Poly

An estimated 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year. Poly, an abbreviation of Polyethylene (PE), is the most common form of plastic. Far from all of it is recycled with plastics transforming and poisoning nature. Figures vary, but at least 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans every year. The production of plastic is expected to increase, as is the pollution of oceans and nature.

Depicts the impact of plastic in Southeast Asia
The Poly photo series has grown from previous projects in countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and India. Jarlbro observed that the use of plastic was similar in these countries. Although a large part of the population in these countries has improved economically, society’s increased resources still need to be invested in an infrastructure to recycle plastics or to benefit everyone. Instead, plastic ends up on the outskirts of cities and in areas where people struggle to survive daily. Not least, they become major consumers of single-use packaging themselves. At the same time, plastic represents a small opportunity for survival by collecting, sorting and reselling.

In the Poly series, Jarlbro uses his ability to gain access to individuals’ personal stories about life on the margins and the consequences of the global economy. Based on the individuals’ stories, which become small micro-histories, Jarlbro ultimately generates a larger perspective at the macro level on what the world looks like today, how we use the earth’s resources and means of production, and how the global cycle is connected between continents and shifting social classes.