“Plastic is not the enemy”: Veolia report reaffirms pivotal role of recycling

08 Jul 2020 --- When recycled properly, plastics can provide the lowest carbon emissions of available packaging materials, according to a new report commissioned by Veolia. Entitled “Examining material evidence: The carbon fingerprint,” the 15-page report analyzed over 70 life-cycle assessments (LCA) of plastics, revealing that if all plastic was recycled, it could result in annual savings of 30 to 150 million metric tons of CO2 emissions – equivalent to shutting between eight and 40 coal-fired power plants globally. This is particularly important considering that only 9 percent of plastics are currently being recycled worldwide.

“Plastic is not the enemy – disposal or loss in the environment is, and we should set up suitable recycling schemes around the world. There is no target group to blame. Everyone has a responsibility to adopt part of the solution. Consumers, manufacturers, local authorities and waste companies all need to do their bit in this supply chain,” Richard Kirkman, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Veolia UK and Ireland, tells PackagingInsights.

“We support system change for extended producer responsibility (EPR), tax on virgin plastics and the waste hierarchy. The right regulation provides the right business models to ensure we deliver a circular economy for plastic as we have for paper and metals,” he continues.

The report delineates the impacts of plastic pollution when not recycled: “Plastics do have a large carbon impact – accounting for 3.8 percent of global greenhouse gases emissions – but it is wrong to assume that alternative packaging materials would perform better, and it is important to consider the carbon benefits that arise from plastics use,” the Imperial College-published report asserts. Only 9 percent of plastics are currently being recycled worldwide.

For plastics, recycling saves between 30 to 80 percent of the carbon emissions that virgin plastic processing and manufacturing generate. Moreover, if all plastic bottles used globally were made from glass instead, the additional carbon emissions would be equivalent to 22 large coal-fired power plants, which could produce “enough electricity for a third of the UK,” says the report., 

“This is not to say that there are not cases where the opposite is true,” the report acknowledges. For example, using glass milk bottles throughout local supply chains “makes sense carbon-wise.”

Can we “recycle our way out”?
The report details that recycled plastic is more expensive than virgin plastic, meaning that the future plastic packaging tax announced by the UK government will be a “key initiative” to drive the market. It is also well-positioned to increase its recycling infrastructure and ultimately improve plastics’ recycling rate. 

Recycling can also play a key role in stopping plastics from entering the marine environment. “Once collected, the chances of plastic waste entering the environment are reduced or at least there is clear accountability in what ultimately happens to plastic waste. While it is not the only way to address the packaging conundrum, we can – at least in part – recycle our way out of this problem,” the report reads.

Several environmental NGOs have suggested that recycling alone cannot solve plastic pollution nor provide a silver bullet. Notably, global consumers lack the required confidence in recycling and collection infrastructures, according to a Hi-Cone report’s findings. According to an April Tearfund report, reusable and refillable packaging applications are the way of the future.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola announced in January that it would not stop using plastic bottles completely due to steady consumer preference. The debate shifted away from plastic reduction per se and more toward effective recycling and waste management..

Tapping into Innova Market Insights’ top packaging trend for 2020, “The Language of Environmental Sustainability,” Coca-Cola Sweden swapped its brand logo for “Recycle me again” messages on fully recycled bottles in February.

By Anni Schleicher