Page 41 - Plastics News May 2023

FEATURE

has guided EU policy in this area since sustainable and circular economy • Softer regulation for the reuse,
1975. by 2040. “The revision of the Waste repair, and remanufacturing of

According to this report, steady but Framework Directive is a critical step products as well as clarity for
slow reductions in emissions will in achieving that goal,” she said. industry on the environmental
spend our carbon budget too soon. The White Paper also presents an performance required of reuse
‘Achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) accompanying blueprint for a policy systems.
emission reductions at the speed and framework that will drive these chang- • Greater consistency in the scope
scale we need will mean significantly es effectively and at scale, harnessing and application of extended pro-
reducing our material consumption by the power of the single market to give ducer responsibility (EPR) and a
moving from an inefficient, material- businesses confidence to invest in the more granular recycling hierar-
hungry, linear economy to a circular new business models necessary to de- chy that characterises ‘high qual-
one that keeps materials in use for as liver prosperity and profitability while ity’ recycling.
long as possible. reducing material consumption. • A supportive environment for
A genuinely circular economy would “Unless we make EU policies fit for rapidly decarbonising the treat-
mean far less extraction and use of purpose we can’t shift away from ment and disposal of waste.
virgin resources, with a focus on a current inefficient linear take-make-
service economy that keeps products waste economic models,” Joan Marc
and materials in circulation for as long Simon, Director-Founder of Zero
as possible, making full use of digital Waste Europe pointed out.
technology, systems, and data to man- He added: “It’s imperative that the
age th use of materials and products. EU makes it easier and cheaper for
According to Cecilie Lind, CEO of citizens, businesses, and organisations
Handelens Miljøfond the White Pa- to make the right choices.
per demonstrates the urgency of re- The White Paper proposes a short-
thinking our approach to materials term revision of the WFD - by 2026-
and waste policy in order to build a to provide:

Extended Producer Responsibility: The key to unlocking a sustainable future

hatever happened to the now As Antarctic Ocean currents head for on life. Our fate is in our own hands.
Wrarely deployed adage, one collapse, do we have such little regard People, the planet and profit-seekers
man’s trash is another man’s treasure? for what we’re playing with? The question that arises more than
Every thread you pull in the fabric of While we ignore siren voices, as most is, ‘How can businesses balance
everyday life shows you something tempting as it is to put this nightmare the circular economy while running
new about the intricate patterns of the out of our minds, the challenge we a traditional business and keep their
teeming landscape we call our world. now face is to sustain our fragile hold customers in the bargain?’

Unfortunately, moments of affirma-
tion are a rarity in sustainable packag-
ing. And this transition to sustainability
is incredibly difficult to do when you
look at it through a purely capitalist
lens. Especially when it’s a new con-
cept to a business. The best way to
balance sustainability with traditional
business is to look at it from a con-
scious capitalist perspective – operat-
ing ethically while pursuing profits.

PLASTICS NEWS 41
May 2023