Researchers at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center examined 32 popular television shows from the 2019-2020 season in the first-ever analysis of the portrayal and prevalence of single-use plastics and reusable alternatives in popular scripted television shows. They found them awash with plastic pollution.
Flip the Script on Plastics is an initiative to help the entertainment industry model real solutions to the plastic pollution crisis, both on set and in storylines. We know that life imitates art, and by showing package-free and reusable and refillable systems in popular television shows and movies, we can influence culture and change the perception of toxic throwaway plastic as being normal—because it’s not.
Single-use plastics are the primary source of plastic pollution on the planet, with Americans alone discarding more than 30 million tons of plastic per year. With 99% of plastics made from fossil fuels, the climate and environmental justice implications are significant.
Plastic Pollution Coalition commissioned this new report from the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center with support from the Break Free From Plastic movement and Plastic Solutions Fund.