Open letter from campaigners urges government to act on plastic in chewing gum

Following our reports on recyling glass and environmental concerns about vapes, the majority of consumers are still unaware that chewing gum is a single-use plastic – in fact, they’re chewing the same plastics used to make car tyres, carrier bags and even glue.

The figures are alarming too - the UK consumes four billion pieces of gum annually, equivalent to four billion plastic straws. Acting on this, plastic reduction charity City to Sea has teamed up with plastic-free chewing gum company Nuud - headed up by Dragon’s Den entrepreneur, Keir Carnie - to launch the Chew Plants Not Plastic campaign.

The campaign’s launch has started with an open letter to Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, calling for a ban on plastic-filled gum. The letter, signed by leading campaigners including Sian Sutherland (co-founder of the Plastic Health Council), Amy and Ella Meek (co-founders of Kids Against Plastic & Plastic Clever Schools), Jane Martin (CEO, City to Sea) and more, highlights that the majority of consumers are unaware that chewing gum is, in fact, a single-use plastic.

Hidden behind the ambiguous term ‘gum base’ in the ingredients are synthetic materials such as polyethylene (commonly used in plastic bags), polyvinyl acetate (found in PVA glue) and butadiene-styrene rubber (used in car tyres). City to Sea and Nuud argue that consumers deserve to be fully informed about the products they’re consuming and are entitled to alternatives.

Furthermore, 87% of UK pavements are affected by gum litter, which costs taxpayers millions of pounds every year to clean up. Even when disposed of responsibly, gum is either incinerated, sent to landfill or ends up contaminating waterways.

Jane Martin said: ‘Plastic pollution isn’t just an environmental crisis - it’s a human health emergency. Shockingly, chewing gum is made of plastic, meaning every chew is like biting into a plastic straw. It breaks down into micro-plastics that are inhaled, ingested, and absorbed into our bodies.’

To further support the #ChewPlantsNotPlastic movement, consumers can share the campaign using the hashtag to raise awareness and demand transparency from the industry.