Break Free From Plastic debunks plastic myths with The Podcast of Plastic

The Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) movement aims to take back control of the narrative by launching The Podcast of Plastic. This podcast debunks misconceptions and false solutions to address the plastic problem in society.

The Podcast of Plastic is a weekly plastic awareness and environmental consciousness podcast. Hosted by Goodwill Ambassador for United Nations Environment Programme Antoinette Taus, it aims to debunk plastic myths, demystify Asia Pacific, and deplatform plastic producers.

The podcast is launched in November and is inspired by the Emmy-awarded documentary, The Story of Plastic. The documentary shows the bigger picture around the plastics crisis and refutes preconceived notions about Asia as the source of the problem. It also makes counterpoints about Asia being an abundant source of solutions and highlights many of the heroes across the region.

“The BFFP movement has enjoyed significant support from the public throughout the years. In order for us to reach new audiences—particularly those who may have previously been unaware of the bigger picture surrounding the plastic pollution crisis—BFFP has decided to explore a medium that’s growing in popularity across the world: podcasting,” said Break Free From Plastic Asia Pacific Senior Communications Officer Jed Alegado.

“Through this new venture, we hope to gain a significant size of new audiences while pushing for our messages and debunking industry-peddled myths and fallacies about the plastic pollution crisis,” Alegado continued.

In every episode, Antoinette talks to different changemakers, advocates, experts, and opinion leaders who specialized in the different topics that this series covers.

Busting Myths and False Solutions to Plastic Pollution

The first episode of the show centered on busting myths and false solutions to plastic pollution. In this episode, Taus  talked to Marian Ledesma of Greenpeace Philippines, Yobel Putra of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Nusa Urbancic of Changing Markets Foundation, and Seema Prabhu of Trash Hero.

Plastic: Indivdualistic?

The show’s second episode centered on single-use plastics. Together with Carmen Gravatt and Nalini Shekar of Hasiru Dala, and Rahyang Nusantara of National Coordinator of Gekaran Indonesia Diet Kantong Plastik (Indonesian Plastic Bag Diet Movement), Taus talked about the proliferation of single-use plastics and the misconceptions that surrounds it.

Plastic: Problematic?

The third episode centers on refill and reusable systems. In this episode, Taus talked to Health Care Without Harm – Asia Executive Director Ramon San Pascual, Health Environment and Climate Action Foundation Executive Director, and Nude Zero Waste Store Malaysia co-founder Cheryl Anne Low.

Plastic: Toxic?

The fourth episode covers the extraction of fossil fuels that serve as the feedstock of plastic and the disposal of plastic waste. In this episode, Antoinette talked to Swathi Seshadri of Financial Accountability Center, Xavier Sun of Taiwan Zero Waste Alliance, and Yan-Ting Lin of Environmental Rights Foundation Taiwan.

Plastic: Capitalistic?

Its second to the last episode focused on the illegal waste trade. In this episode, Taus talked to Assistant Professor of Anthropology Adam Liebman from DePauw University in Indiana, Research Officer Mageswari Sangaralingam of Consumers’ Association of Penang, Malaysia, and Nexus3 Foundation co-founder Yuyun Ismawati Drwiega.

The Podcast of Plastic is co-produced by Podcast Network Asia, the biggest podcast network in Southeast Asia.

Join Break Free From Plastic movement members and allies as they debunk the various myths about plastic waste in The Podcast of Plastic! Check out new episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts every Tuesday.