The War on Waste: “Everything in our everyday life should be part of a circular economy. Sustainability Unpacking

The fight against plastic waste, which is often described as rubbish stabbing in rivers and seas around the world, is not always at the heart of people's minds. At the Plastic Design Museum, part of Bournemouth College of Bournemouth, curator Louise Dennis says disposables were considered a sign of wealth and cleanliness. “Consumers are encouraged to use disposable products to increase efficiency and avoid contamination,” she says. "[But] Plastics are accused of long life when they are in the wrong place. Lightness, one of the main functions of plastic, can actually be a downfall. Floating in the water and blowing in the wind you can see it scattered across the trees. ”

Public opinion on plastic began to change in the 1970s and '80s, especially when the United Nations Conference on Human Environment held in Stockholm in 1972 was the first to focus on international environmental issues. According to a recent survey (pdf), 87{7be40b84a6a43fc4fae13304fce9a2695859798abfc41afd127b9f8b21c5f9c5} of Europeans are concerned about the impact of plastic waste, and almost all (94{7be40b84a6a43fc4fae13304fce9a2695859798abfc41afd127b9f8b21c5f9c5}) say industrial and retailers should reduce packaging and design products to facilitate recycling. In Europe alone, 58 m tons of plastic are made annually, of which about 15.88 m tons (31 kg) per person become packaging waste. Only 40{7be40b84a6a43fc4fae13304fce9a2695859798abfc41afd127b9f8b21c5f9c5} of this is recycled.

The main problem for increasing this ratio is a composite material, in which one or more materials are combined with each other. In fact, it is often not possible to separate these materials for further recycling. Therefore, these packages are sent to landfill or burned with energy. But by 2021, countries such as China, Malaysia, and Vietnam ban waste imports, and Thailand must do the same, so a solution to the rapidly growing pile of discarded packages in Europe is a must.

Many people are working to achieve the ideal renewable energy known as the circular economy. Renewable energy is a renewable model that slows, closes, and narrows materials and energy loops to minimize resource input and waste. Dr Pauline Deutz, co-director of Plastics Collaboratory at the University of Hull, said, “It's not new. “One problem is that we don't know exactly what the end goal is. We can say that we want to be circular, but there are many other ways you can think of [do that]. The principle is to design things to go forward. (And it's going to be a big step because it doesn't really happen now) but still many variables remain. ”

Henkel is a challenge that only Dennis Bank is challenging. He is one of the global business developers in the circular economy, focusing on adhesives for packaging and consumer goods. Remittances dealing with items such as cardboard boxes, beverage bottles, yogurt pots and labels, building industry furniture products, diapers and shoes. "We use a wide range of materials, such as paper, plastic, glass, metal and wood," Bankmann says. "They all soon have their own recycling systems and flows." "This is something that no single stakeholder or entity company or country can solve on its own. Extensive adjustments are needed to make the whole concept work."

Part of this collaborative thinking is related to the collaboration with German startup Saperatec, who devised a process for dismantling the layer structure without disassembling or altering the layer structure of composite items, including cardboard, plastic and aluminum. Founded by Dr. Sebastian Kernbaumin 2011, the company uses a separation solution to penetrate between several layers and then sell them before washing, sorting and drying the material. Already used in products including beverage boxes, lithium ion batteries, automotive glass and packaging materials.

Glue manufacturer Henkel worked with Saperatec to optimize products for flexible packaging materials, especially coffee pouches and fruit juice pouches containing two types of plastic and thin aluminum foil layers. This involved working together to identify the best adhesive for the process. “This separation can be done very effectively, very perfectly and very efficiently,” Bankmann said. "This is a good example of how different stakeholders need to work together."

Henkel is also discussing with other recycling companies and companies in purchasing recycled materials and was one of the founding members of CEFLEX, a European consortium for promoting circular economic products with flexible packaging. Bankmann says: “There are so many multinationals here, so choosing a solution opens up a very broad and geographically viable opportunity. For us, this is the clarity and harmony that have the greatest impact. [so we can] Start delivering solutions. ”

Deutz agrees that significant changes should be made on a large scale, but I think the government has a role in achieving those changes. MEP demanded that all plastic packaging waste be recycled by 2030 in May 2019 and supported the most common ban. Disposable plastic (including cotton swab sticks, plastic cutlery and straws).

Bankmann adds: “We believe we will not stop packaging. You can't come to a more sustainable world and stop packing. More and more types of products will come into range. In essence, every item of everyday life should be part of a circular economy. ”