The 2020 Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) Advance trade show was entirely virtual this Fall 2020. The September 29 and 30 event had over 30 different sessions all focused on some aspect of sustainability. Here are my takeaways from the 2 day event.
Andrew Winston , author of Green to Gold, was the opening keynote speaker. His presentation included seven reflections. The reflections were not presented as facts but just overall feelings considering this point in time. The 7 are listed below along with some thoughts of mine for each.
Prepare for the exponential. It is easier for most to think about “linear” relationship graphs that tilt up or down in a straight line depending on the relationship between two variables. Exponential graphs are harder to comprehend. The steep curved lines of exponential graphs reveal the rapid increase or decrease of a variable in relation to small changes in another.
The relationship of time and COVID spread, CO2 emissions, ocean plastics and species loss all follow a more exponential growth graph. If we can anticipate where exponential growth may occur, we can better prepare for or avoid the potential impact. Without anticipation, we are stuck with extreme consequences.
Ignore experts at your peril. When we hear the word climate change, it evokes a full range of emotions amongst people from disinterest to high passion. Reliance on experts and data to guide the path forward enable more resilient and cohesive plans.
Respect planetary boundaries. There are limits to resources we can tap. Using renewable energy resources and reusing existing materials (thru remanufacturing, repurposing or recycling) will allow more sustainable life within these boundaries.
Believe we are all connected. When an American made plastic wrapper can be found on the shores of Southeast Asian country or a virus in China can spread to the world in 60 days, our connectivity to one another reveals itself. Believing we are all in this together will help us all work together to a better path forward.
Rethink resilience. For decades, maximizing efficiencies and getting the lowest cost was the overriding priority for materials and goods. The security of supply chains was not a key driver to decision making. The pandemic has forced the security issue to zoom to the top of the priority list. Multiple suppliers (foreign and domestic) in multiple locations increase the strength and resiliency of the supply chain.
Choose future path wisely. Are we now seeking to go back to the way things were or are we seeking to build a new system which works better for more people and for the planet?
People focus. People are the most important thing to consider. People oriented companies have the best chance to lead us into the future.
Andrew’s talk was real, poignant and inspiring. I will refer to his reflections well into the future.
Common themes / Interesting tidbits.
Education Cycles: Read, listen, interpret, communicate, apply and repeat: A sustainable mindset is an ongoing collaborative educational, feedback, action cycle.
Buy recycled content to drive the recycling market.
Think about the cost of convenience.
Cedar Grove composting virtual facility tour showed how compostable materials were made into compost in approximately 30 to 45 days. One insight that came out of the tour was that even if a product is 3rd party certified, Cedar Grove wants to physically test the material in their facility to qualify it. All composting is not the same. Contamination is a huge problem in the industry
Wish Cycling: Some items found in Material Recovery Facilities (MRFF) are not able to be processed because either people are not sure they can be recycled or put them in their recycling bin in hopes they can be. Items like hoses, carpet, cement, flooring, rags. shoes, plastic bags, tires, toothpaste tubes are all items that cannot be processed by most recycling processors. This contamination in the waste stream costs time and money for the processor in order to produce the purest bales for resale.
Recyclability needs to fit 3 criteria to be considered recyclable: Collected efficiently, able to be processed in a recycling facility and has available end markets.
Safe and Circular. Material building blocks need to be safe (non-hazardous) and circular.
The path to big, systemic change is collective action. It cannot be done alone.
Innovation takes many forms—materials, processes, policy, people—all are needed for systemic change.
Two potential drivers to the future of single use plastics are policy and technology. The hope is policy (e.g. data driven, taxation, mandated recycled content levels etc) is coordinated on a wide scale (nations and/or world) and technology (e.g. reusables, emerging polymers, recycling infrastructure etc) converges to support the policy. Both together can result in a world which can increasingly handle waste in a circular way.
I wished I could have attended more sessions. All provided nuggets of information and/or new thinking frameworks to help people and companies join the effort. No thought expressed or action taken is too small.
SPC did an outstanding job of seamlessly allowing attendees to move from virtual room to virtual room to partake in sessions most relevant, to interact with exhibitors and see the overall agenda. While I long for an in person event to gain that closer interaction, the SPC Advance trade show event was a home run! Many thanks!