The Sweet Solution：When Plastic Meets Poetry | Isabel Zheng | TEDxYuehai St Salon

Sustainability & Environmental Concerns - Plastic pollution is a global concern, especially regarding single-use plastics that significantly harm the environment [2] - Only 9% of plastic waste is actually recycled after losses, indicating a far from circular plastics life cycle [3] - Without additional action, annual plastics production, use, and waste generation are projected to increase by 70% in 2040 compared to 2020 [3] - Biodegradable materials like PLA, made from sugar cane or corn starch, break down into carbon dioxide and water in about 60 days under specific conditions [4] Research & Development - A project investigated incorporating cyclodextrin (ring-shaped molecules made of glucose) into PLA to create a new kind of sustainable plastic with improved mechanical properties and biodegradability [7] - The resulting plastic film sample felt rough, lacked transparency, and did not significantly enhance overall performance, making it unsuitable for real-life applications [10][11] Mindset & Approach - Imperfection allows things to grow into something that couldn't have been planned, suggesting a shift in focus from perfect solutions to meaningful contributions [16] - Real change doesn't always start with perfection; sometimes it starts with a sweet attempt that mixes science with honesty, failure with creativity, and even poetry with plastic [23] - Sustainability doesn't require perfection; it just requires a start [22] Impact & Engagement - An exhibition combining poetry and plastic aimed to demonstrate plastic's role within society and the environment, transforming it from discarded rubbish to a carrier of emotion [17] - The exhibition generated audience engagement, with many people expressing a desire to contribute to transforming current consumption patterns of plastic-made materials [21]