Page 7 - Plastics News August 2018

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T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T THE PRESIDENT

Circular Economy

ncreasingly the concern that what kind of environment the society is going to leave behind
Ifor next generation and what can be or should be done to bring sustainability to our
consumption pattern is being raised by environmentalists across the world. Naturally plastics,
being the most economical material of construction which has bought us convenience, luxury,
food and health safety and whose consumption has grown leaps and bounds is at the centre
of debate. The very fact that the plastics are non-degradable and more often than not end
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A new concept of circular economy is gaining wide acceptance across nations as a possible
solution towards sustainability of consumption and towards better environment for future
generations. Principles of circularity and it’s adoption strategies could lead to a low carbon
foot print revolution, employment creation and wealth generation. The word “Circular
Economy” (CE) represents an alternative and more sustainable model to the traditional Linear
Economy. A linear model follows path of make, use, then dispose. Circular economy on the HITEN BHEDA
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It is currently a popular concept promoted by the European Union (EU), by several national
governments including China, Japan, UK, France, Canada, The Netherlands, Sweden and
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in the world to adopt a law for the circular economy in 2008.

Circular economy is recommended as an approach to economic growth that is in line with
sustainable environmental and economic development. The European Commission recently
estimated that circular economy-type economic transitions can create annual economic
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The idea is to keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from
them even when in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of
their service life.
In developing a roadmap for a circular economy, it is important to ensure that decisions
around appropriate solutions are based on sustainability considered across the entire life
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life cycle is examined.
The unique characteristics of plastics enable them to play a major role towards a more
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help save key resources such as energy and water in strategic sectors that include packaging,
building and construction, automotive and renewable energy, to name a few. In addition,
plastics applications in packaging can help reduce food waste. However, to improve the
circularity of plastics, it is essential to make sure that more and more plastic waste is
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7 August 2018 Plastics News