Interview: Shaking up the plastics industry with The Tiny Plastic Factory
Founder Darcy Snell at The Tiny Plastic Factory
Last month Nonstop’s Jasmin took a visit to The Tiny Plastic Factory to sit down in their tiny plastic factory with founder Darcy.
Darcy - thanks for taking the time to show us your space and to speak to us! We’d love to hear your story and how you came to be doing this work.
“So I started the Tiny Plastic Factory 3-4 years ago. Initially, it just came to be the perfect opportunity to combine my hands-on approach to things and a longing to have a really cool impact somehow with what I do for work - and more than that, my contribution to society, or the world. From there it has just evolved - I guess as any business model or business does, and so has pivoted over time to be more fulfilling to its purpose and client and customer needs.”
Did you ever think you would end up in the field you are in now?
When asked if he ever imagined being in the field he is now, Darcy laughs, remembering a time he decided to sandwich press a plastic milk bottle.
“Yeah, I mean I never would have said at any point growing up that I would be doing anything with plastic. That was not part of the picture. I do however remember one particular time during high school where for whatever reason, I decided to chop up a few milk bottles and press them in a toasted sandwich maker. I found that really fun.”
He says, with the Tiny Plastic Factory, the primary physical service has always been recycling plastic, but it has also been a great outlet for a lot of his own personal sustainability agendas. For example, all company transport and collections are completed on bicycle, using a cargo bike Darcy built himself.
“It’s been a passion and purpose cross. Big time.”
So what is The Tiny Plastic Factory - in your own words?
“Our purpose is to accelerate the New Zealand plastics industry toward the circular economy. Which is a massive, very broad goal. There are a few ways we go about tackling this, which continues to evolve as we better identify where we can best create change.
Previously, The Tiny Plastic Factory’s plastic recycling services involved collecting plastic from various collection partners around the city (by bike of course!) and then reprocessing this material into feedstock suitable for use in manufacturing. Since we spoke to Darcy, The Tiny Plastic Factory has made the decision to discontinue this service in order to better align their work with their purpose - of accelerating the New Zealand plastics industry toward a circular economy.
“…going forward, I want The Tiny Plastic Factory to be a lot more involved in the product stewardship of not just our products, (they released their first product - the Poneke Pot - last year) but all plastic products. Whether it be at an influential policy level - helping to create future policy that enables better management of plastic and less negative environmental impact or directly creating circular systems and life cycles for products that are made of plastic. I want to focus on more than just end of life product recycling, and help to actualise other important circular design principles too..”
“Recycling is a great tool in the circular product toolbox,” he says, “but it’s something that is used at the inevitable end of a products life, and if you are designing a product to be truly circular - the main priorities should be to make it be really fit for purpose and to last for a long time. In that sense, if you didn't have the recycling, it wouldn’t be a massive downfall. I think we need to shift our thinking. Instead of asking, ‘here's our current product, how can we make it recyclable?’ ask ‘how can we make our product so it rarely needs to be recycled?’.
What would you say are some of the key differences between the Tiny Plastic Factory and other recycling facilities?
“Number one would be the size. The scale of the plastics industry is mind-boggling - it’s so huge. Conversely, and as our name suggests, we’re a small organisation, and so is the size of the space we operate in. We also don’t really compete with larger facilities in any way: we have a different purpose, and so rarely supply to the same markets, or supply the same types of products or services.”
The other point of difference for Darcy - is his purpose for being in the industry he’s in. “I’m not passionate about plastics as a material - or being a part of big plastics. I started this work to create change from within the industry.. We have plenty of people outside of the industry advocating for change, but ultimately - I don’t think we have enough people within the industry trying to change it as well. I think our position sort of changes that - we are working inside the industry - but our goals are aligned with those outside of it.”
When asked what changes he sees moving forward within the plastics industry - he believes the number and volume of plastic products being manufactured will almost certainly decrease over time, and sees the ability for higher quality circular plastic products to replace 20, 30, even 50 single-use products of the same purpose.
“I think we can expect a lot more innovation from the plastic industry… most circular products aren’t made of plastic, which means manufacturers are going to have to tactically decide at what point they’re going to turn their focus away from creating conventional single-use products, in order to stay relevant in the market. I think the manufacturers who prioritise this kind of research, development and innovation, will see success in bringing new age products to market - products that people will want to buy because well made, circularly designed products are increasingly appealing. People don’t want to be buying mass-produced, cheap plastic products anymore, and businesses are being pressured to search for and buy more sustainable, longer-lasting alternatives.
So you talk about circular systems - what are your thoughts on this and the rise in the zero waste movement?
“I think zero waste is great. I definitely try and practise this (zero waste) as much as I can. I think there are certainly a lot of great alternative solutions to plastic packaging, but many other kinds of packaging as well - solutions that are much more resource-efficient than conventional packaging. “
Darcy looks forward to the day when these solutions are more readily accessible - when you can walk down to your corner store and there are lots of zero waste options there, and where it is more affordable.
What do you think needs to be done to make these solutions more accessible?
“There is a lot of action that could be taken at a governmental level, especially to help these alternatives grow into the space and become more affordable.”
What do you think would be the largest systematic change we would need to see to move toward more circular systems?
“Good question. Toward the top would be more policy change. There is already some really good action in that area - especially with the priority areas the government is focussing on for 2025.”
While this is good, he says, it’s still 3 years away. “I appreciate that for big businesses, there are some pretty big goals to work toward there (which will leave some areas scrambling to meet or do what they need to fit within these new mandates) - but I also think that in 30 years time - in 2050 that we are not going to be looking back thinking that these weren’t realistic goals and that there wasn’t possibly anything more that could have been done. There is always more that can be done. If research and development for these priority areas aren’t already high up their (large companies) to-do lists, it sure needs to be.”
“…and certainly, the government can lead a lot of this. During the pandemic, seeing the vast amount of resources that came out to help the national economy be more resilient, I think a lot of that could be applied to transitioning to a circular economy as well, doing a lot more a lot quicker. “
One example Darcy gives is with food and food packaging - a lot of this has difficulty being recycled as it has been in contact with food. Yet there are zero waste or non-plastic options for most of the products you would need to buy in a typical supermarket. The main reason many people don’t buy them is inaccessibility, location-wise but also financially. Especially in that financial area, the government could simply subsidise these products, and/or place some kind of tax on non-zero-waste products to help fund the emergence of these products. “That’s not something I’ve yet to see… It’s not as if we don’t know how to solve these problems, we already have all the technologies we need, and the structures we need, it’s just a matter of some support from the government. They can really lead the charge here.”
As we know all too well, it has been the job of eco-startups or more socially progressive businesses to accelerate change, without much government and/or financial support.
Whilst Darcy is an advocate for individuals supporting zero waste alternatives, and as an individual consumer who supports these himself - he makes it clear that even he doesn’t purchase the zero waste option all the time - and admits that it can still be very much a luxury.
“We don’t have that culture yet. People are really trying, but I don’t think zero waste needs to be about individual effort, or even something you feel you have to do - zero waste options should just be the only options available. For many people, it’s very much a societal luxury to even be thinking about zero waste options presently - to even start solving these sorts of issues we need to enable people to be living their lives in ways that allow them to have the living and thinking space to be able to make and explore these kinds of decisions even before they go shopping. While this is of course important, I think the most effective way to make progress here is by influencing policy change As an individual, whether or not you’re buying something today made with or packaged in plastic is somewhat irrelevant - what’s crucial is taking action to help create a better tomorrow, a system where all resources, people and nature are valued appropriately: a circular economy.”
“It doesn’t matter what you do today, it matters what you’re doing every day that contributes to a better tomorrow.”
What is the long term vision for The Tiny Plastic Factory?
“Long term vision - I’ll put that in the box of 5 years plus”, Darcy says. He sees his role in the Tiny Plastic Factory, and potentially the space too, as less physical.
Darcy is keen to keep the company as small as possible, and, as we mentioned earlier, move away from physically recycling plastic. While diverting these materials from landfills has a physical impact - it is also contributing to the continuation of current systems.
“…working in that area - even in achieving unreasonably high standards of quality control and leading resource recovery rates, is ultimately only prolonging the transition away from single-use, linear economy products and thinking.” ”
The Tiny Plastic Factory is setting its sights on paving a different path within the industry. “According to Plastics NZ, we are one of only seven plastic reprocessors nationwide. That really says something considering the other six - their size is colossal - it’s not the sort of industry that inspires local action, or is at all a part of people's personal lives. To me, it’s quite clear that as a society we can’t simply recycle our way out of a broken system of single-use and over-consumption by building another large industrial factory. I want The Tiny Plastic Factory to be a key change agent in helping the plastics industry to transition and recomposition its resources so as to serve a greater, more relevant purpose in our future. I want to be able to set a high standard for truly circular plastic products, and in doing so help to form a clear vision for how plastic products should be allowed to be used and sold going forward.”
Any last points you’d like to leave people with?
“I saw some really interesting media the other day saying that if you’re riding your bike you’re helping to dethrone Putin, given that most other forms of transportation are reliant on the international supply of fossil fuels That thinking could also be applied to plastic usage and reusable alternatives For example, and especially as a business, if you choose to support reusable alternatives to single-use food or beverage packaging, you’re not only directly contributing to growing local circular economies, but also helping to dethrone large plastic packaging manufacturers from their long-standing supply chains.”
The last question we like to ask is - do you have a favourite sustainable spot or initiative?
“Personally, I love riding and seeing bikes - so Bicycle Junction is my go-to spot for working or meetings. They’ve got a really cool bicycle shop, awesome people, and a little cafe. They’re very involved with local events that help more people to ride a bike. That’s what they’re about - all of the bikes they sell champion bike riding as a part of your lifestyle. Lots of bike shops are centred around sport, largely selling road or mountain bikes, and focusing on how they might be lighter and faster than other models, as opposed to how any bicycle you feel great riding can make life better for you and help reduce car dependency. Dan, the owner of Bicycle Junction, is a great guy and can hook anyone up with a bike to suit their lifestyle.
You can find The Tiny Plastic Factory on their website or on Facebook and Instagram.
