In line with a 2023 UNEP report, the world produces 430 million tonnes of plastic yearly, and 280 million tonnes of it turn out to be waste after only one use.
Solely 9% of discarded plastic is recycled, with over 22% mismanaged, primarily by means of open burning and uncontrolled dumping(1). In South Africa, roughly 120 million tons of common waste is generated annually, exacerbating the stress on the flexibility of municipalities to handle waste(2). Fortis X is the one firm in Africa that gives bottles and different merchandise produced solely from crops, that are totally biodegradable inside 2 months.
South Africa is dealing with a rising environmental and public well being problem from microplastics (tiny plastic particles lower than 5mm in dimension) that pervade our water, soil and meals provide. Current research reveal alarming statistics: over 80% of South African freshwater sources include microplastic contamination, with concentrations reaching as much as 10,000 particles per cubic meter in some city rivers. Coastal surveys present microplastics in over 90% of sampled seashore sediments, threatening marine ecosystems and getting into the seafood chain.
This downside is compounded by South Africa’s excessive plastic consumption and restricted recycling infrastructure, resulting in widespread plastic air pollution. As plastics degrade, they fragment into microplastics, that are just about inconceivable to take away from the setting and may persist for many years.
“On a regular basis plastic waste, corresponding to baggage, bottles, and packaging, usually results in landfills, waterways and the setting, because of insufficient waste administration. As well as, city stormwater runoff carries tire mud, artificial clothes fibres, and plastic litter into rivers and oceans,” notes Nicholas De Beer, Director of Fortis X.
“Wastewater remedy crops, lots of that are outdated or under-resourced, battle to filter out microplastics from home and industrial sources. Moreover, misplaced or discarded fishing gear alongside South Africa’s shoreline contributes considerably to marine microplastic air pollution, in the end seeping into the meals chain,” provides De Beer.
Microplastics aren’t simply an environmental nuisance, they pose actual dangers to human well being. Globally, people are estimated to devour between 11,845 and 193,200 microplastic particles per yr, with ingesting water recognized as the first supply. The toxicity of microplastics stems from each their inherent properties and their means to work together with different pollution, corresponding to heavy metals(3).
Scientific analysis more and more hyperlinks microplastic ingestion and inhalation to a variety of well being points:
● Chemical publicity: Microplastics usually carry poisonous components like phthalates, BPA, and heavy metals, which might leach into meals and drinks, disrupting endocrine capabilities and growing most cancers dangers.
● Immune system affect: Research present microplastics may cause irritation and oxidative stress, probably impairing immune responses.
● Bioaccumulation: Microplastics accumulate within the human physique over time, with current findings detecting microplastics in blood, lungs, and even placentas, elevating issues about long-term results on growth and copy.
● Meals security: In South Africa, the place bottled water and packaged drinks are broadly consumed, microplastic contamination straight threatens client well being.
“These tiny particles are more and more being present in ingesting water, meals, and even the air—elevating critical questions on long-term well being impacts. Research recommend that microplastics can carry poisonous chemical compounds, together with endocrine disruptors and heavy metals, which can leach into the physique as soon as ingested or inhaled. As soon as inside, microplastics have been proven to set off irritation, disrupt mobile processes, and probably accumulate in organs, although the complete extent of hurt continues to be beneath investigation,” De Beer explains, including “given these dangers, decreasing publicity to microplastics is a crucial public well being precedence”.
Whereas standard plastics are designed to be sturdy, they degrade into tiny fragments over time relatively than totally breaking down. These microplastics persist within the setting, absorbing toxins and getting into meals chains by means of marine and freshwater organisms.
“Says De Beer, “The cumulative impact of those sources is a rising environmental and well being concern, particularly as plastic use continues to outpace the event of sustainable waste options”.
Fortis X, a South African sustainable packaging and medical merchandise producer, is addressing this pressing downside head-on. By producing biodegradable bottles and closures made fully from plant-based, sugarcane-derived supplies, Fortis X eliminates the first supply of microplastic contamination in meals and drinks: standard plastic packaging. Fortis X’s bio-based packaging releases no dangerous plastic components into consumables, guaranteeing safer ingesting water and drinks free from microplastic-related toxins.
“Our bottles biodegrade utterly inside simply two months when positioned in compost, leaving no dangerous residues behind. As a result of they break down naturally and totally into natural matter, they by no means fragment into smaller plastic items like standard plastics do”, notes De Beer.
In contrast to conventional plastics that fragment into microplastics, Fortis X’s supplies totally biodegrade inside months beneath composting circumstances, stopping environmental accumulation and fragmentation into microplastics. Moreover, these bottles are produced with out components or coatings recognized to shed microplastics, guaranteeing a clear, plastic-free packaging resolution.
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By changing fossil-fuel-based plastics with totally compostable, plant-based alternate options, Fortis X isn’t solely defending client well being but in addition championing environmental sustainability:
● Reduces plastic air pollution in South African waterways and soils by eliminating the supply of persistent plastic waste.
● Helps round economic system rules by returning vitamins to the earth relatively than polluting it
● Helps safeguard marine and terrestrial ecosystems from the devastating results of microplastic contamination
● Reduces reliance on fossil fuels, decreasing the carbon footprint and supporting South Africa’s sustainability objectives.
Microplastics signify a hidden however escalating menace to South African well being and the setting. Fortis X’s modern, 100% plant-based, biodegradable packaging presents a sensible, scalable resolution that cuts microplastic publicity on the supply. By selecting Fortis X merchandise, shoppers and companies can actively take part in decreasing microplastic air pollution and defending public well being, each at present and for generations to come back.
Go to https://fortisx.com for extra info.
