drupa Essentials of Print: Conrad Mendoza
With our recurring drupa Essentials of Print series, we deliver a series of articles, from designers, brand owners, printers, converters, journalists and influencers, providing them with a platform to share their opinions on the latest developments of the print industry.
Memo from Asia: It’s time to do more than check the box on ocean plastic
Plastics pollution in the w orld’s oceans: Most of us w ere at least somew hat aw are of the problem. Maybe w e’d seen pictures of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or had read about seabirds sw allow ing debris. […]
[…] As a business development director for Avery Dennison, I live in Singapore and travel throughout the Asia Pacific region for w ork. I’ve observed the problem of plastics pollution from the perspective of a businessperson w ho sells materials—including some made from plastic and many that are applied to plastic—and as a citizen and consumer. Here’s w hat I see: We’re losing the race against plastics pollution, and dramatically so in the part of the w orld that I call home. In 2015, the Ocean Conservancy, citing the journal Science, reported that eight million metric tons of plastic are dumped into the w orld’s oceans every year, w ith more than half coming from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. UN Environment concurs, noting that 60 percent of all plastic in the ocea […]
[…] How can w e accelerate the progress being made? How can w e knock dow n the barriers that still prevent government, corporations and NGOs from collaborating most effectively? How can w e put our vast innovative capacity to w ork to get rid of single-use packaging and create w aste management systems across Asia that can handle the rivers of plastic literally flow ing through our countries? How can companies make this issue a top priority—not just in the name of good corporate citizenship, but in the name of risk management and the long-term viability of our businesses? How can w e clean up our oceans, on w hich everyone, everywhere, depends, before it’s too late? […]
In his article “Memo from Asia: It’s time to do more than check the box on ocean plastic“ from the drupa article series Essentials of Print Conrad Mendoza summarizes why it is important to seriously address the problem.
About the Author:
Conrad Mendoza is a Singapore-based director of business development for Avery Dennison’s Label and Graphic Materials division.
Header picture © Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann
