FUTURE OF PLASTICS 12 - UBQ Materials
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I N D EPEN D EN T P U B L I C AT I O N BY RACONTEUR.NET #0737 24/05/2021
FUTURE OF PLASTICS
03 SETTING THE POLYMER
RECORD STRAIGHT 04 WHY BIOPLASTICS ARE
NOT THE ANSWER – YET 12 THE UK PACKAGING
TAX: WILL IT WORK?
I N D EPEN D EN T P U B L I C AT I O N BY RACONTEUR.NET #0000 00/00/2020 RACONTEUR.NET 03
FUTURE RE P U TATION
OF PLASTICS
YOUR BETTER PLASTIC CHOICE A bad rap for
Distributed in
good wrap?
A lack of nuance in media coverage has caused plastic to be unfairly maligned.
Published in association with
So say a number of companies that are willing to argue the case for its defence
MaryLou Costa the easiest to recycle. Not all plastics
Contributors
Rawpixel.com via Shutterstock
are so easily recyclable.”
he negative narrative sur- This flaw is why many firms have
MaryLou Costa Jack Apollo George
T rounding plastic is a famil- decided to turn their backs on plastic.
iar one. The amount enter- For instance, PharmaCare Europe
Writer covering Writer, editor and
the future of work, semiotician who works ing our oceans each year is predicted recently chose compostable packag-
innovation and with media start-ups, to triple to 29 million tonnes by ing for its new supplements brand,
technology. Featured with articles published 2040, with packaging the main Vegan Life, over recycled plastic.
in The Guardian, in the New Statesman culprit. Yet big brands including
The company’s brand manager,
The Observer, Business and The Day.
Asos and Innocent have stood by it Alicia Sharif, says: “Recycled plastic
Insider and Sifted.
as their material of choice, which will not naturally decompose like
raises the question: is it time to compostable packaging does. This
Jim McClelland Rich McEachran
reconsider popular perceptions of means that, if our packaging were
Sustainable futurist, Journalist covering
speaker and writer, technology, start-ups plastic as the villain of the piece? to be littered, it wouldn’t have the
specialising in the built and innovation, writing Asos has spread the message on same negative impact.”
environment, corporate for The Guardian, social media that producing its She adds that its outer layer is
social responsibility and The Telegraph and plastic mailer bags – made of 90% made from reclaimed agricultural
ecosystem services. Professional Engineering.
recycled plastic – consumes roughly waste, which is the stubble that in
a quarter of the energy it takes to most parts of the world would typi-
Heidi Vella make the bags out of paper, and that cally be burned after harvest. This
Energy and technology
switching to cardboard would residue can constitute 80% of the
writer, with work
published in consumer increase its carbon emissions by volume of a cereal crop.
and specialist half. Meanwhile, Innocent has Deodorant brand Wild Cosmetics
publications, including produced detailed answers to FAQs also wants to minimise its reliance
E&T Magazine and about its packaging, concluding on plastic. Wild’s refillable deodor-
Global Data.
that, “at the moment, plastic is the ant case is made largely of alumin-
most sustainable option for our ium, while the refills themselves
ELEVATING GLOBAL RECYCLING STANDARDS
bottles. It has a lower carbon foot- – and I do get that. It’s the durability collaboration with Jacobs Douwe are packaged in compostable and
print than glass and is much easier and longevity of the material that Egberts UK and Nestlé, the scheme recyclable bamboo pulp.
THROUGH OUR FULLY TRACEABLE SUPPLY PROGRAMME
to recycle than cartons.” everyone is bemoaning, but actually provides customers with mailing “Our vision is to help remove
The problem is not with plastic it’s an incredible material.” bags so that they can easily return single-use plastic from daily per-
itself; it’s with the lack of wide- Bennett thinks that any campaign used plastic and aluminium coffee sonal care routines,” says the firm’s
spread recycling systems, claims in this area should “be about not pods for recycling. co-founder and CEO, Freddy Ward.
Innocent, which argues that the making more plastic and instead While the use of recycled plastic “While a typical plastic deodorant
creation of a circular economy for reusing the plastic we have. That reduces dependence on finite virgin pack has a lifespan of more than 400
packaging is the solution. would change perceptions. If every- resources, there’s also value in sus- years, a Wild refill will compost fully
High quality, certified recycled plastic Publishing manager
Oliver Collins
Design
Kellie Jerrard
“Plastic has a number of good one used recycled plastic and recy- tainable materials such as GreenPE, within six months and biodegrade
that has been collected from coastal All Prevented Ocean Plastic, designed Managing editor
Celina Lucey
Colm McDermott
qualities. It’s lightweight, durable
and, most crucially, recyclable. As
cled that, production would drop by
between 70% and 90% globally.”
a thermoplastic resin made from
sugar cane, she says. “GreenPE is
within a year.”
Yet there is a crucial element in
areas at risk of ocean plastic pollution. for food contact, is processed through a Sarah Vizard Nita Saroglou
Jack Woolrich
well as using recycled content in our
bottles, we’re also advocating for
Zoe Brimelow, brand director at
packaging manufacturer Duo UK,
carbon-negative and fully recycla-
ble. It can be blended with recycled
the mechanism of Wild’s deodorant
case: recycled plastic – and Ward
European Food Safety Authority Deputy editor Sean Wyatt-Livesley higher recycling rates,” says Emilie agrees. Plastic, she says, has been plastic to make a hybrid solution. acknowledges the benefits of its
Francesca Cassidy
The Prevented Ocean Plastic approved decontamination unit to Illustration
Stephenson, who leads Innocent’s
UK ‘Force for Good’ initiative.
subject to “years of persecution, so
it will take a great deal of education
It’s just one example of the options
beyond using recycled plastics.”
quality, durability and mouldability.
He and fellow co-founder Charlie
Sara Gelfgren
programme generates market leading meet UK and EU standards.
Sub-editor
She continues: “We’ve advocated and transparency to change this”. Sugar-cane-derived plastic is what Bowes-Lyon have investigated sus-
Neil Cole Samuele Motta
across Europe by responding to gov- Echoing Stephenson’s call for a Incognito, a provider of insect repel- tainable packaging options such as
sustainability data from shore to store. Head of production Art director ernment consultations and cam- campaign to increase the use of re lent, uses in its packaging, believing it PLA, a polyester that’s biodegradable
Hannah Smallman Joanna Bird paigning to introduce, or be allowed cycled plastic material and encour- to be more sustainable than recycled and produces fewer emissions in
to join, deposit-return systems. We age more recycling, Brimelow cites content. The firm’s founder and CEO, production than traditional plastic.
Design director are supporting industry initiatives the ‘Podback’ scheme as a case in Howard Carter, says: “It’s a beginning- But there’s more to it than that, as
Tim Whitlock to increase recycling rates, use point. Launched by her company in from-plant material, which is one of he explains: “Even though the likes
more recycled content, adopt reuse of PLA claim to be compostable, in
FIRST PRIZE
models and reduce plastic packag- reality this process will still take
ing volumes worldwide.” Innocent makes its bottles from at least 50% recycled plastic more than 50 years, and only then
50 15
Although this publication is funded through advertising and
SELF-SERVICE TRAYS CATEGORY sponsorship, all editorial is without bias and sponsored features Plastic should be used “as an alter- under certain conditions. So using
2021 FINALISTS
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR are clearly labelled. For an upcoming schedule, partnership native material to almost anything”, recycled plastic helped us to build a
% %
inquiries or feedback, please call +44 (0)20 3877 3800 or declares Jolyon Bennett, founder durable product, while minimising
email info@raconteur.net and CEO of Juice, a provider of rPET plant PET the need to bring more plastic on to
Raconteur is a leading publisher of special-interest content and
mobile phone accessories that uses our Earth.”
THE ECO-RESPONSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE WINNER research. Its publications and articles cover a wide range of topics,
PACKAGING CHALLENGE 2020 SEAL AWARDS 2020 recycled and recyclable plastic in Ward remains open-minded about
including business, finance, sustainability, healthcare, lifestyle and
technology. Raconteur special reports are published exclusively in its packaging. Innocent, 2021 considering options beyond the
The Times and The Sunday Times as well as online at raconteur.net “There are over 300 billion tonnes materials that Wild currently uses
The information contained in this publication has been obtained of plastic on Earth and it’s going to to enhance his firm’s sustainable
50
from sources the Proprietors believe to be correct. However, no be around for up to 3,000 years, so credentials. But, he says, they must
legal liability can be accepted for any errors. No part of this let’s use science to find ways to reuse be able to work for the lifetime of the
The percentage by which Asos’s carbon
www.preventedoceanplastic.com publication may be reproduced without the prior consent of the
Publisher. © Raconteur Media
that mountain of plastic,” he says.
“The negative perception of plastic is %
emissions would rise if it were to use cardboard
packaging instead of plastic mailer bags Asos, 2021
case and perform as well as the
existing components. Those, per-
perpetrated by a global mass media haps, are the points that may yet
@raconteur /raconteur.net @raconteur_london that’s telling us not to make plastic improve plastic’s reputation.
raconteur.net /future-plastics-2021
04 FUTURE OF PLASTICS RACONTEUR.NET 05
Commercial feature
Rich McEachran OPINION
n the five minutes it will total area used for bioplastics produc- material to biodegrade within 12
Could the next unicorn
I take you to read this arti- tion in 2020 came to less than 0.015% weeks. Complete disintegration has
cle, 3,500 tonnes of plastic of the world’s agricultural land. This to occur within six months.
will have been produced around will rise to 0.02% by 2025 if the indus- In cases where industrial compost-
‘For institutional
the globe. If that statistic isn’t suf try’s production capacity increases by ing isn’t possible, the best option is
valuation be sitting in
ficiently alarming, consider the the expected 25% from its current recycling. Even then, the various
fact that barely 9% of the world’s level to 2.8 million tonnes. bioplastics would need to be handled
annual output of 368 million
tonnes is recycled, either
Avantium’s CEO, Tom van Aken,
agrees. “Creating bioplastics from
in separate streams, while some
countries don’t yet have facilities investors worldwide,
our waste bins?
because the process isn’t plant-based feedstock can be man- that can break down polymers such
deemed economically via-
ble, or because of a lack
of consumer awareness.
aged in such a sustainable way that
it doesn’t have to be in competition
with food production,” he says.
as PLA. If not dealt with properly,
bioplastics can end up in landfill
anyway, defeating their purpose.
plastic pollution
Inventors and start-
ups have been working
“Increased demand for non-food
applications could support a heal
“We have to be aware that any
material produced, even plant- presents an ever-
An innovative solution to the household waste crisis is doubling
evolving systemic risk’
hard in recent years thier agriculture sector through based, can have an impact on the
to develop more envi- investments in sustainable land environment if the loop isn’t closed,”
ronmentally friendly use. There is tremendous potential says Laetitia Van de Walle, CEO as a sustainable, scalable and cost-efficient alternative to plastic
solutions. These have to use waste from sustainable for- of Lamazuna, a French supplier of
included everything estry management, for instance.” zero-waste natural cosmetics. One
from seaweed-based of its products is the Oriculi, an
drinking straws to ear swab made using a bioplastic lastics fulfil a key function in
toothbrushes made derived from castor oil. lobal production and con- towards reduction targets. Pro P our lives. Since the second
using bamboo. The “Controlling the lifecycle of any G sumption of plastic has ducing information that’s clear and world war, they have been
used in everything from automobiles
problem is that many product is incredibly important,” increased by more than 20 easily comparable is key to tackling
of these innovations are she adds, noting that bioplastic times since the 1960s, according to the problem. The ‘New Plastic Eco to packaging. Their benefits cannot be
denied, but, sadly, neither can their
niche and cannot yet be
scaled up commercially.
We must be aware recycling channels need to improve
markedly if the materials are to
the UN Environment Programme.
About 40% of all plastics produced
nomy Global Commitment’ initia-
tive, started by the Ellen MacArthur environmental ramifications. Only
Most bioplastics – poly that any material become commercially successful. today are for packaging, while only Foundation and the UN Environ 9% of plastic waste ever produced
mers derived from plant-based Despite all best intentions to close 14% of plastic packaging is col- ment Programme in 2018, serves as has been recycled, according to the
sources – that are touted as viable
produced, even plant- the loop, bioplastics will inevitably lected for recycling. The problem is a great example. The signatories’ World Bank Group, while much of the
alternatives to petroleum-based based, can have find their way into the natural well known, yet both production achievements against their targets 380 million tonnes of plastic produced
plastics are usually produced from environment and become long-term and consumption are forecast to are tracked and published annually each year is discarded in landfills,
the sugars extracted from certain an impact on the pollutants, just like their petroleum- continue rising. in progress reports. dumped in rivers and seas or left in the
cash crops. The most popular of environment if the based counterparts. For institutional investors world- Lastly, investors have a role to play open to pollute the environment.
these polymers is polylactic acid It is not enough to develop solu- wide, plastic pollution presents an in policy and advocacy by under- But plastic isn’t the problem in itself.
(PLA). It’s being used increasingly loop isn’t closed tions that fit the circular economy – ever-evolving systemic risk. Left standing, and participating in, the The real problem is that the so-called
in items such as disposable cups, there needs to be broader change, unaddressed, it could disrupt the regulation of plastic consumption end-of-life solution (EOL) for it is insuf-
cutlery and salad containers. according to Mines. He hopes to see a environmental systems and public and disposal. They should also ficient. If the EOL of plastic is commer-
Another is polyethylene furanoate transition to a bioeconomy, based on goods that drive the economic encourage investees to engage with cially viable, safe for the environment
(PEF). There are high hopes that this Van Aken predicts that the chem chemicals, fuels and products, where p erformance required to generate policy-makers to form a regulatory and promotes circularity, all that’s left
can become the standard for bioplas- ical and materials industries will the processes of creating energy and their returns on investment. But framework that will help to ensure are benefits: a cheap, strong, versa-
tic use in the food and drink indus- work closely with farmers to build materials go hand in hand. the good news is that investors pos- that products are recycled, reused tile, lightweight material that serves
try. Companies such as Dutch firm new supply chains, ensuring that “The petroleum-based plastics sess some powerful levers through and composted. every aspect of our lives. Meanwhile,
Avantium are using plant-to-plastic no part of their crop is wasted. industry has spent a lot of time opti- which they can help to both tackle At Principles for Responsible other materials have failed to provide
technology to convert fructose syrup Bioplastics could be made using mising its supply chains,” Mines the pollution problem and engen- Investment, which has nearly 4,000 a meaningful alternative to plastic for
from wheat, corn and beet into the feedstock sugar residue from agri- says. “Replacing its products with der a circular economy for plastic. signatories representing more than product manufacturers. is critical for our climate.” So says Tato an opportunity for manufacturers.”
components of PEF, for instance. cultural production, for instance. bioplastics will require an adjust- First, they can influence change £70tn-worth of assets under man- Along with the prevalence of plas- Bigio, co-founder and CEO of UBQ Every tonne of UBQ™ material pro-
This has attracted the attention of To this end, Avantium already has ment in thinking. Continued con- with their investment choices. The agement, we are helping investors to tics is the crisis of household waste Materials, whose revolutionary tech- duced prevents 11.7 tonnes of CO2-
Carlsberg, Coca-Cola and Danone, a partnership in the Netherlands sumer pressure, policy changes and plastics value chain is complex, play their part in tackling plastic ending up in landfills. Nearly 2 billion nology converts the entire household equivalent from polluting the environ-
among others. The hope is that a with Cosun Beet Company, which brands deciding to alter practices touching most, if not all, indus- pollution. We’re sharing knowledge tons of CO2-equivalent emissions are waste stream into a climate-positive ment – a statistic that has prompted
number of popular beverages could produces sugar products for the will drive the transition.” tries. By identifying where and how and best practice through an inves- generated each year from solid waste material for industrial manufacturing. life-cycle assessment auditor Quantis
be coming in paper bottles lined retail and food service industries. Until then, the bioplastics sector their portfolios might be exposed, tor working group and a series of – a figure that’s expected to double Hailing from Israel’s eminent to designate the material “the most
with PEF in only two years’ time. Although the term ‘bioplastics’ must continue innovating to ensure investors can allocate capital reports on the subject, encouraging over the next three decades. Plastics start-up scene, which produced 16 climate-positive thermoplastic on
As bioplastics gain popularity, has an eco-friendly ring to it, not all that the loop is closed. It must also accordingly, mitigating associated them to expedite action using their comprise a relatively small propor- businesses valued at more than $1bn the market”.
questions are being raised as to how of these materials are actually bio- create awareness about its products’ risks while seizing opportunities. levers of influence. tion of this, whereas roughly 85% is in 2020 alone, the company is turn- As the UN’s strategic development
sustainable these materials really degradable or compostable. Much game-changing potential, while In doing so, they protect value and The transition to a circular econ- organic – food, cardboard, paper, dirty ing heads away from the traditional goals take centre stage in corpo-
are. One issue is whether the sec- depends on the polymers used and, acknowledging that these are not fund innovative business models omy will require concerted effort nappies and textiles. Once in land- tech sector and towards the $500bn rate policy, prominent companies
tor’s future growth will affect the even then, the conditions have to the panacea for the world’s plastic and solutions, enabling the seismic throughout the value chain. Aban fills, organic material breaks down and plastics industry, which is ripe for in a range of industries are eager to
S US TA IN A B ILIT Y food industry if both have to com- be right for decomposition – most problems – not yet, anyway. changes required by the shift to the doning the linear philosophy is nec- releases methane. This greenhouse sustainable disruption. implement carbon-reducing solu-
pete for feedstock. bioplastics need to be subjected to Van de Walle sums it up best. “We circular economy. essary and, arguably, inevitable, but gas is increasingly being referred to as UBQ Materials has untapped the tions throughout their supply chains.
Bioplastic: not
This would be an unlikely outcome, high temperatures. The European believe in the future of bioplastics,” In their position as stewards of it will require an overhaul of busi- CO2 on steroids, given that it warms value of the most abundant global In the past 18 months, UBQ Materials
according to Paul Mines, CEO of standard EN 13432 for industrial she says. “But we know they’re still capital, investors should encourage ness models and entire industries. It the atmosphere more than 80 times as resource: rubbish. Founded in has introduced its climate-positive
Biome Bioplastics. He observes that composting requires 90% of a given far from perfect.” investee companies to act too. cannot be done without ambition, much as the equivalent amount of CO2. 2012, the company started com- material to Mercedes-Benz premium
Acting collectively would increase commitment and action from insti- “Conventional recycling is not fea- mercial activity after seven years of auto parts and McDonald’s serving
that fantastic
their impact. Through such engage- tutional investors worldwide. ‘Take, sible for most landfill waste, as it’s a stealth R&D. It patented its advanced trays, among others. The company is
ment, the investment community make, dispose’ is no longer fit for jumble of unsorted and dirty content. waste-conversion technology and the expanding to the Netherlands with a
GLOBAL PRODUCTION OF BIOPL ASTICS IS SET TO RISE can spur businesses to set ambi- purpose – if, indeed, it ever was. The urgency to close the loop on waste resulting UBQ™ material, which can large-scale facility in Q4 2022 to meet
Production capacity in 1,000 tonnes European Bioplastics, 2020 tious targets and collaborate to substitute oil-based plastics, wood growing demand.
create systemic change. or minerals in thousands of everyday Bigio says “we can leave this Earth
Biodegradable Bio-based/non-biodegradable For instance, in the fast-moving durable goods. better than we received it.” UBQ
Commercial polymers derived from plant matter Forecast
consumer goods and packaging Produced using 100% landfill-des- Materials symbolizes the dawn of a new
2,000 sectors, investors could challenge
tined waste, the thermoplastic UBQ™ era in manufacturing - one that goes
have been touted as the sustainable answer to investees to make their packaging material compounds seamlessly with beyond climate neutrality and strives
a variety of resins and requires no for climate positivity.
the world’s eco-woes, but numerous issues need 100% recyclable, reusable and com-
change to today’s standard manufac-
postable by 2025. A number of big
Our technology
to be solved before they can reach that point 1,500 companies, such as Unilever and turing processes. In contrast with con-
Coca-Cola, have already set ambi- lifts the burden of ventional plastics, UBQ™ doesn’t rely.
tious targets of this type, while on oil or other fossil fuels for feedstock For more information, visit
others, including Nestlé and Veolia, circular consumption – a factor that keeps its price competi- ubqmaterials.com
1,000 have formed cross-sector partner- models off tive and stable over long periods.
ships in a bid to achieve theirs. “Manufacturers no longer need to
Second, investors should encour- individuals and turns sacrifice profitability for sustainabil-
age investees to become more trans-
parent about their plastic usage
Fiona Reynolds it into an opportunity ity,” Bigio says. “Our technology lifts
the burden of circular consumption
500 CEO
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 and report more on their progress Principles for Responsible Investment for manufacturers models off individuals and turns it into
06 FUTURE OF PLASTICS RACONTEUR.NET 07
Commercial feature Commercial feature
Case study
Unpacking Collaboration is
the key to success.
the circular
One company
alone can create
a spark, but real
economy for change comes
from society,
plastic
companies and
governments all Sustainable labels for a floating farm
working together As the name suggests, Avery Dennison’s CleanFlake
Floating Farm is a literal label solution. CleanFlake
floating dairy farm in technology features a
Rotterdam, Netherlands. This switchable adhesive that
Plastics can be recycled into innovative company wanted sticks fi rmly during the
plastic such as PET, high-density pol- its packaging to align with package’s use but ‘turns off’
countless new products, but what yethylene (HDPE – the kind used for its ambitious goals for urban in the hot caustic bath that’s
happens during each phase of the milk or detergent containers) or poly-
propylene (PP); different coloured
food production, animal
welfare and the circular
part of the recycling process.
As a result, the label material
circular economy? Avery Dennison plastics; or the rigid or flexible kind all economy. But standard separates from the PET
flakes and floats cleanly to
require different recycling processes, polyethylene (PE) labels
explores the role of sustainability so mixed bales require further sort- weren’t removable from their the surface, leaving no label
ing once they reach the plastic containers, which limited the and adhesive residue in the
in the plastic life cycle recovery facility. recyclability of the package PET stream. The PET flakes
The plastic also needs to be cleaned and sustainability of their can then be processed into
to remove any contaminants that finished product. food-grade recycled PET,
might affect the quality of the recy- To solve the problem, contributing to a global supply
cled material. Once the plastic is Floating Farm turned to that still lags behind demand.
ground down into flakes, it is washed
lastic is one of the most graphics, reflectives, tags, RFID and and sorted again, ready to be melted
P maligned yet miraculously digital solutions, is meeting this chal- down and made into new products.
lightweight materials on the lenge head-on. It is committed to scal- But none of this is possible without
planet. The environmental costs of ing materials that improve the recycla- good plastic collection schemes.
disposing of it improperly have rightly bility of consumer goods, increasing “Even if you have a brand new recy- Tackling the liner waste challenge
been highlighted in recent years. But the amount of recycled content used cling facility, if plastic isn’t collected
without it, it would be hard to keep in its products, and building a global properly you won’t have any feed- Companies in Europe its partners to collect them
food fresh or transport liquids home system for recycling used labelling and stock,” says Burak Sahbaz, senior consumed some 470 kilotons and ensure they’re properly
from the shops. packaging materials. director of marketing and sustaina- of label liners in 2019, yet recycled. It hopes that by
It’s a tricky problem to solve. There The company’s efforts span three bility at Avery Dennison. The matu- just over one-third were 2025, 75% of the label waste
is a solution, however: a closed loop key phases of the plastics lifecycle: rity of these collection programmes recycled. AD Circular, a new it brings to the European
circular economy for plastics. design, product life and afterlife. And tends to vary from country to country, Avery Dennison program for market will be recycled in
Instead of treating plastic as waste, each of them plays a major role in and even municipality to municipal- recycling used paper and this way.
the circular economy treats it as a val- driving the circular economy for this ity. “Some countries are a little more fi lmic label liners in countries “Our goal is to create a
uable resource that can be endlessly vital but undervalued material. advanced, while some are still in the across Europe, aims to circular economy that works
recovered, recycled and remade into early or intermediate phases,” says change that. for everybody,” says Hassan
new products – and not just of the Design Sahbaz. “But everything needs to go Any company with label Rmaile, vice president and
same kind. Polyethylene terephtha- Avery Dennison’s labels can be found hand-in-hand.” liners can sign up for the general manager of label and
late (PET) bottles, for example, can be on millions of shampoo bottles, food He notes that real-world sus- service and arrange a time graphic materials for EMENA.
turned into anything from furniture to containers, boxes and bags. And tainability should always be at the for the collection of the “So even if you’re using other
carpets. But a lot of work still needs to while these labels may only account forefront of any recycling scheme. liners through a simple producers’ materials, we’ll
be done to scale up the circular econ- for a small proportion of plastic pack- “Imagine that you have a good recy- digital web-based app. Avery collect their liner and ensure
omy and ensure that plastic no longer aging, they make a big difference to cler on one side of Europe, and you’re Dennison then works with it’s recycled properly.”
pollutes the environment. how easy it is to recycle. collecting plastic at the other side,”
Avery Dennison, a Fortune 500 global For example, using adhesives spe- he says. “Transporting those prod-
material science company special- cially formulated for the recycling ucts to that site might not be sustain-
ising in labelling, tapes, adhesives, process enables the proper recycling able in terms of CO2 emissions.”
of millions of food-grade PET pack- address this issue. Peña Herron Product life Many people aren’t aware that dif- Ensuring that labels are like for like Responsibility for reusing and
ages every year [See ‘Sustainable believes it’s also vital that companies Designing for recyclability is impor- ferent types of plastic need to be with the item they are attached to – recycling plastic ultimately lies with
labels for a fl oating farm’]. The infor- talk to their peers, suppliers and cus- tant, but so is what happens to the sorted properly during the recycling plastic for plastic, paper for paper everyone in the value chain, which
If you look at recyclability, it’s
78%
mation on the label – three green tomers to find out where more recy- product once consumers used it. process. Labels can help to inform – also means recyclers don’t need to is why Avery Dennison is an active
arrows in a triangle, or numbers and cled materials could be used and how “There’s a huge effort needed on consumers what kind of plastic they’re worry about separating them. “But the member of several industry con-
letters that help recycling teams to a function of two factors. One consumer attitudes are changing. awareness,” says Hassan Rmaile, vice dealing with, and whether it can be challenge with the label is that it’s not sortiums – including the Circular
identify different materials – also is the solutions and systems Take PET bottles, for instance. president and general manager of recycled or not. However, some pack- just the face, it’s the adhesive too,” Economy for Labels (CELAB), which is
of consumers believe companies ensures that items are recycled Although it may take time for con- label and graphic materials for EMENA. aging features more than one mate- says Rmaile. “So, when you say mono- dedicated to eliminating label waste.
should be helping them properly. Labels with a high level for recycling. The second is sumers to adapt to the idea of ‘dif- He adds: “So, if you look at recycla- rial, or both rigid and flexible plastic, material, it’s a little more complicated “Collaboration is the key to success,”
‘make decisions that improve
environmental outcomes
of recycled content, such as Avery
Dennison’s rRange, can make items
consumer education ferent look’ recycled bottles that
don’t come in the range of shades
bility, it’s a function of two factors.
One is the solutions and systems for
which is harder to recycle efficiently.
Avery Dennison believes mono-ma-
than it sounds. The label needs to
have the same material as the bottle,
says Sahbaz. “One company alone can
create a spark, but real change comes
more sustainable and circular too. available today, she says, as with recycling. The second is consumer terial packaging can help to solve and then the adhesive that’s gluing from society, companies and govern-
Kearney Earth Day Survey 2020
However, there’s often a discon- recycled paper, quality and customer education. So, even if the label is this issue. For instance, it recently the face of that label to the bottle also ments all working together.”
nect between stakeholders in the adoption will continue to improve. fully recyclable and the plastic is participated in a project that sought needs to match as well.”
26%
supply chain. Designers and brand “What’s good for the eyes or marketing “Those different looks might disap- fully recyclable, if consumers put to remove the rigid plastic mouth
owners, for example, might want to might not always be useful for recycling,” pear, or maybe the public will simply everything in one trash bag – mixing found on packets of baby wipes. “If Afterlife For more information please visit
use a yellow, green or fuchsia plastic says Flor Peña Herron, sustainability accept them.” plastic with glass or paper – you need you look at the more recent packets, Once plastic leaves a consumer’s label.averydennison.com
to maximise a product’s shelf appeal. project manager at Avery Dennison, “so But changing opinions on shelf to put in a lot of effort on the col- it’s now a fl exible ‘tongue’ of plastic. home or a business’s premises, it is
increase in the amount of recycled But this decision could make the item we also need to design according to the appeal and recyclability is only part lection side to separate everything It has a medium-strength adhesive sorted and separated from other recy-
Case study
materials per capita between 2008 harder to recycle, potentially adding whole lifecycle of the product.” of the solution to the plastic conun- mechanically. So for me, the other so it sticks enough to close, but it’s clable materials before being baled
and 2019 in the EU to recyclers’ costs and reducing Avery Dennison has developed drum; you also need to help consum- factor, consumer education, is a very not too strong to resist opening,” and transported to specialist plastics
Eurostat their yields. eco-design guidelines to help brands ers engage with recycling. important one.” says Rmaile. recovery facilities. Different types of
08 FUTURE OF PLASTICS RACONTEUR.NET 09
THE PERCEPTIONS OF PLASTIC PRODUCTION OF PL ASTIC HAS SOARED OVER THE PAST 60 YEARS
Million tonnes PlasticsEurope Market Research Group and Conversio Market & Strategy, 2020
350
The first synthetic plastic was created in the early PL ASTICS THAT ARE NOT RECYCLED OR REUSED CAN TAKE A LONG TIME TO
1900s. Since then, production has exploded from BREAK DOWN NATUR ALLY
1.5 million tonnes in 1950 to 368 million tonnes in Estimated decomposition time (years) WWF, 2018 300
2019. The cumulative production is now at close
to 9 billion tonnes, which has generated 6.3 billion Fishing line 600
250
tonnes of waste, of which 9% is recycled, Styrofoam
500
12% is incinerated and 79% is simply discarded. cups
Given the disastrous impact this is having on the Disposable
500 200
nappies
natural environment, why do we keep using it and
how are consumer perceptions of it changing? Toothbrushes 500
150
Plastic
bottles 450
Soda can 100
rings 400
THE USE OF PL ASTIC IS UBIQUITOUS ACROSS SECTORS,
BUT THE BIGGEST DEMAND COMES FROM PACK AGING
Plastic
straws 200
% share of plastics converters in Europe in 2019
50
Plastic-lined
PlasticsEurope Market Research Group coffee cups 30
and Conversio Market & Strategy, 2020
Plastic bags 20
Cigarette
2009
2002
1950
2013
2015
2019
1989
2017
1976
2011
butts 5
Others 16.7%
1.56m £11bn 55,000
Agriculture 3.4% THE PL ASTIC
Condiment sachets
Household, leisure and sports 4.1% INDUSTRY GENER ATES
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
es Swe
box et w people directly employed
Electrical and electronic 6.2% m egg rap
per
Including raw materials the plastics industry’s companies operate in
Foa s producers, converters, in the plastics industry positive trade balance the plastics industry
recyclers and machinery
73% manufacturers in the EU PlasticsEurope Market Research Group and Conversio Market & Strategy, 2020
Automotive 9.6%
77% 71%
s THE DESTINY OF PL ASTIC WASTE COLLECTED IN 2018
er
ain
t
on
PlasticsEurope Market Research Group and Conversio Market & Strategy 2020
cy
Cr
wa
isp
ea
pa
ak
ck
dt
24.9%
et
pe
s
13%
ha
-s
32.5% landfill
20.4%
am
Building and construction 77% 67%
Cl
11% 14% recycling
11% 15% 29.1m
tonnes of collected plastic
ups
14%
post-consumer waste
ee c
12% 16%
coff
Clin
g film
sable
80% 50%
Dispo
12% 18%
9% CONSUMERS OVERWHELMINGLY 21%
SUPPORT THE BANNING
Packaging 39.6% OF ‘PROBLEM’ PL ASTIC energy recovery
12% 29% 42.6%
% of UK adults YouGov, 2018
Oppose Don’t know Support
10 FUTURE OF PLASTICS RACONTEUR.NET 11
Commercial feature
from coastal regions around the
5.25 trillion
world. This waste would otherwise
New packaging
be ocean bound.
Sainsbury’s follows Lidl UK, which
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
uses Prevented Ocean Plastic for
There is no such thing THE IMPACT OF INCREASED DEMAND FOR PCW AND THE BENEFICIAL RESULTS
Current
half of its fresh fish packs. Booths as recycled ocean plastic. is the estimated number of pieces
levy spurs
and Waitrose are also among a of plastic debris that have entered Recycled material Post industrial waste Material containing Virgin material
number of food retailers using the No one can take plastic the world’s oceans, of which... post product waste >30% post consumer waste
recycled material in their packaging. that’s been degraded by
liabilities 244,000 2015 2020 2025
The term ‘ocean-bound plastic’
salt and the sunlight from
innovation
derives from a 2015 paper by Jenna
projected
Jambeck, professor of environmen-
tal engineering at the University of
the water and recycle it 5% 5% 5%
tonnes float on the surface
Georgia. She determined that any
20%
4 billion
refuse discarded within 30 miles of 11%
A growing number of corporate a coast, in an area without a formal
partnerships are supporting a circular waste management system, is at
high risk of ending up in the water if its kind (Bantam Materials claims to The forthcoming plastic packaging
economy for discarded plastic in not collected.
This is distinct from the term
sell approximately 1,400 tonnes of
OceanCycle-certified recycled plastic
microfibres litter each km2
of deep sea on average tax is forcing firms to adopt sustainable 27% 75%
coastal regions of the developing world. ‘ocean plastic’, stresses Raffi Schieir, every month), it still represents only
5 Gyres, 2014 solutions, while accelerating the move
director at Bantam Materials UK. “a drop in the ocean” compared with
Does this signal the start of a sustainable “There is no such thing as recycled overall plastic use. towards polythene containing recycled
8 million
solution to global marine pollution? ocean plastic. No one can take plas-
tic that’s been degraded by salt and
Schoenike notes that OceanCycle
receives many product enquiries post-consumer waste
sunlight from the water and recycle from prospective buyers, “but there
it,” he says. “It doesn’t exist, even if can be an issue getting past their
The weight, in tonnes, of plastic
some companies make an overreach procurement departments”, he says,
that finds its way into the ocean
by claiming that it does.” alluding to the reservations that each year he environmental impact The Challenge
Heidi Vella
Prevented Ocean Plastic is made companies often have about using T of packaging materials is a Suchin Talwar is commercial director
by recycling discarded PET bottles recycled PET. Science, 2015 complex issue that’s too at Polystar Plastics, an independent
that are collected by coastal com- These range from concerns about often simplified by media coverage, manufacturer, printer and converter
75% 57% 25%
he image of rubbish float- In April, Sainsbury’s and pack munities in developing nations the cosmetic appearance of the which incorrectly casts plastics as the of flexible polythene packaging. He
T ing in an otherwise pris- aging supplier Sharpak entered a such as Indonesia. The recycling is product – it can be slightly dis- problem. The real problem concerns recalls that the company’s biggest chal-
tine ocean has become a partnership with Bantam Materials done locally and the product is coloured – to those about cost and alone is ignoring the reasons why the end of life of packaging materials. lenge used to be trying to change “the
defining one for plastic’s detri- to use its Prevented Ocean Plastic certified to European standards by quality. There is a common per we’re doing this.” Discarded irresponsibly, plastics harm ingrained attitudes of the supply chain.
mental impact on the natural in 34% of the supermarket chain’s OceanCycle, a social enterprise that ception that material sourced from Bola Lafe, founder and MD of the environment, but so does paper, There were few proactive buyers who
0 5,200 24,500
world. It’s a complex problem, but fish packaging and 80% of its Berry also conducts audits to ensure that developing countries is inferior to Opus Innovations, which recently which requires about four times more cared as much about the environmental
one that a fledgling industry, Garden strawberry punnets. It’s child or forced labour, for instance, that from the West and should launched a hand sanitiser bottled water than plastic in production and benefits of polythene products as they
based on creating a circular econ- estimated that nearly 40 million is not involved. therefore be cheaper. in 100% Prevented Ocean Plastic, produces three times more greenhouse did about price.”
omy for waste otherwise destined items purchased from Sainsbury’s Ryan Schoenike is the co-founder “That is nonsense,” Schieir says. believes that companies can switch gas. At landfill, paper decomposes into But now, owing to the accelerated
to become marine flotsam, is start- this year will be packaged using and president of OceanCycle. He says “We properly control good-quality to recycled packaging without harm methane, one of the most harmful government targets and the packag- tonnes diverted from landfill tonnes diverted from landfill tonnes diverted from landfill
ing to tackle. recycled plastic bottles, retrieved that, while it is the largest scheme of recycling and we want the same ing their profits unduly. “The cost is greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. ing tax, Talwar says that “a reduced
price as for material sourced from not prohibitive – if companies choose A solution for both paper and plastic is carbon impact is as important, if not
Europe. That’s what makes these not to be greedy,” he says. therefore needed, but, since the latter more so, than the associated financial
programmes work.” Mike Webster is programme direc- is a more useful material and therefore savings that come with buying prod- country’s leading supermarkets, He continues: “Our Tristar and Biofilm presses over the past two years too.
Mr.anaked via Shutterstock
Providing detailed information on tor at Project Stop, which helps to much more widely used, it receives ucts that use post-consumer waste or Polystar responded to the government’s materials, meanwhile, reduce the con- This ensures that we can match all the
aspects ranging from collection to build sustainable waste manage- more attention. Look no further than reduced amounts of fossil-fuel-based announcement of the tax by unveiling sumption of oil-based polymer, thereby flexible packaging requirements that
decontamination has been the key ment systems where there aren’t the government’s introduction of a low-density polythene. Carbon reduc- an exclusive new PCW material called improving the carbon footprint. They our customers expect.”
to gaining the trust of packaging any. He says that enterprises such as plastic packaging tax, which will take tion is no longer an optional luxury or PCWflex. This low-gauge, high-strength, also offer substantial cost savings
manufacturers and users. Waitrose’s Bantam Materials and OceanCycle effect in 2022. The forthcoming levy, life choice; it’s an essential responsi- high-clarity film delivers a reduced against standard materials because Leading Change
packaging development manager, and can ultimately make it easier for payable at £200 per tonne for material bility that everyone must embrace.” carbon footprint, which supports envi- they are made using cutting-edge Polystar has also been piloting a
Nikki Grainge, says that the busi- executives to switch from virgin to with less than 30% recycled content, The plastic packaging tax provides ronmental goals as well as meeting the extrusion technologies that make them scheme with a local council that will
ness started thinking about using recycled plastic. will apply to all plastic packaging made a clear economic incentive for busi- target for 30% recycled content. lightweight, maintain their perfor- revolutionise kerbside refuse collec-
ocean bound plastic two-and-a-half “We need robust end markets for in the UK or imported here. nesses to use recycled material, or PCWflex represents a positive step mance and reduce their tax liability.” tions by overcoming non-compliance
years ago, but wanted to use a sup- this material, which will lead to The tax is playing an important role post-consumer waste (PCW), in the in the reduction of single-use plastics. in household waste segregation. If it’s
plier that was fully certified. more being collected and less leak- in forcing change in the supply chain. manufacture of packaging, which will Non-shrink films start at 30% PCW, but Wider Actions found to contain even one contami-
“We require traceability, because ing into the sea,” Webster says. “Go Despite growing consumer demands, create greater demand for it. In turn, can contain up to 100% PCW polymers, The success of Polystar’s three nated bag, an entire load of recyclable
we’ll never want to sell anything we for it, buy it, spend that extra bit of expressed passionately through social this will stimulate the recycling of while shrink-film recipes can include next-generation films has prompted material will be refused by a recycling
don’t have full confidence in,” she time investigating it. That’s the only media, for an alternative to plastic plastic waste, diverting it away from 50% PCW polymers without losing any the business to expand its opera- centre and reclassified as general waste
says. “It’s reassurance for us that we way we can create a circular econ- packaging, the lack of a more sustain- landfill or incineration. of the robust performance, optical tions dramatically to meet customer for landfill. Polystar has developed a
can pass on to the consumer.” omy for this stuff.” able solution of comparable quality clarity and line efficiency expected of demand. Although the impending tax is system that assigns a unique QR code
Although there is a certification Schieir says the market has picked and cost has hindered progress. The Product Innovation virgin-grade films. pushing manufacturers to think of new to each refuse bag, enabling non-com-
cost attached to Bantam Materials’ up considerably in recent months, tax now means that inaction is the As a reprocessor of PCW, with “Our PCWflex films are some of the ways to incorporate recycled mate- pliant households to be traced easily.
product, it’s priced at a comparable largely because of the forthcoming costliest option. contracts in place with some of the greenest products on the market,” rials, the main issue many companies “It has always been my intention
level to that of other recycled plas- tax in the UK on plastic packaging Talwar says. “They reduce the con- will have concerns the origin of those to set environmental standards that
tic, according to Schieir. that doesn’t contain at least 30% sumption of fossil fuels and dramat- materials. Producers will not be permit- others will follow. Consideration for
“Our partnership with Lidl shows recycled material. THE POST CONSUMER WASTE (PCW) LIFECYCLE ically reduce the amount of plastic ted to use their own production waste, our impact on the environment will
that this isn’t a cost issue,” he says. But there is still a way to go. packaging going to landfill and polluting as this wouldn’t reduce the amount continue to be my focus, from both
“New plastics are only a 10th of a According to research compiled by the environment. Helping to remove of plastic going to landfill. They will need operational and industrial viewpoints,”
penny less expensive than recycled ReportLinker, the volume of ille- the issue of single-use packaging, our to source external PCW material. Talwar says. “At Polystar, we’re actively
ocean-bound plastic.” gally disposed plastic waste rose by closed-loop manufacturing process Polystar has invested heavily in a leading change within our industry. We
For retailers, on the other hand, the 280% worldwide during the pan- keeps resources in use for as long as state-of-the-art recycling plant to col- are proving that the heavily criticised
price may be significantly higher, demic, while the recycling rate fell Post possible, continuously recovering, lect scrap material from customers and polythene industry can evolve with
mainly because they are often buy- by about 5%. Many of the big corpo- consumer recycling and reusing.” process it for reuse. In the past three the needs of today’s society to build
ing a finished product rather than rate users of plastic – Coca-Cola, waste (PCW) years it has invested £15m in impressive a better world for future generations.”
the polymer. Johnson & Johnson and Unilever, new buildings to house the extrusion
Joanna Jensen is the founder and for instance – still have plastic recy- Clarity and technologies that have helped to make
Recycled
chairwoman of Child’s Farm, which cling content rates of below 10%. performance the company one of the UK’s largest
PCW polymer
makes children’s skincare products “You can’t put 100 units of some- maintained independent polythene producers.
and packages them with Prevented thing into the world, buy back only “The creation of these new lines
Ocean Plastics. She says that these four and expect recycling to work,” has propelled us into a new realm of For more information,
Multi-layered
are about 20% more expensive than Scheier argues. “With some bigger
PCWflex film Going green is no longer an polythene manufacturing,” Talwar says. visit polystar.co.uk
the non-recycled equivalent, but her brands coming on board, we are “We have a further 13,000 tonnes of
choice is “a moral one. This is about showing that we can clean up what’s optional luxury or life choice; additional production capacity soon to
ethical sourcing and creating local
employment in developing nations.
out there and move companies away
from single-use plastic and towards
it’s an essential responsibility be added when we install the further
new lines that are on order. We have
Looking at it under the lens of cost recycled content.” that everyone must embrace invested in new conversion and print
12 FUTURE OF PLASTICS RACONTEUR.NET 13
Commercial feature
quite lightweight when it comes to
monticello via Shutterstock
its financial impact. If the average
plastic packaging product weighs
50g, a penny of tax would be charge-
able on that unit,” he says.
It’s worth remembering that the
purpose of taxation is not only to
change behaviour, but also to gener-
ate revenue. The UK’s record in this
respect looks poor. The government
raised just under £41bn via so-called
green taxes in 2020. According to
law firm Pinsent Masons, this sum
represents only 6% of the £633bn
raised through taxation overall –
down from 8% a decade ago.
Jason Collins, partner and head of
litigation, regulatory and tax at
Pinsent Masons, expects to see “a
certain amount of ‘avoidance’ of the
Demand more
PPT – which is actually a good thing.
The 2018 levy on sugar in soft drinks
demonstrates something approach-
ing a best-case scenario here: many
drinks manufacturers avoided pay-
than just
ing that by reducing pack sizes and
Accept no compromise
sugar content. That’s the sort of
behavioural change the government
would like to see.”
great coffee
Many environmentalists are less
on microplastic pollution
convinced that the PPT will have the
desired effects. A 2018 campaign
run by the City to Sea group called
for a tax on all single-use plastic
items, with the revenue ring-fenced
100% plant based A fully compostable plant-based alternative to plastic is set to help
for initiatives to tackle pollution and
REG U L ATION boost the circular economy. Nearly
250,000 people signed its petition to an industry facing a huge challenge from a tiny material
packaging for a
When the plastic
the government.
Although she acknowledges that
the PPT is a positive step, City to
better product and
Sea’s founder and CEO, Natalie Fée,
levy breaks
believes that it doesn’t go anywhere io-’ is a buzzword. Whether developed Solinatra as a truly sus- numbers could never add up, not least
near far enough. ‘B it’s applied to foods, fuel, tainable alternative with practical because of the sheer amount of land it
a better planet “This is another example of a pol-
icy aimed at the wrong end of the
waste hierarchy. It focuses on
tech or plastic, the prefix
resonates with companies and con-
sumers alike. But it can also be con-
manufacturing interests in mind from
day one. It is viable, competitive and
ready for brands to use.”
would demand. An area equivalent to 35
million football pitches for growing sugar
cane would be needed to replace all the
resource efficiency and recycling fusing in the case of plastic packag- The problem Solinatra tackles is both big polythene in the world with biobased
rates when we desperately need ing, as the use of biomaterial doesn’t and small at the same time: microplastics. material, which would still not degrade
the government to take action on guarantee that the product is biode- naturally in any case. It would also require
As businesses prepare for a tax on plastic packaging, anticipates that producers can swap
recycled material for virgin material
reducing the amount of plastic
produced,” she says. “Until it does,
gradable or compostable.
Finding a truly sustainable alterna-
The environmental impact
of microplastics
mountains of fertiliser and lakes of water.
By recycling rapeseed, wheat or
there are concerns that the government has done too in an instant. That’s not the case
either,” she says.
this tax is just another drop in a
very plastic-polluted ocean.”
tive to single-use plastic for dispos-
able items such as coffee capsules was
Even most bioplastics don’t actu-
ally biodegrade. Instead, they break
another of the broad range of patented
crop wastes instead, Solinatra uses a
little to stem the tide on pollution The task of reducing the nation’s a difficult task for the Coda Group. In down into tiny fragments. Millions circular solution to material sourcing
dependence on plastic packaging fact, the Netherlands-based pioneer in of these pieces of plastic enter our that remains natural and renewable,
as a whole will, arguably, be made biomaterial manufacturing found it so oceans each day, joining the trillions while actively supporting farmers.
200
tougher by a tax policy that fails to hard that it had to create its own solely that already contaminate the entire This makes the material sustainable
Jim McClelland
distinguish between plastics that are natural product: Solinatra. marine ecosystem. Nearly all of them for a large-scale roll-out to replace
Solinatra is a 100% plant-based alter- are microplastics – fragments shorter single-use plastics in pharmaceuti-
£
relatively easy to recycle and those
ll tax is political, especially “The argument is that the tax will An opposing view, from the end- that are more troublesome. Tax is a native to plastic that is home-com- than 5mm. cal packaging, including blister packs;
A a new tax. It tends to cre- stimulate demand for recycled plas- of-life perspective, is that the tax notoriously blunt instrument in any postable, requiring no additives or spe- Such pollution is evident on the land food packaging, such as cup lids;
ate winners and losers, at tics. But it’s likely to drive up their will encourage innovation. case, but the problem that some The amount the UK government cial conditions. It will simply degrade in and even in the air too. Microplastics and disposable cutlery and straws.
home, in business and on polling price in the short to medium term. Roger Wright, waste strategy and people have with the PPT is that it will charge per tonne of plastic soil, just like a banana skin on a com- have been found in the human food Solinatra will soon be available in
day. So, with less than a year to go pack aging manager at Biffa, says: will be plain indiscriminate. packaging under the forthcoming post heap. Solinatra is not only green, chain – contained in vegetables and Nespresso-compatible coffee cap-
plastic packaging tax
before the plastic packaging tax “Introducing a tax to increase recy- Santiago Navarro, CEO of Garçon though – it is market-ready. even salt – and they can also be detected sules, for instance.
(PPT) comes into force in the UK, cled content will have the desired Wines, not only thinks that packag- When it comes to scaling up eco-in- inside people’s bodies. This level of mainstreaming calls for
670m
the mood in this market matters – effect. An increasing number of ing is being singled out unfairly; he novations for commercial application, Much as the contamination problem industry-wide collaboration to solve
and it is mixed. businesses are approaching us for also believes that lumping highly the Coda Group’s manufacturing exper- is complex, the manufacturing solu- a global problem, concludes Simon
From April 2022, a new tax of advice on this. We expect most of recyclable plastics such as PET in tise is what makes Solinatra a serious tion is deceptively simple, according Girdlestone, Coda Group’s chief mar-
£200 per tonne will apply to plastic
packaging containing less than 30%
The tax assumes these to try using at least 30% recy-
cled c ontent and we’ve seen many
with problem materials such as
polystyrene is too simplistic. £ prospect for mass-market disruption,
according to its CEO, Robert de Jong.
to Dr Daniel Lynch, Coda Group’s chief
sustainability officer.
keting and sales officer.
“As an industry, we have the power
recycled content. The government there will be enough do so already, although there may be “Grouping all polymers under the The revenue that the plastic “We know the industry and the chal- “What doesn’t go in can’t come to turn the tide on single-use plas-
estimates that this will affect up to issues for manufacturers of soft and blanket term ‘plastics’ is like calling lenges it faces,” he says. “So we’ve out,” he says. “Made from plant-based tics,” he says. “We urgently need to
recycled content packaging tax is expected to raise for
The truly sustainable
20,000 packaging producers and flexible food packaging to solve.” all vehicles ‘cars’ or setting income the Treasury between 2022 and 2026 ingredients such as rapeseed agricul- collaborate to tackle the microplastics
importers. HMRC will spend £6.6m available for all While the tax could add impetus to tax at the same level for everyone,” tural waste, Solinatra contains no fos- problem, so we invite manufacturers
on developing a new computer sys- the drive for greater sustainability he argues. “Not all plastics are cre- sil-fuel-based plastic. It breaks down and brands to work with us world-
alternative to plastic types of plastic
30%
tem to manage the tax, plus £11.3m in packaging, the industry is already ated equal and not all have the same into compost that’s safe to use on your wide to realise this transition to truly
more on staffing. packaging materials. innovating more than ever, suggests end-of-life performance when recy- garden. Zero compromise in produc- sustainable solutions.”
The bureaucratic burden of the Susan Hansen, global strategist for cling for circular economy.” tion means zero risk of pollution.”
PPT could prove disproportionately This isn’t the case food and agribusiness supply chains A pioneer of the sustainable,
heavy for smaller organisations, at Rabobank. letterbox-friendly flat plastic wine Solinatra uses a From farm to compostable fork
Scan the QR code to
while the tax could have other Hansen argues that there are rea- bottle, Garçon Wines already uses circular solution In sustainability terms, using agricul- For more information please visit
unintended ramifications, predicts sons why progress cannot be rushed. 100% recycled material. Neverthe tural waste as a natural feedstock also codagroup.eu
The minimum amount of recycled to material sourcing
find out more or visit Professor Robert Holdway, a design
expert at Brunel University London
It could also disrupt well-established
systems,” he warns. “If oil prices
“The tax assumes that there will be
enough recycled content available
less, Navarro questions the maths
underlying the tax.
plastic content needed in packaging
to avoid the tax liability that remains natural
answers the question of how the bio-
logical element is sourced.
solinatra.com and director of environmental con
sultancy Giraffe Innovation.
remain low, that makes using virgin
material more attractive.”
for all types of plastic packaging
materials. This isn’t the case. It also
“A tax of £200 per tonne on pack-
aging that’s usually very light is also UK government, 2021 and renewable
Growing crops exclusively for bioma-
terial would be so inefficient that the
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