New Documentary The Story Of Plastic Will Premiere Ahead Of Earth Day

The Story Of Plastic documentary will premiere on Discovery Channel in honour of Earth Day this year. The film looks at the man-made crisis of plastic pollution and the global catastrophe it has wreaked on the health of people and the planet. With an aim to raise awareness on plastic pollution and inspire positive impact, the film’s debut will kick off an entire season of community screenings all over the world under the #breakfreefromplastic movement. 

In honour of Earth Day, The Story Of Plastic documentary will soon air on Discovery Channel, a network spanning 400 million viewers globally to motivate action to fight for a future without plastic pollution. Directed by Deia Schlosberg and produced by Stiv Wilson, the film is presented by The Story Of Stuff Project in collaboration with React To Film and has been years in the making to provide an in-depth investigation into the anthropogenic plastic pollution crisis that has led to devastating consequences for the environment and human health. 

Spanning across three continents, the documentary features interviews with experts, scientists, activists and the disastrous effects of ecosystem damage, poisoned communities, waste and emissions involved in the plastic industry. It traces the history of plastic pollution from the 1930s to the complexity of our plastic world today – and the current global movement quickly rising up in response to the calamity. 

“The issues highlighted in The Story of Plastic illuminate how the decisions made locally can affect us globally. We are eager to highlight the solutions laid out in the film that will help make our world a cleaner and healthier place to live,” said Discovery & Factual chief brand officer Nancy Daniels.  

Tracking plastic pollution in Asia, the documentary depicts haunting images of overwhelming mountains of plastic waste and the failure of the global recycling system. It dives into the sobering reality of contaminated plastic waste being dumped on mostly Southeast Asian countries since China implemented a ban on waste imports in 2018. Most of these countries lack the infrastructure to process millions of tonnes of plastic waste, wreaking havoc on the environment and local communities. 

Although the movie hopes to inspire individual action to reduce plastics in our daily lives, it comes with a clear message that reveals how the root cause of the problem lies in the plastics industry. In order to reclaim the narrative, The Story Of Plastic emphasises while clean-ups and living plastic-free is crucial, the real solution is at the doorstep of corporations and the mass production of plastic needs to be stopped in the first place. 

The exact programming details on Discovery Channel are forthcoming, but there is a chance that viewers will be able to enjoy the movie before the official debut through upcoming film festival screenings. To raise awareness and make the biggest impact on plastic pollution, The Story Of Plastic will also be showcased all over the world through grassroots-organised community screenings, with more details to be announced in the coming weeks. 

Lead image courtesy of AFP.