SOLUTIONS WITHIN REACH
The
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2023 brings a wide range of research and innovation activities from the Revolution Plastics team . This snapshot of projects shows the potential for far-reaching impact .
Towards reuse as the new norm
Much of the current conversation focuses on improving recycling . Yet there are a host of reasons why reuse must be at the heart of the world ’ s transition to a circular economy .
Each time an item is reused instead of a single-use plastic item , we reduce pollution . By keeping that item in circulation past its sustainability break even point ( the point after which the environmental impacts per use are less than its single-use equivalent ), we reduce the cost to the environment of the energy and materials used in virgin plastic production . Crucially , we also reduce the need for recycling , which leaves an unavoidable – albeit lesser – environmental footprint .
The Revolution Plastics team is looking closely at the changes required to make reuse an integral part of a fully functioning circular economy . The goal is a world in which , wherever possible , all single-use materials are replaced by reusable items , particularly packaging , in coherent systems , which work from local to global scale .
The team ’ s research highlights the importance of creating reuse systems tailored to specific contexts , standardised designs for reusable items , and logistics arrangements that make reuse systems easy for consumers to work with . Reuse will largely be made possible by systemsfocused thinking . For example , any form of reuse system needs consideration of how to return the item at the end of its use . This is easy in closed venues , such as sports or music events , where the purchase and end-of-use location are the same . Returning the reusable item is much more difficult when the end-of-use location is at home or on-the-go .
The researchers envisage reuse hubs where many different types of packaging – not just plastics – would be sorted , cleaned and redistributed . Logistics companies could be well placed to diversify into providing such services . Conversations with stakeholders around the world suggest that multinational businesses , such as supermarkets , have potential to help lead the way by replicating new systems at scale , across territories . Revolution Plastics will continue shaping the conversation – and the solutions – to help make reuse the new norm .
PHOTO : JASMIN SESSLER / UNSPLASH
38 REVOLUTION PLASTICS / 2023