Plastic Collage

Trace plastic from production to pollution. A collaborative workshop based on science and industrial reality, for anyone ready to understand the full picture of the plastic crisis.

What is the Plastic Collage?

The Plastic Collage takes participants on a journey through the full lifecycle of plastic, from raw material extraction and industrial production to sorting, recycling, and environmental pollution. Unlike many sustainability workshops, it combines scientific research with industrial realities, making it as relevant for a packaging professional as for a student or community member. Participants leave with a clearer sense of why the plastic crisis is so hard to solve, and a stronger understanding of where real change is possible.

400,000,000

tonnes of plastic produced every year

9%

only of all produced plastic has been recycled

How a session unfolds

Plastic is everywhere. But what do we really know about where it comes from, where it goes, and what it costs the planet?

Comprehension

In teams, participants use illustrated cards to map the full lifecycle of plastic, from raw material extraction and industrial production to sorting, recycling failures, and environmental pollution.

Creativity

Participants illustrate their key messages and give their collage a title, making the content their own and building a shared team identity around what they have discovered.

Emotions

With the full picture laid out, participants share what strikes them most and what feels most urgent. The group format turns individual reactions into a collective conversation.

Action

The session closes with a brainstorm on individual and collective solutions, and a broader discussion on institutional and systemic changes needed to address the plastic crisis at scale.

Learn more about how our workshops work →

A few stories

Beach cleanup: understanding plastic at the source

Fujisawa, Kanagawa

In June 2025, Ichigo Bloom facilitated a special outdoor session of the Plastic Collage on the beach of Fujisawa, as part of a beach cleanup event organized by the non-profit SEGO Initiative for major companies. After picking up plastic waste along the shoreline, participants sat down to explore where that plastic actually comes from, and why. The workshop added a scientific and systemic layer to an experience that too often stops at collection: cleanups matter, but understanding the full lifecycle of plastic is what helps people identify where real change is possible. See the short video →

A recurring workshop for consumer goods firms

Paris, France

Since 2022, the Institut du Commerce, a French association bringing together major players in the retail and consumer goods sector, has organized recurring Plastic Collage sessions for its members. Across 13 sessions and 164 participants, companies including Chanel, Danone, Kering, LVMH, Nestlé Waters, Suntory and Sephora have sat down together to explore the full lifecycle of plastic. A powerful example of an industry association using the workshop to build shared literacy on a challenge that sits at the heart of their sector – packaging, production, and what comes next. Read the full story →

The first Plastic Collage in Japanese, at UTokyo

Meguro, Tokyo

In October 2025, the Plastic Collage was run in Japanese for the very first time, at the Campus Changemakers Summit co-organized by UTokyo GXSN, mymizu, and Ichigo Bloom. The event brought together motivated students from universities and high schools across Japan to explore sustainability challenges and share campus initiatives. Alongside a Climate Fresk session, the Plastic Collage gave participants a systemic understanding of plastic pollution and sparked discussions on what student-led change can look like in practice.