The world is drowning in plastic waste. Millions of animals, birds and sea creatures die every year from ingesting bits of plastic or becoming entangled in plastic litter. Every year, over 8 million tons of plastic waste makes its way into the world's oceans. When plastic has broken down into microplastics, it enters the food chain and becomes a threat to all of us. Nature is being destroyed by plastic waste.

Ironically, plastic was invented to protect nature from human destruction. In 1869. John Wesley Hyatt won a contest sponsored by a billiard company seeking a substitute for the ivory f...