By John Richardson
MORE than 40 years after the launch of the first universal recycling symbol, only 14% of plastic packaging is collected for recycling. When additional value losses in sorting and reprocessing are factored in, only 5% of material value is retained for a subsequent use.
Plastics that do get recycled are mostly recycled into lower-value applications that are not again recyclable after use.
The recycling rate for plastics in general is even lower than for plastic packaging, and both are far below the global recycling rates for paper (58%) and iron and steel (70–90%).
This kind of data will play an ever-greater role in shaping the public’s attitude to the chemicals industry, and thus government policies. Here are three of the reasons why:
- Older people tend to be more cautious and more conservative as they lose their “can do anything” optimism. Globally, there will be one billion plus over-55s alive over the next 30 years that would have been dead a hundred years ago, thanks to the big improvements in healthcare.
- Next there are the younger people in countries with ageing population, who a.) Are not filled with the same “can do” optimism of their parents and grandparents because of reduced economic prospects and b.) Are much more environmentally conscious, thanks to greater scientific evidence about the negative impact of plastic waste and man-made climate change.
- Many of the countries that make up the emerging world have youthful populations. But here, the negative impact of plastic is only too visible. The emerging world is also financially poorly-equipped to deal with the floods and droughts resulting from climate change – hence, its firm commitment to COP21.
Plastics also do a great deal of good, of course, from providing much of the equipment in a hospital to preserving food. The list of the positives also includes the roles that plastics play in insulation in buildings and reducing the weight of automobiles – thereby reducing Co2 emissions.
But the chemicals companies that are not sufficiently “Demand-led” are going to lose out in the New Normal. They will lose not only money, but also perhaps even their licenses to produce, unless find innovative solutions to the plastic waste challenge, whilst also developing new products and services that better tackle society’s Basic Needs.