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million bottles purchased every minute.) When plastic is not recycled it ends up in landfills or the environment, Debus observed.
Plastic pollution, and ocean plastic, in particular, has become a hot-button issue, with a total of 8 million tonnes of plastic ending up in the world’s oceans every year, according to unenvironment.org. And much of plastic ocean pollution is packaging, Debus noted, with nine of the top 10 items recovered by the Ocean Conservancy’s annual coastal cleanup being some form of packaging or fast food dining supplies. Transforming how we design, use and manage packaging products into more systems of reuse will help keep materials out of the environment and maintain their intended purpose over a long period of time.
Population Growth and Resource Scarcity
The imperative for resource conservation through source reduction and reuse has become heightened as the global population grows, and as more people aspire to higher levels of consumption. World population passed 7 billion on October 31, 2011, according to the United Nations. United Nations and a University of Washington study in the journal Science says it’s highly likely there will be 9.6 billion Earthlings by 2050 and a staggering 11 billion or more by 2100.
Total population growing, Debus emphasized, and so is urbanization. He noted that over 80 percent of U.S. people are now urban dwellers. “This trend requires us how to operate in tighter spaces, and how to efficiently move goods and materials in and out of cities,” he said. Innovative reusable packaging systems have been developed to help facilitate the delivery of goods in cities without the generation of mountains of packaging waste.
The imperative for resource conservation through source reduction and reuse has become heightened as the global population grows, and as more people aspire to higher levels of consumption
At the same time, Debus stressed, human consumption of the Earth’s natural resources has tripled in 40 years. A report produced by the International Resource Panel (IRP), part of the UN Environment Programme, says rising consumption driven by a growing middle class has seen resources extraction increase from 22 billion tons in 1970 to 70 billion tons in 2010.
Politics and Economics
Debus is quick to emphasize the EU’s Circular Economy package, as countries in Europe work to increase mandatory source reduction and recycling rates, including those for packaging. Member States will be required to ensure that 65 percent of overall of product packaging is recycled by 2025, and rising to 70 percent in 2030 (within this there are individual packaging materials targets; for example, the target is 30 percent for wood, 55 percent for plastic, 75 percent for glass and 85 percent for paper in 2030).
“We need to look at the management of materials and their reuse in order to prevent waste, so we can better conserve our resources, and in return, we know that effective reuse systems can lead to cost reductions, environmental benefits, and higher-quality products,” Debus stated.
“Pursuing reusable packaging usage isn’t just about helping the environment, it is also helping your business,” he continued. “It becomes a win-win for companies moving into the reusable packaging space. It can help businesses to improve their supply chains while bringing innovative solutions to help mitigate all of these problems around the world today.”
Be sure to visit the Reusable Packaging Association and its members at upcoming trade shows, including PROFOOD TECH 2019, ProMat 2019, and PACK EXPO Las Vegas.
For more information, visit reusables.org and switchtoreusables.org.