A plastic free world? It seems like a dream, but we have a duty to make it come true. And e-commerce tools (never so widespread since the advent of the pandemic) can also convey a positive culture.
This is the case of the Italian startup Serendipity, which has reconciled online sales (through its online shop) with the mission of promoting informed consumption and reducing plastic in Italian homes. All of its household products are plastic-free.
A search for Science Advances shows all the terrifying effects of the first (and hopefully last) decades of plastic. In 7 years over 8,3 billion, over the past 70 years, over 8,3 billion tons of plastic have been produced. Of these, 6,3 billion were lost in nature.
We have them everywhere, especially in the lethal form of microplastics: in the oceans, in the ground, even inside plants (they also reach the table in vegetables because they pass through the water for irrigation).
A cultural and alternative problem
The massive production of plastic is a problem before everyone's eyes, but people's perception also makes it clear that we need to work on it. A search for CENSIS two years ago shows that plastic is considered indispensable for 96,6% of Italians. The share rises to 98,6% among Millennials and 97,3% among graduates. Only 3,4% of Italians do not consider it essential. With these data, a world of zero plastic seems a long way off.
In reality an alternative exists. And a startup like Serendipity, founded in November 2019 by Fabiana Cakilli the exhibition. Serendipity is one Italian online shop completely plastic free which promotes sustainable consumption through zero-plastic and content-based household products aimed at raising awareness of the environmental problems caused by the massive use of plastic. On the startup site there is a section dedicated to plastic-free lifestyle blog where issues related to plastic and the correct use of the shop's products are explored.
The message is simple and quite clear: the plastic in all homes is excessive and unnecessary.
Zero plastic, the alternative in the hands of consumers
In the Serendipity online shop, the products are carefully chosen and tested before being introduced, and particular attention is given to everything upstream of the supply chain. Fabiana Cakilli, founder of the plastic free startup, selects the assortment of brands to collaborate with based on theirs real interest in sustainability and in the activities carried out in favor of social and environmental issues. It looks for suppliers all over Europe: small and medium-sized producers of objects similar to those we have at home, but with zero plastic.
The transition to plastic free products is much easier than you think: they are the evolution of those that were used by our grandparents more than 70 years ago, when disposable plastic did not exist yet, enriched by an innovative design component which makes them suitable for today's busy life
Fabiana Cakilli, founder of Serendipity.
The same e-shop shipments are in natural boxes made of more than 90% recycled material and reusable whenever you want.
Most of the population believes that the presence of plastic in their homes is inevitable and that dedicating themselves to separate collection is the only responsible behavior possible.
