Page 42 - Plastics News May 2023

FEATURE

Understanding ‘why’ is the north star packaging that can be recycled, those shows what can be done.
of any business about to embark on who drive the anti-waste agenda and Wrongfully, some organisations are
this journey. Sustainable workplaces those declaring today’s recycling is being vilified for trying to make mean-
are built on discipline and strong data fundamentally broken. ingful changes in the face of rapidly
just as much as raw ambition. So, while many businesses keep rein- changing regulatory environments,
Sustainability is about having good in- venting the wheel and trying to devise which are becoming increasingly com-
tentions backed by well-informed, dil- ways of doing things and doing them plex. That is where working with a
igent actions. Thankfully the carefully badly, the EPR approach has been specialist organisation with unrivalled
crafted tools and well-honed exper- tried and tested worldwide. Our mis- experience comes in. We can help to
tise we offer, more than occupy that sion remains to rise above this con- show you a robust business case for
space in many organizations. fusion and advocate for progressive each packaging element you want to
We know that a smart, strong recy- change! change.
cling policy like EPR can provide the However, there are so many exam- No more time wasting
resources needed to bring necessary ples of how failure o set common Packaging waste is a historical prob-
change to recycling infrastructure and standards and ensure delivery at pace lem that isn’t going to go away. Food
move us closer to a circular economy. and scale continues to undermine the packaging from 40 years ago regularly
It can provide a sustainable funding rollout of sustainable solutions. washes up on beaches, yet it doesn’t
source for our recycling systems and Guiding businesses towards change seem to bring about anything near the
make them more efficient. And it is What chance do we have when con- required step change in thinking.
good for a business’s bottom line. It’s sumers, or the public, look to some Further delays to progress on con-
a shame everyone isn’t open to this of these businesses for a good experi- sistency are no surprise but calls for
necessary fix. ence of the green transition? the process to be scrapped are disap-
Change is scary. But this is so sorely The current economic pressures are pointing. Suppose we will go ahead
needed to move forward. So, it’s time no doubt causing business issues and with the ambitious reforms proposed
we stopped the fearmongering and it’s not surprising that eyes may have by EPR, shifting the cost burden for
got it done. been diverted elsewhere. But we collections from Local Authorities to
Seeing Aldi CEO Giles Hurley recently have come to understand how this producers (and consumers). In that
stick his head above the parapet and plays out. case, we must have consumer-facing
speak up on environmental legislation Why not make your goal full transpar- consistency regarding what people
was heartening. The retail sector has ency of all materials, processes, part- can and cannot recycle. Even at the
responded slowly to climate change, ners and facilities used from materials most basic possible level, there is no
but having now played a part in its to finished products? The direction of consistency in bin colour and mean-
perpetuation, it can now help absorb travel is clear. What have you got to ing. The tone for successful optimisa-
its impact. lose? tion of EPR policy must be so vividly
A revolution is on the horizon, with The incentive for brands is only in- set.
companies caving to consumer pres- creasing, but what about the motiva- We’ve had everything explained and
sure to improve processes and prove tion for consumers? We cannot wait been offered evidence. We model
that they are adopting sustainable for everyone to care, actively priori- the future and the changes needed.
practices. But when you consider the tise sustainability and afford the pre- We have shown the differences and
UK’s credibility as a nation working miums often associated with more highlighted the delusion of some. But
towards any form of sustainability, environmentally conscious products. confident changemakers are too few
instances of intervention, such as this We need to aim to make the sustain- and far between.
from the fourth-largest UK supermar- able product and pack the go-to op- So, the next time you buy from a
ket are few and far between. tion regardless of motivation. brand, please remember you can
People have debated the merits of re- Encouragingly many of our clients dictate to the markets what you will
cycling from the kitchen table to the have started taking steps; some are and won’t accept. Remember those
editorial pages for decades. Many of many miles into the journey, but that contributed to the troubled jour-
the misconceptions are born out of spending time with these organisa- ney of EPR policy and actively swam
the tug-of-war between brands, re- tions and their committed people against the tide.
tailers and manufacturers in designing

42 PLASTICS NEWS May 2023