The new packaging economy we strive to create is complex in implementation. Many stakeholders have to align — consumers, businesses, Non Government Organizations (NGO’s) and Governments — in order to move toward the same targets. I continue to try to sort through what we can do both as an individual and as a company to help a more circular alignment.
I try to think about the complexity in a way that is understandable, is actionable and is able to be communicated to others. There is a lot of ways to think about circularity.
The three “re” words — reuse, reduce and recycle — are likely the most widespread means of thinking about circular flows.
I like to think about three ”L” words to supplement the “re” words.
Litter: In a perfect circular economy, there is no litter and no waste. Waste from one process is a feed-stock for the next. Feed-stocks have value and assigning value incentivizes collection. A bottle on the side of the road could be seen as $2 dollars, a wrapper on the sidewalk or a straw in the parking lot — a quarter waiting to be picked up. The value would come from manufacturers requesting it to make new things. The incentive for manufacturer to choose recycled materials over new materials likely has to come from consumer demand or government mandate until the price differential between the two is eliminated. If at some point, all waste was viewed and treated as a resource with value, litter could begin to decline in volume.
Labeling How do we know what to do with packaging when we are done with its use? If every package was clearly labeled with what to do with the package at end-of-life, the package would have the best chance to remain in the economy. The labeled package would more easily be collected and sorted to serve as a feed-stock for the next product. Without labels, packages likely drop out of the economy and wind up in landfills, incineration or the natural environment.
The How2Recycle labeling system seeks to provide end-of-life direction. Its aim is to capture packages through proper labeling. (https://how2recycle.info/) Brands send their packaging to How2Recycle for evaluation and they in turn receive a label to use on their package to better inform consumers. A few examples of How2Recycle labels:
UPC codes and nutritional facts were once absent from packages. Over time, both were standardized to provide a better shopping experience. UPC codes drastically increased the speed at check out and helped the store control material flows through more accurate inventory. Nutritional information gives consumers more data on which to base their buying decision.
Standardized end-of-life labeling for the package itself through a system like How2Recycle would help advance material circularity.
Laws Retail carry-out bag bans are an effective way to reduce the use of a package that in many instances can be replaced by a reusable option. For packaging where reusability is not an option and a package is needed for descriptive, safety, transport or protection reasons, laws enacted towards more sustainable materials would help create a more circular material flow.
What is an example of a more sustainable material? The most popular is likely Post-Consumer Recycled content (PCR). Material is pulled from the consumer waste stream and re-purposed to make new packaging. By mandating a percentage of the material is PCR, a demand is created for the collection, sortation and sale of what was previously viewed as waste. There are other sustainable materials that would benefit from government mandates for increased use.
EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) is another means the government can aid in circular packaging material flows. EPR can take on many forms. Generally speaking, EPR puts some of the financial burden of packaging waste on producers. Packages that are made from more sustainable sources like PCR and have a defined end of life recovery stream like recycling in curbside bins would be less financial burden for producers to put on the market than a package made strictly from fossil fuels and is not recyclable at the end of life. The end of life cost of collection and sortation for some packaging exceeds the recovery value of the package itself. EPR is a means to bridge the gap and make the economics work for more complete packaging circularity.
The three “L’s” are overly simplistic but they do offer a means to think about some action items. Litter is more directed at consumers, Labeling is more for companies and Laws for governments. All three acting together is what is needed to create a better system — a more circular system.