San Francisco, CA — The new documentary film Single-Use Planet, which examines the impact of single-use plastics on our environment and health, will begin airing nationwide in April 2025—coinciding with Earth Day observances throughout the month. The film is being made available to public television stations across the country by KQED Presents, the national distribution service of San Francisco-based public media station KQED, one of the nation’s leading PBS and NPR affiliates.
“While filming content for another project out at sea, we found ourselves at times amidst vast gyres of ocean plastic stretching from horizon to horizon; we knew at that point that we had to tell the story of the growing dangers of the over-use of discardable single-use plastics that are threatening our oceans and, in many cases, our health” said Steve Cowan, director and producer of the film.
Narrated by acclaimed actor Peter Coyote, a familiar voice in public television documentaries, Single-Use Planet explores a pressing question: How can we retain the benefits of plastics while mitigating their negative impacts? The investigation traces the issue upstream—from the plastic waste polluting our oceans to the industries producing millions of tons of plastic with limited oversight—revealing why plastic pollution continues to grow despite widespread efforts to reduce it.
“KQED is proud to be the presenting station for Single-Use Planet. We are committed to offering the finest programs to public television stations around the country through our KQED Presents service. Single-Use Planet is a great example of how public media delivers value to communities and viewers nationwide,” said Amy Miller, Director, Video Production & Distribution for KQED.
An official selection at a range of notable film festivals, including Indie Fest, the Austin International Film Festival, and the Colorado Environmental Film Festival, and winner of an Impact Doc Award, Single-Use Planet continues to make a significant contribution to the ongoing discussion and debate about how best to manage our production and consumption of plastics.