rilliglab.org/podcast/ Platforms iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-in-the-soil/id1541030670 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/mrillig Produced by: Anja Krieger and the Rillig Lab https://rilliglab.org Experts quoted in this teaser: Madhav Thakur, Bala Chaudhary, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Johannes Lehmann, Matthias Rillig Theme music: Sunfish Moon Light/Future Ecologies https://www.futureecologies.net Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen http://marenvonstockhausen.de Funded by: Digging Deeper/BiodivERsA https://www.biodiversa.org

Chatting about Individual Impact Jul 26, 2020

When it comes to solving the issue of plastic pollution, who would you say is responsible? Is it individuals like you and me, is it the corporations that produce plastics or products made from it, or is it the government with its rules and regulations? That’s the question Brooke Bauman asks in her 4-part podcast series “Guilty Plastics”. Brooke is a student in environmental science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an amazing young audio storyteller. Anja chats with Brooke about plastic pollution, and you’ll get to listen to a special edit of Guilty Plastics. It features environmental activist Rob Greenfield, who grows his own food to avoid packaging, and chemistry professor David Tyler with a surprising answer to the question: Paper bag or plastic bag? You can listen to all 4 parts of Brooke’s series here: https://soundcloud.com/guiltyplastics The Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by German freelance journalist Anja Krieger. Transcript: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2020/07/27/ep10-transcript/ Subscribe: www.plastisphere.earth Updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: PlastispherePod Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/ Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen

The Discovery of Plastic Pollution Jul 10, 2020

Plastic pollution seems to be a pretty new issue, right? In the past few years, the topic has been all over the media. But if you explore the history of science, it turns out that the problem really isn’t all that new. Some scientists have been aware of plastic in the ocean for over half a century. So, how was plastic pollution first discovered? And why didn’t we hear about it earlier? In this episode, Anja speaks to scientists who called attention to the problem long before it was widely discussed. What happened back then, and how did we get to where we are now? Ed Carpenter, Steve Rothstein, Elizabeth Venrick, Arne Holmström, Hans van Weenen and Peter Ryan share their stories. The Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by German freelance journalist Anja Krieger. Transcript: https://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2020/07/17/ep-9-transcript/ Subscribe: www.plastisphere.earth Updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: PlastispherePod Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/ Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen  With: Adam Huggins and Mendel Skulski of https://www.futureecologies.net/ podcast and http://www.terencemickey.com/ of Memory Motel Sound credits: Ingrid Pollet, Yle Arkisto and Klankbeeld on Freesound.org (CC-BY-Attribution 3.0): https://freesound.org/people/YleArkisto/sounds/271524/ https://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/192297/ Thanks to: Max Planck Institute for the History of Science: Hansjakob Ziemer, Stephanie Hood, Jürgen Renn, Christoph Rosol, Matthias Schwerdt, Ruth Kessentini, Ellen Garske, the library team and Anthropocene group; Ingrid Pollet, Jeffrey Meikle, Cindy Gierhart, Tim Howard, Deborah Blum, Christian Schwägerl, Luisa Beck, Brooke Watkins, Keridwen Cornelius, Eva Vander Gießen, Ines Blaesius, Rebecca Altman, Peter Spork, the people at Netzwerk Recherche and the Schöpflin Foundation, Erica Cirino, Chris Rose, Linda Godfrey, John Farrington, Kara Lavender Law, Gilbert Rowe, Bruce Burns, W.R.P. Bourne

Plastics and the Coronavirus Apr 28, 2020

For this episode, Anja tried something new: She asked listeners, researchers and podcasters to send her audio comments on what is happening now during the coronavirus pandemic. In this episode, you’ll hear some of the messages that arrived in her inbox the past weeks. With input from Justine Ammendolia, Wade Roush, Brooke Bauman, Sedat Gündoğdu, Jacqui Kidman, Susanne Brander, Rebecca Altman, Sydney Harris, Tridibesh Dey and Merijn Tinga. Audio from Hong Kong by Gary Stokes. The Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by German freelance journalist Anja Krieger. Subscribe: www.plastisphere.earth Transcript with links and (coming soon!) images: http://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2020/04/29/ep-8-transcript-covid-19-plastics-in-times-of-the-coronavirus/ Additional resources on Covid-19 and plastics: http://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2020/05/06/ep-8-list-of-resources/ Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/ Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen  Thanks to: Mendel Skulski, Marcy Trent Long Sound credits: Wind by TRP on freesound.org under the CC-By license https://freesound.org/people/TRP/sounds/203239/ Updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: PlastispherePod

Confused about Bioplastics? Jul 16, 2019

What happens if bioplastics end up in the environment? In this episode, Anja takes a closer look at synthetic polymers marketed as more environmentally friendly. Can they contribute to a healthier planet, and in what way? Anja talks to Frederik Wurm, a chemist developing biodegradable plastics, Constance Ißbrücker of the industry association European Bioplastics, Zero Waste expert Enzo Favoino, marine microbiologist Linda Amaral-Zettler and ecotoxicologist Lisa Zimmermann. Though biodegradable plastics might not fullfill our hopes, it turns out that they might make sense in some niche applications. The Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by German freelance journalist Anja Krieger. Subscribe: www.plastisphere.earth Support the production: patreon.com/plastispherepodcast or riffreporter.de/plastisphere Transcript with links and images: http://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2019/07/14/ep7-transcript/ This episode was inspired and partly supported by Ensia, the solutions-focused nonprofit media outlet reporting on our changing planet. Learn more at www.ensia.com/ Read more about bioplastics on Ensia: https://ensia.com/features/bioplastics-bio-based-biodegradable-environment/ Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/  Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen  Thanks to: Ines Blaesius, Stephanie Hood, Luisa Beck, Sirine Rached, MPIWG, University of Plymouth, Marcus Anhäuser German post on RiffReporter: riffreporter.de/plastisphere/bioplastik Updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: PlastispherePod

Plastic Traces in the Soil Apr 19, 2019

Plastic pollution also affects the soil, the thin layer of ground that feeds all of us. For a long time, this terrestrial plastic has been overlooked. Now scientists are starting to investigate the extent and impacts of plastic pollution in the soil and in the ground. What do we know about them? In this episode, Anja talks to artist Saša Spačal from Slovenia, soil biologist Matthias Rillig from Germany, Brazilian environmental scientist Abel Machado and geologist Reinhold Leinfelder. She learns more about the potential impacts and traces plastic leaves behind in the ground. The Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by German freelance journalist Anja Krieger. Subscribe: http://plastisphere.earth Support the production: http://patreon.com/plastispherepodcast or http://riffreporter.de/plastisphere Transcript with links and images: http://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2019/04/19/ep-6-transcript/ Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/  Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen  Thanks to: Julie Comfort, Brooke Watkins, Sedat Gündoğdu, Sam Athey, and Joachim Budde for editing the German post on RiffReporter Updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: PlastispherePod

Visiting the Albatross Dec 30, 2018

Chris Jordan has taken some of the most iconic pictures to shape our image of plastic pollution. He traveled to Midway Island on his quest to photograph the evasive "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", which is really a soup of microplastics. There, he documented albatross chicks who had died with their guts full of plastic. His images went viral, but they also haunted him so much that he decided to return to the island. In this episode of the podcast, Chris tells Anja how working on his film "Albatross" transformed him and his view on tackling plastic pollution. The Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by German freelance journalist Anja Krieger. Transcript with links, images and tweets: http://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2018/12/30/ep-5-transcript/ Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @PlastispherePod Subscribe: anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/ Support: www.patreon.com/plastispherepodcast  Support (German): www.riffreporter.de/plastisphere/?accounting=open Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/  Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen  Thanks to: Markus Knigge, Kim Gruetzmacher of the Berlin Ocean Dinner and Ines, Susie, Volkart, Sara, Craig, Wicki and James at the Sonic Soirée Berlin German post on RiffReporter: https://www.riffreporter.de/plastisphere/albatross/

Plastic vs. the Climate? Dec 06, 2018

Plastic pollution might be the most visible environmental issue we face today. But there are other kinds of pollution, and they are far harder to see. One of the most dangerous is the huge amount of greenhouse gases that we emit into the atmosphere. In this episode, Anja explores the connections between plastic pollution and climate change. She talks to ocean expert and publisher Nikolaus Gelpke, youth activist Lilly Platt, oceanographer Sarah-Jeanne Royer and climate expert Gunnar Luderer to understand whether plastic and climate are buddies or enemies. As with many relationships: It’s complicated. The Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by German freelance journalist Anja Krieger. Transcript with links, images and tweets: http://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2018/12/07/ep-4-transcript/ Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @PlastispherePod Subscribe: anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/ Support: www.patreon.com/plastispherepodcast Support (German): www.riffreporter.de/plastisphere/?accounting=open Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions www.sessions.blue/ Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen Thanks to: Eleanor Platt, Ines Blaesius, Kathleen Mar, Sasha Chapman and Christian Schwägerl, Marcy Trent Long and Sustainable Asia, Melanie Bergmann, Laura Markley, Simon Hirsbrunner, Martin Wagner, Kennedy Bucci, and Alicia Matteos. German post on RiffReporter: https://www.riffreporter.de/plastisphere/plastik-klima/

Waste Picker Economies Oct 05, 2018

In this episode, Anja calls up Dr. Jenna Jambeck and Amy Brooks from the University of Georgia on a research trip in Vietnam to learn about their research on waste management and plastic pollution. In many Asian countries, a booming economy is coupled with more and more people using throw-away items. Informal recyclers and waste pickers who have traditionally sorted the waste cannot keep up. But, like millions of people around the world, they depend on waste as a resource for their livelihoods. How can the systems be reformed without leaving the people behind? To find out more, Anja calls Dr. Sonia Maria Dias, a garbologist from Brazil, who tells her about how waste management should include the working poor. The Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by German freelance journalist Anja Krieger. Transcript with links and pictures http://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2018/10/06/ep-3-millions-of-waste-pickers/ Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @PlastispherePod Subscribe: anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/ Support: www.patreon.com/plastispherepodcast Support (German): www.riffreporter.de/plastisphere/?accounting=open Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions https://sessions.blue/ Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen Thanks to: Ines Blaesius, Luisa Beck, Daniella Cheslow, the Wiego staff, and Karl Urban for editing the German version for RiffReporter https://www.riffreporter.de/plastisphere/muell-asien/

Plastic, the Size of a Virus Sep 14, 2018

Anja goes on a lab tour with Alexandra ter Halle from Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse. The chemist and her team were the first to detect nanoplastic in the open ocean - plastic so small that it is comparable in size to a virus. What do we know about these very tiny pieces, and how do researchers try to detect and understand them? The Plastisphere is a research and interview podcast by German freelance journalist Anja Krieger. Transcript with links and pictures: http://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2018/09/14/ep-2-transcript/ Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @PlastispherePod Subscribe: anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/ Support: www.patreon.com/plastispherepodcast Support (German): www.riffreporter.de/plastisphere/?accounting=open Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions https://sessions.blue/ Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen Thanks to: Ines Blaesius, Luisa Beck, Tim Howard, Melanie Bergmann, Deborah Blum and the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT, and Joachim Budde for editing the German version for RiffReporter: https://www.riffreporter.de/plastisphere/makro-mikro-nanoplastik/

Welcome to the Plastisphere Sep 02, 2018

In this introduction to the Plastisphere podcast, Anja takes the listener on a journey back in time, from a remote plastic beach on the Big Island of Hawaii to the factory of a big chemical producer making bioplastics. She shares what she has learned about the issue of plastic pollution in the past years. The Plastisphere is an interview and research podcast by German freelance journalist Anja Krieger. Transcript with pictures: http://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/2018/09/02/ep1-transcript/ Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @PlastispherePod Subscribe: http://anjakrieger.com/plastisphere/ Support: https://www.patreon.com/plastispherepodcast Support (German): https://www.riffreporter.de/plastisphere/?accounting=open Music: Dorian Roy and Blue Dot Sessions https://sessions.blue Cover art: Maren von Stockhausen Thanks to: Ines Blaesius and Susie Kahlich of http://www.artipoeus.com

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Plastisphere: A podcast on plastic pollution in the environment

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected