Another Plastic Perspective

After spending the night in Washington D.C., Cryptic Moth drove over the bridge to Arlington, Virginia. We were there to visit the American Plastics Council– a trade association that promotes the benefits of all things plastic.



Robert Krebs, communications director, greeted us warmly into his corner office overlooking the Pentagon. We wanted to get an overview of the size and scope of the industry (APS represents resin manufacturers like Cargill and Dupont and not necessarily finished goods).



With a background in acting (apparently once playing Ronald McDonald in commercials) and lobbying for industry, Robert was the perfect man for the job. He spoke passionately about the benefits of synthetics – from medical uses, automobile parts, foam insulation and the powder put in diapers that absorbs an enormous amount of water.



When pressed about plastic accumulation in the oceans and on the land, Robert acknowledged that solutions are necessary; although promoted anti-litter education over new bio-based materials and implied that a few bad apples (consumers + industry) were to blame.



Rob also refuted scientific studies regarding toxins like BPA and dioxins used as catalysts in plastics, insisting there are no harmful effects to human and environmental health.



The interview ran nearly 3 hours and we covered a lot of ground. Cryptic Moth sincerely thanks Rob for his candid remarks, his passion for an obviously undervalued resource and for treating two Canadian filmmakers to lunch. Although we didn't see eye-to-eye on everything, he definitely gave us a wider – and more objective – perspective.



Next stop…Tennessee.



Out.



G+I