About this project
The plastic crisis affects us all, but not all to the same extent – and it’s issues of fairness and diversity that this book about plastic is particularly interested in.
We have looked for a language that embraces gender diversity. We want to include everyone and also address those who do not identify themselves as either male or female.
This project has been developed in cooperation with young people from all over the world. We collected their questions, sorted them, and answered them in infographics and stories. About 50 people between the ages of 12 and 21 participated in a youth advisory board to make sure that our book is easy to understand, straightforward, and not boring. You can find their names below.
We answer questions about plastic in 70 graphics and stories, each shown on a separate page. You can flip through the book from front to back or jump back and forth, because each page stands on its own. We have also made suggestions for further reading on each page.
Many terms aren’t all that easy to understand. We explain them in a glossary – you can find these terms, with a link to their explanations, at the bottom of each page. If you want to know where we got our information, data, and facts, check the sources – you’ll find more references there and can delve even deeper into the topic.
Who made this book?
The graphics and texts were created by Gesine Grotrian with the support of many people. Gesine is a book designer and illustrator. You can share and distribute the graphics – without changing or selling them. It’s important to always name Gesine Grotrian when using or sharing any of the graphics. You can find the licence here.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation is responsible for the content, in particular Lili Fuhr, Kristin Funke, and Annette Kraus. Many experts helped, especially Alexandra Caterbow (Hej Support), Linda Mederake, and Hannes Schritt (both Ecologic Institute).
Alice Boit and Anja Chalmin checked the facts.
Susan Schädlich helped to write the glossary and Annette Herzog contributed the stories.
Uma Grotrian-Steinweg also illustrated and Ute Wegmann helped with the editing.
Thanks go to Tine Breuer, Marina von Bülow Hamel, Hugues Chalmin, Christine Chemnitz, Inka Dewitz, Detlef Eberhard, Anna-Saskia Funke, Roland Geyer, Andy Gheorghiu, Pola Grotrian-Steinweg, Blazhe Josifovski, Liou Kleemann, Jane Muncke, Nina Nicolaisen, Jane Patton, Elke Paul, Anna von Reden, Tjark von Reden, Anja Reumschüssel, Lydia Salzer, Manfred Santen, Shradha Shreejaya.
Particular thanks to our youth advisory board:
In Germany: Wieland Brock, Lilith Caterbow, Malina Fuhr, Rabea Fuhr, Paul Ananda Funke, Maren Hagedorn, Aliza von Heland, Arthur Horner, Benjamin Lohmann, Florentine Mendy, Rosalie Mendy, Hauke Pape, Laura Römisch, Yorick Stöve, Leonid Zillekens
Worldwide: Fathia Abderrahmen (Tunesia), Meichen Chen (China), Yasmine Hamouda (Tunesia), Emna Heraghi (Tunesia), Pichyapa Jira (Thailand), Alexander Landis-Arnold (USA), Jeremy Muchilwa (Kenya), Michelle Muchilwa (Kenya), Veronika Podobed (Canada), Chompupischaya Saiboonyadis (Thailand), Ella Sran (USA), Pissinee Thanabhodhisongritha (Thailand), Lucie Volpe (USA), Yi Dong (China), Yinou Lou (China)
About the Heinrich Böll Foundation
The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (Heinrich Böll Foundation) is a German political foundation affiliated with the German Green Party (Alliance 90/The Greens). Its primary task is political education and advocacy in Germany and abroad. Our main tenets are ecology and sustainability, democracy and human rights, non-violence, and justice. In our work, we place particular emphasis on gender democracy, equal rights for minorities, and the political and social participation of migrants.
Our namesake, the writer and Nobel Prize laureate Heinrich Böll, personifies the fundamental principles we stand for: defence of freedom and human dignity, civic courage, open debate, and the acknowledgement of art and culture as independent spheres of thought and action. As a think tank for green visions and ideas, we are part of an international network with 34 offices worldwide and with partner projects in more than 60 countries.
Foreword
Barbara Unmüßig, Former Member of the Board of the Heinrich Böll Foundation
Cows and goats feeding on plastic at garbage dumps. Plastic waste on the beach, in trees, on fields and roads. When I visit countries like Senegal, India, or Mexico, where the Heinrich Böll Foundation works with its many partners to ensure a democratic and livable future, I see how much plastic – and especially plastic waste – has spread all over the planet. We all know that some of it is waste from our consumer societies, which is poisoning people and the natural environment in other, usually poorer countries.
When I was a child, plastic was a symbol of progress and modernity. Ornate porcelain or ceramic bowls were swapped out for plastic imitations. A salad from a plastic bowl? Even as a young girl, I didn’t like it and couldn’t imagine that it was healthy. Now I know that I was right to have doubts. Then as now, products were manufactured that are difficult or impossible to degrade naturally. Plastic is found in the food chain and now even in the smallest crustaceans, in the deepest depths of the ocean. This goes completely against my idea of how we should be treating nature and ecosystems: mindfully, carefully, protectively, and with an eye to the future.
We collected questions relating to plastic and found answers in studies and from experts. We formed a youth advisory board with young people from Germany and around the world to work together on this book. It has turned into an informative and disturbing journey: We start where the life cycle of plastic begins, at the wellhead where oil and natural gas – necessary for the production of plastic – are extracted. We explain what types of plastic exist, what problems plastic waste causes, and what littering means for us humans, the climate, nature, and animals. And we show alternatives and solutions.
Our common goal: to stop the flood of plastic. My personal next step: to ban all plastic from the bathroom! That’s what I want to learn next.
Berlin, June 2021