Why one engineer thinks we need to change our attitude towards plastic
We have all read the doom-laden headlines these past few years about how our planet is drowning In plastic litter and microplastics. It would seem that every other day some environmentalist around the world is spouting words on just how evil and nasty it is. And while you can’t argue about some of the hard evidence out there, namely that plastic pollution has been found in even the most remote of places; including Mount Everest, the Mariana Trench and the Arctic, one British engineer thinks plastic does not deserve the bad rap it’s been getting.
In fact, he argues that part of the problem lies more with misinformation and how people use the material. Meet Richard Pike, (pictured). His company Gemini, based just outside Oxford, is in the business of prototype design and manufacturing. By its very nature it operates using predominantly plastic on an industrial scale – and has been since he formed it with his wife back in 1999 – so Richard understands just how complex the situation is and that you can’t really blame one person or organisation; nothing is black and white. Case in point: despite his profession, he actually cares about the environment and goes diving in his spare time.
“I’ve been diving for eight years, and I love it. It helps me to relax,” Richard commented. “When you’re down there, you only think about what’s in front of you, nothing else, it’s amazing. Another reason why I love it is that you get to see how marine life interacts with its environment, like how a shipwreck has changed over the years.” Despite being a keen diver for this amount of time, and is a member of PADI (professional. association of diving instructors) and BSAC (British sub aqua club), he said that he hadn’t seen any clear indication of plastic pollution in the sea – but admits that plastics and other litter in the sea, like discarded fishing nets, are obviously a problem.
“The reason fisherman discard nets is that, over time, they become more opaque and more visible to the fish so their yields go down – not because of the nylon degrading.” Richard then pointed towards the issue of infrastructure around recycling the nets. “Another reason some fishermen are throwing away old nets is that in many parts of the world there simply isn’t anything in place for recycling the nets, probably because of economic factors, so we need to look at this and at the cost of recycling.”
Interestingly enough, two UK-based organisations have been set up in recent years to help combat this situation, which, according to the United Nations, has seen over 640,000 tonnes of nets, lines and pots used in commercial fishing dumped in the seas globally. Odyssey Innovation's Net Regeneration Scheme has been running since 2016 – and has been responsible for over 200,000 kilograms of end-of-life nets being recovered and recycled back into the circular economy, with most harbours around the British Isles involved. This operation has gone from strength to strength and has seen major backing from supermarket chain Morrisons, plus, since 2020, Exeter City Council has been playing a key part with providing a sorting facility.
The other major UK marine recycling operation is the Ocean Recovery Project. This involves environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy – they’ve teamed up with plastic processing experts Multispeed and have recycled over 40 tonnes of trawl net into plastic pellets that can be resold to the market. To date, Brixham harbour has been one of the biggest contributors, however Scarborough, Whitby and Dunbar in Scotland are also part of the project.
Alongside these relatively recent marine recycling schemes, other exciting developments have been happening including one that Richard’s Gemini company first noticed and wrote about on their social media just before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Polymateria was founded in 2015 at Imperial College London and was the first organisation to achieve certified biodegradation of the most commonly-littered forms of plastic packaging. By adding a special additive called Lyfecycle into the plastic processing, a lot of packaging material that escapes refuse streams can now fully break down into an environmentally friendly wax-like substance. Sounds like science fiction? Well, you better believe it, because it’s definitely happening and Richard is “100 per cent onboard with this new technology”.
Keeping abreast of all the latest technological developments is essential for a major company like Gemini. After all, they are not the only prototype manufacturer in the UK, far from it. But what exactly do they build? Well, to put it simply, if you want a product designed and prototyped quickly, they are your ‘one- stop shop’. Offering a wide range of specialist services, Gemini’s team of talented 22-strong workforce can produce 3D design concepts, CAD design, traditional hand-carved models, high-tech blow moulding and injection moulded prototypes.
Working within automotive, big pharmaceuticals and fast-moving consumer goods industries, their client list is just as impressive as the services they offer. Jaguar, BMW, Airbus, Bacardi, 3M and Kraft Heinz are just some of their regulars. They have these impressive clients simply because they deliver great results every time. “People like using us,” Richard commented, “and we always try to be associated with projects that benefit humanity.” Working with Cambridge University in producing HIV diagnostics, as well as electric motors for YASA Motors perfectly demonstrate this.
One particular Gemini customer, Unilever, is keen to promote their planet-friendly credentials and is using the Lyfecycle technology, alongside another huge client, Reckitt Benckiser. However, both firms play out their business model on a global scale and involve investors who have had their fair share of controversy over the years – however, to be a major prototype firm like Gemini, you have to realise there are many moving parts to the industry and not get bogged down with forces that are beyond your control.
Richard is quick to comment it’s far from straightforward, that companies are being mindful about how ‘eco-friendly’ they are perceived to be and this is probably being driven, in part, by the mainstream rhetoric on plastic pollution. They themselves are currently in talks to obtain an approved ISO environmental standard called “Environmental management ISO 14001”.
“It’s getting more and more prominent in the clients’ brief, in fact, it might come to the point where a client will say, ‘until you have that environmental standard, you can’t supply to us,’” Richard explained. “They’re going down this route because they have to be seen as being responsible for taking an environmental stance. If you’re not green, you’re unethical. He further commented about companies using lighter grade plastics and the cost factor. “There’s been this apparently recent move to using more lightweight plastics, but this is nothing new, we were doing this 20 years ago; shaving out half a gram of plastic from our moulding. If you can imagine the scale of some of these production plants, we’re talking billions, not millions of units therefore, if you can shave off a small amount of plastic then the savings are going to be huge.”
And these facts further highlight what makes this whole global pollution situation so complicated, in that you have these huge industrial and economical forces essentially steering everything – with there being no one quick-fix to a more eco-friendly world. So, Gemini’s stance on plastics for the foreseeable future is that there’s no substitute to support modern living. “It’s a marvellous material but it’s been taken for granted,” Richard explained. “It’s what you do with it afterwards...we need to value it more, because good luck trying to get through another pandemic without it, plastic is the main raw material in PPE. Misinformation on how you should substitute plastic is another key factor that needs addressing,
according to Richard. “As much as I admire Greenpeace, they have demonised plastic to a point where people are using alternatives that are even worse for the environment. Like switching to paper pulp, much of which can’t even be recycled. Any thermoplastic can be recycled, but what happens to cardboard after use? It rots down and produces methane which is a very harmful greenhouse gas.”
Despite everything, Richard remains optimistic. “The best role the UK can play is be innovators. We’ve got some smart people here and we can develop materials that we can give to countries like China. Change will come through innovation, and making sure the consumer is informed of what the facts are.”