{"id":6339,"date":"2022-01-28T21:33:24","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T19:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.retalgroup.com\/the-solution-a-shift-towards-a-circular-economy\/"},"modified":"2022-02-01T13:16:22","modified_gmt":"2022-02-01T11:16:22","slug":"solution-shift-towards-circular-economy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.retalgroup.com\/fr\/csr-at-retal\/facts-on-pet\/solution-shift-towards-circular-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"THE SOLUTION: A SHIFT TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE SOLUTION: A SHIFT TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The circular economy \u2013 where rPET becomes the raw material for the production of new packaging \u2013 is an exciting and elegant solution to the challenges facing the packaging industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to expert forecasts, the demand for polymer packaging will <\/span>only <\/span>continue to grow<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>as <\/span>it is convenient.At the same time, product life-cycle studies show that, compared with alternative types of packaging, PET has a smaller ecological footprint. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

T<\/span>aken t<\/span>ogether, these facts <\/span>illustrate <\/span>a <\/span>circular economy<\/span>\u2019s potential as a solution<\/span>. <\/span>Nevertheless,<\/span> its successful implementation depends not only <\/span>on <\/span>the packaging industry<\/span>,<\/span> but also brands, government<\/span>s<\/span> and consumers. Only <\/span>a <\/span>joint effort will help develop a phased strategy for the practical <\/span>implementation <\/span>of a circular economy.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

At each point in the chain of the creation and use of polymer packaging, there are adjustments that can be made, either directly or indirectly. And i<\/span>f each participant carries out improvements <\/span>in the sphere of our direct influence, the effectiveness of the<\/span>se<\/span> combined actions will be <\/span>far greater<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Resin suppliers and recyclers<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the biggest <\/span>contributions <\/span>PET producers <\/span>and recyclers <\/span>can <\/span>make <\/span>is <\/span>in both <\/span>improv<\/span>ing<\/span> existing mechanical recycling <\/span>methods, <\/span>and <\/span>developing alternative appro<\/span>aches<\/span>, <\/span>such as chemical recycling. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Promising recent <\/span>initiatives have <\/span>successfully reduced <\/span>PET <\/span>to <\/span>its essential constituents<\/span>, or \u201c<\/span>monomers<\/span>\u201d<\/span>. This will allow us to <\/span>easily <\/span>eliminate colorants, additives<\/span> <\/span>and any impurities, <\/span>which <\/span>can <\/span>then themselves <\/span>be reused in a <\/span>completely <\/span>closed loop. <\/span>Su<\/span>ch<\/span> <\/span>process<\/span>es<\/span> would <\/span>vastly reduce the amount of difficult-to-recycle <\/span>PET packaging<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>which <\/span>usually end<\/span>s<\/span> up in landfill <\/span>or <\/span>leak<\/span>s<\/span> into <\/span>the <\/span>marine environment<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

But d<\/span>espite many successful laboratory tests, today<\/span>\u2019s <\/span>chemical <\/span>recycling<\/span> sector <\/span>is still small<\/span>–<\/span>scale, and <\/span>requires innovation and investment for <\/span>it to have a positive impact in the industry and on the environment<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Packaging producers and brand owners<\/strong><\/p>\n

P<\/span>lastic packaging <\/span>manufacturers are in a position to reduce both <\/span>the weight of packag<\/span>ing<\/span> <\/span>and i<\/span>ncrease the amount <\/span>of rPET <\/span>used <\/span>in its production. <\/span>The efficiency of <\/span>plastic packaging has been continuously improved<\/span> over the years<\/span>: <\/span>a<\/span> 1.5<\/span> <\/span>litre PET bottle <\/span>weighed <\/span>75<\/span>g in the 1980s<\/span>;<\/span> <\/span>today it weighs <\/span>23g. <\/span>This <\/span>light<\/span>–<\/span>weighting<\/span> save<\/span>s<\/span> resin, energy, and CO2 emissions over the course of the <\/span>entire <\/span>life<\/span>–<\/span>cycle of the bottle<\/span>,<\/span> from production to delivery to the consumer. <\/span>And t<\/span>hanks to modern technical capabilities and investment in the latest equipment, packaging manufacturers can <\/span>now <\/span>produce bottles from 100<\/span> per cent<\/span> rPET.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Plastic packaging producers, in collaboration with food and beverage producers, <\/span>should<\/span> strive to improve packaging recyclability. <\/span>And by scaling back the use of <\/span>colourants and additives, <\/span>they can <\/span>contribute to an increase in collection quotas and the quality of recycled PET<\/span>, <\/span>even if <\/span>it means reducing <\/span>the attractiveness and uniqueness of packaging design<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Governments<\/strong><\/p>\n

Governments must <\/span>both <\/span>provide a clear legislative framework to stimulate the collection and <\/span>recycling<\/span> of plastic<\/span>, <\/span>while making <\/span>rPET use <\/span>ec<\/span>onomically attractive to manufacturers.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

EU directives are key criteria for regulating plastic packaging legislation in European countries. Without the efficient collection and recycling of plastic waste, the quality and quantity of rPET will not reach the <\/span>targets<\/span> established by the EU Directive. Improving the quality and increasing the <\/span>collection of <\/span>polymer packaging will make recycling economically attractive, <\/span>which means <\/span>the effective collection of plastic is <\/span>an <\/span>important <\/span>step<\/span> in the development of the circular economy.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Consumers<\/strong><\/p>\n

EU <\/span><\/span>d<\/span><\/span>irective<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> also impose obligations on EU member states to raise <\/span><\/span>both <\/span><\/span>consumer awareness of environmental <\/span><\/span>plastics <\/span><\/span>pollution<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span>consumer participation in solving <\/span><\/span>it<\/span><\/span>. After all, consumers <\/span><\/span>of<\/span><\/span> plastic packaging should also take responsibility. Each bottle left on the beach or thrown into the wrong bin affects the level of environmental pollution. It is important to be consistent and adhere to the values \u200b\u200bof a developed society: to sort and dispose <\/span><\/span>of <\/span><\/span>waste properly.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Everyone!<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is necessary <\/span>that we both halt the entry of <\/span>plastic<\/span>s<\/span> into <\/span>the ecosystem<\/span>, and eliminate the existing consequences of <\/span>the poor handling of <\/span>polymer packaging. This <\/span>is a <\/span>global problem <\/span>that <\/span>cannot be solved without the <\/span>support<\/span> of developed countries. The participation of private companies in<\/span> clean-up<\/span> activities will reduce the environmental <\/span>impact<\/span>, and <\/span>publicising <\/span>these actions <\/span>via <\/span>media <\/span>campaigns <\/span>will attract new volunteers<\/span>,<\/span> and <\/span>highlight to consumers <\/span>the importance of taking care in handling packaging waste.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The boundaries of our environmental impact are wider than we imagine. We must all take responsibility inside <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>and, where possible<\/span>,<\/span> outside<\/span> \u2013 <\/span>our direct sphere of influence <\/span>if we are <\/span>to see the result we need.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE SOLUTION: A SHIFT TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY The circular economy \u2013 where rPET becomes the raw material for the production of new packaging \u2013 is an exciting and elegant solution to the challenges facing the packaging industry. According to expert forecasts, the demand for polymer packaging will only continue to grow, as it is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":6364,"menu_order":42,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/single-pet-fact.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6339","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.retalgroup.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.retalgroup.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.retalgroup.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.retalgroup.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.retalgroup.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6339"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.retalgroup.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7252,"href":"https:\/\/www.retalgroup.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6339\/revisions\/7252"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.retalgroup.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.retalgroup.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}