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The story behind / Life without plastic? How fantastic!

Life without plastic? How fantastic!

Published on 29 May 2020 Share

Plastic is by far the planet’s worst pollutant. Chantal Plamondon and Jay Sinha are focusing on finding alternatives.

Prior to making their somewhat radical change of career, Quebec’s Chantal Plamondon and Jay Sinha were already fervent environmental activists who recycled, composted and ate organic. Every now and then, Jay even enjoyed heading off to hug a tree. Chantal, a successful lawyer, was working for the Canadian government at the time. As, indeed, was Jay, who had a number of strings to his bow, including diplomas in biochemistry and ecotoxicology, the study of how chemical products affect the ecosystem.

In the early noughties, the couple decided to set up a business that would allow them to live a life that was better aligned with their lifestyle and values. And eliminating plastic was at the top of their hit list. No mean feat in a country whose banknotes are even manufactured from a water-resistant polymer... Yet confident that from tiny acorns mighty oaks grow, Chantal was convinced that every little change they made in their home would help. It was on the arrival of their first child in 2005 that the touchpaper was truly lit. Numerous magazines had published articles warning parents about the potential toxicity of plastic feeding bottles,  so the alarmed mum-to-be decided to stock up on “old-style” glass feeding bottles instead. The only local firm selling them was Evenflo, but there was just one problem. They had to be purchased in quantities of 1,000, which was clearly not going to happen. Then one day, as Chantal drove to her parents’ house in Montreal with little Jyoti sleeping peacefully in his car seat behind her, she had a lightbulb moment: why not create a website to sell everyday products made without plastic? No sooner said than done. She took a one-year sabbatical from work and in 2006 launched Life Without Plastic, a website offering a variety of alternatives. The first thing on her to do list was ordering 1,000 glass feeding bottles from Evenflo, which rapidly became best-sellers along with the stainless steel water bottlesfrom American firm Klean Kanteen. Clients soon flocked to the site, with the largest numbers coming from the land of Tupperware, the USA.

“Chantal and Jay research alternatives to plastic so that I won’t find it at sea.”, Captain Charles Moore

It was the drinks and food storage sphere that offered the greatest possibilities in terms of finding alternatives to plastic. Single-use plastic bottles are by far the largest source of plastic waste. At first, Chantal and Jay thought it was a good idea to reuse them rather than simply throwing them away. But that was before finding out it could result in the ingestion of unstable plastic particles. They also needed to ensure that the alternative products they sourced were not delivered to customers... in plastic packaging. There was a long road ahead, and the pair were going to need all the patience they could get. Chantal and Jay also decided to focus on babycare products, and they proved to be true visionaries: in October 2007, Canada became the first country in the world to ban the use of bisphenol A, a chemical substance that is used to manufacture hard transparent plastic, and notably feeding bottles. Why? Because BPA is an endocrine disruptor. It wasn’t until 2010 that legislation was passed in France, and it took until 2015 for all food packaging, such as the internal coating of tins, to be totally BPA-free. As the years rolled by, more and more plastic products were banned: single-use plastic bags, straws, cotton buds, beakers... Having become veritable experts on the subject, Chantal and Jay decided to publish a book, Life Without Plastic: The Practical Step-by-Step Guide to Avoiding Plastic to Keep Your Family and the Planet Healthy, (Page Street Publishing), which has since been translated into French and a whole host of other languages. Today, their website is stocked with over 450 different items. There are stainless steel lidded containers to store food in the fridge and fabric produce bags for all those bulk buys. Then there are glass beakers and mugs and their stainless steel travel counterparts,  not to mention glass feeding bottles, reusable makeup wipes, bottle-free shampoo bars, metal straws and even fabric sandwich bags. Their expertise is such that they now even sell their products wholesale, which has led them to open a European office and to start exhibiting at Maison&Objet. “Since our European development strategy primarily targets retail outlets rather than the online B2C trade, this trade fair seemed particularly relevant for us”, explains Chantal Plamondon. “Coming here has given us the opportunity to connect with a new customer base that is not specifically within our traditional ecological niche, but rather part of a broader market.”

They are under no misconception, however, that living a plastic-free life is currently mission impossible since computers, telephones and cars still have to make the shift. Their approach is all about “doing the best you can”. Captain Charles Moore, the American who turned the global spotlight on the plastic continent floating in the Pacific Ocean, commends their efforts: “Chantal and Jay are researchers like myself (...), researching alternatives to plastic so that I won’t find it at sea”. Rule number one? Avoid purchasing plastic whenever possible so more does not need to be produced. Other simple gestures include recycling as much plastic as possible  and opting for natural materials whenever you can: wood, bamboo, cotton, jute, glass, stainless steel, ceramics, natural fibres etc. The pair’s vision statement basically says it all: “Our vision is a world without fossil-fuel derived plastic. Period.”

By Caroline Tossan
Illustration ©Sarah Bouillaud

Life Without Plastic


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