Time for nature on World Environment Day
People around the globe are today recognising World Environment Day and its theme “Time for Nature”. Amongst the aims, it pushes for:
- Individuals to think about the way they consume.
- Businesses to develop greener models.
- Farmers and manufacturers to produce more sustainably.
The event’s website features some tips on how we can help protect biodiversity from chemicals and waste on World Environment Day, as “the world reconsiders its habits during the current pandemic”. The tips include:
- Avoid single-use plastics and try to limit your consumption and unnecessary waste.
A parallel message is that a “plastic-free world” is not necessarily one that is “environmentally better”. This is amplified in the BPF’s document “Understanding the Debate About Plastic” that also repeats the key message:
- The enemy is not plastic, it is plastic waste.
The World Environment Day stories and the BPF’s document help to provide a greater appreciation of how we can act #ForNature
Visit the World Environment Day website >>
Read Understanding the Debate About Plastic >>
Get the “Designing for a Circular Economy” guidelines
The “Designing for a Circular Economy” guidelines from CEFLEX are now available to download, consult, and apply.
In response to the question “Why is it so important to achieve a circular economy for flexible packaging?”, Graham Houlder, CEFLEX’s project coordinator, says: “Life without flexible (plastic) packaging is both unimaginable and undesirable.
“Unimaginable because flexible packaging offers functionality and convenience simply not deliverable by other packaging materials.
“Undesirable because all the alternative packaging solutions would result in a significant increase in both the resources used in product’s packaging and in its carbon footprint to deliver similar functionality.”
Read more about the role of design in a circular economy >>
Get the guidelines >>
YOUNG VOICES RAISED FOR RECYCLING
Kids driving war on waste at home
School-aged children are driving recycling and sustainable thinking in households, according to a survey of parents. The poll by the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA) found that:
- 41% of parents believe their children are pushing for recycling at home.
- 43% claimed they had a “telling off” from their offspring for not making more of an effort on recycling.
Find out more >>
Don’t throw on the go …
The children may also be hammering home the message “Don’t throw on the go … hands up if you know where used bottles need to go.”
Promoting the message from Pledge2Recycle, the BPF has also reminded LinkedIn users that “Plastic bottles can be recycled into all sorts of items, such as packaging, car components, furniture, building materials, paint pots and even kerbstones.”
See on LinkedIn >>
CONFUSION AROUND PLASTIC – THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE NOT SO UGLY
- Is bio plastic good for the environment? Universiteit van Vlaanderen looks at what the science says.
Load the video >> [make sure you turn on the English subtitles!]
- An array of associations, including the BBIA and RECOUP, is calling on the Government to implement a total ban on oxo biodegradable plastics.
Find out more >>
- The terms “biopolymer” and “'bioplastic” are currently widely used but they can be the source of misleading information and confusion for the consumer.
The BPF provides clarity >>
- Black plastic may be back as the perception of the dark colouring AND recycling technologies are changing.
Packaging Europe takes a fresh look >>
Milestones for chemical recycling
The next five big milestones for turning chemical recycling of plastics from a promise into an industrial solution have been explored by Neste, the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel and jet fuel refined from waste and residues.
Accepting that there is no one silver bullet for solving the global plastic waste challenge, the milestones have been identified by Heikki Färkkilä, Vice President Chemical Recycling, Renewable Polymers and Chemicals at Neste. They are:
- Alliances of forerunner businesses and consumers demonstrate that chemical recycling is possible.
- The first medical products, food packages, and toy cars made of recycled plastic hit the shelves.
- Legislators catch up with technology, and chemical recycling is included in recycling targets.
- As the cost of chemical recycling sinks, plastic waste becomes a money-maker.
- Recyclability becomes an essential part of what we value as consumers —and hence a core principle for new product design.
Discover more >>
The MAP route to fresher products
Food manufacturers are increasingly seeking ways to keep their products fresher for longer, especially as consumers are shopping less frequently but buying more during the coronavirus pandemic.
One solution is Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), for which we have a range of suitable lidding films.
Neil Hansford, UK & Ireland Freshline Applications product line manager, Air Products and Chemicals, has told Packaging News that: “MAP is an established and effective technology proven to extend the shelf life of packaged foods, naturally and without preservatives – giving it an important role in reducing food waste.”
Read more >>
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST …
British supermarkets’ boycott warning
British supermarkets have warned Brazil they might have to boycott its products if lawmakers there pass a contentious bill that could enable faster destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
Full story >>
From the KM team … Stay Safe, Keep up the Good Work, Help Others.