Can we live without plastics?

Those familiar with Zenbird will know our stand that carbon and plastics are more nuanced than simply good or bad. But can we live without plastics?

Here is a map of how much Japan depended on plastics. Red areas mean 100% dependent on plastic, while the white areas mean 0% need for plastics. Zero dependency! Only this data is 400 years ago, during Japan’s Edo Period.

Of course, this is the same for anywhere in the world. Plastics weren’t invented until 1907. Yet, centuries ago, Japan was already using a sustainable material for almost everything until plastics took over, and that is bamboo.

Bamboo was used in bento boxes, fences for houses, tumblers, handles of tools, lanterns, umbrellas and much more. Bamboo takes about 1-2 months to grow and can be reused multiple times. They are truly biodegradable and can even be turned into fertilizers to enrich the soil.

So, to answer the question, can we live without plastics? Yes, definitely. Innovation will still be needed in many areas to transition from plastic to renewable resources like bamboo, but yes, we can live without plastics. As individuals, we can also make the switch much better than industries can.