Chemicals and Advanced Materials’ Post

There’s an Explosion of Plastic Waste. Big Companies Say ‘We’ve Got This.’ "...a new generation of recycling plants, called 'advanced' or 'chemical' recycling, that promise to recycle many more products than can be recycled today." "So far, advanced recycling is struggling to deliver on its promise. Nevertheless, the new technology is being hailed by the plastics industry as a solution to an exploding global waste problem." "...many of the new generation of recycling facilities are turning plastic into fuel, something the Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t consider to be recycling, though industry groups say some of that fuel can be turned into new plastic." #sustainability #plastics #recycling

The race against plastic pollution is on, and the stakes are high. By 2025, big players like Nestlé aim for all plastics to be recyclable, while L’Oreal targets entirely sustainable packaging. P&G has set its sights on reducing virgin plastic use by half come 2030. Yet, the ambition to transform our waste systems is meeting tough challenges. Advanced recycling plants, seen as a beacon of hope for managing plastic waste, are facing technical and operational hurdles, with some not reaching their full potential as swiftly as needed. My approach combines innovation with the circular economy principles, emphasising the need for community and corporate social responsibility involvement. I collaborate with global corporations, philanthropists, local governments, and communities to develop holistic waste management infrastructures that are viable and sustainable. While advanced recycling plants are part of the solution, they're just one piece of the larger puzzle of creating a truly circular economy—one where every piece of plastic has its place and purpose without harming our environment. I’m encouraged by the commitments of large corporations to reduce plastic waste and increase recyclability, but I know the journey to a waste-free world is complex. How can we build resilient systems that honour our environmental commitments? I’d love to hear your thoughts. #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #PlasticPollution

#Blogpost: Post Plastic Recycling Limit --------------------------------------- Curious about what happens to plastics after recycling? Explore the lifecycle of plastics, their limits, and how communities are creatively reusing waste in our latest blog post—your guide to understanding and addressing plastic pollution!

Plastic is cheap, versatile, durable and has become ubiquitous in packaging, consumer products, and industrial applications. However, its durability has become a double-edged sword and this is exacerbated by the global reliance on single-use plastics—items such as bottles, straws, and food packaging, which are used once and discarded. To address this, a multifaceted approach is necessary including innovations in recycling technologies to help drive a net zero economy. Plastics Europe is committed to addressing concerns about plastics and being part of the solution to enable a sustainable future that makes plastics circular, drives lifecycle emissions to net zero, and fosters the sustainable use of plastics. There is no ‘silver bullet’ solution to significantly reduce waste disposal and GHG emissions, but a key action to remediate the current lack of high-quality waste needed to drive circularity is to foster ‘design for recycling’, which would limit complex product designs with hard-to-separate mixed materials. This will create a sustainable plastics system that continues to meet consumer and societal demands whilst supporting the transitions of many downstream industries and remains a strategic asset for the European economy. #GoingForward #Circularity https://lnkd.in/gGvYNqvY

🌱 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲🌍 The recycled plastics market is experiencing rapid growth, driven by increasing awareness of environmental sustainability and circular economy principles. Recycled plastics are derived from post-consumer or post-industrial plastic waste, which is processed and reused in various industries. 𝑮𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒐𝒑: https://lnkd.in/gV9Vf-ig Key Market Drivers: 🌿Environmental Concerns: With heightened global concern over plastic pollution and its impact on marine life and ecosystems, there is a growing demand for sustainable alternatives. Recycled plastics help mitigate environmental damage by reducing the need for virgin plastics and diverting waste from landfills and oceans. 🌿Regulatory Initiatives: Governments worldwide are implementing stringent regulations and policies to promote recycling and reduce plastic waste. These measures incentivize businesses to adopt recycled plastics in their manufacturing processes, fostering a more sustainable supply chain. 🌿Technological Advancements: Innovations in recycling technologies have improved the quality and consistency of recycled plastics, making them viable alternatives to virgin materials in various applications, from packaging to construction. 🌿Consumer Preference: Consumers are increasingly choosing products made from recycled materials, driving market demand and influencing corporate sustainability strategies. 🌿#Major_players operating in the recycled plastics market include Alpek (Mexico), Biffa (UK), Cabka (Germany), Far Eastern New Century 遠東新世紀 (Taiwan), Indorama Ventures PCL (Thailand), JAYPLAS (UK), Loop Industries, Inc. (Canada), MBA Polymers Inc. (US), Plastipak Holdings, Inc. (US), Republic Services (US), Stericycle (US), Veolia (France), and others. Browse the report- https://lnkd.in/gXyjKphS #recycledplastics #plasticrecycling #greeninitiatives #recycleandreuse #plasticwaste #reducereuserecycle #plasticpollution #wastemanagement #recyclingindustry #plasticfreefuture

5 Stats on Plastic Recycling and ‘Circularity’ Investments: 1. $32 billion was the recent yearly average investment in plastics circularity From 2018 to 2023, global investments in plastics circularity totaled $190 billion, averaging $32 billion annually, with over half in North America. Despite these investments, this is far below the $1 trillion needed yearly by 2040 to reduce global plastic mismanagement. Most funding came from banks, followed by corporations, private equity, and others. Only 6% of investments reached "emerging" economies hardest hit by plastic pollution. 2. 82% of global plastics circularity investments are going to recovery and recycling Investments were still heavily skewing toward plastics recovery and recycling between 2018 and 2023, according to the Plastics Circularity Investment Tracker. Just 4% were tracked to refill and reuse, one example being PepsiCo’s more than $3 billion acquisition of SodaStream International in 2018. 3. The global economy is 7.2% ‘circular’ That’s down from 9.1% in 2018, “meaning more than 90% of materials extracted are either wasted, lost, or remain unavailable,”. BofA Global Research projects that “plastic consumption, waste, emissions and leakage” could rise by 50% to 70% by 2040 as global use of the material grows. 4. The US residential recycling rate for PET bottles is now 28% The statistic was featured in an August report from the PET Recycling Coalition, a brands-backed initiative of The Recycling Partnership. Since 2022, the coalition has worked to increase the capture of PET bottles; widen acceptance of trays, cups and clamshells in community recycling collection programs; unlock new supplies of recycled material for packaging manufacturers; and strengthen recycling systems of pigmented and opaque material. 5. Plastics Pacts globally have increased recycled content by 44% That’s according to a six-years-in impact report on the Plastics Pact Network from WRAP (the U.K.’s Waste and Resources Action Programme) and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. According to the report, the first such pact launched in the U.K. in 2018, and pacts now cover 19 countries, where members collectively account for one-third of the plastic packaging placed on the market in those nations. #PlasticRecycling #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #ZeroWaste #hubbaLtd

"Plastic producers have known for more than 30 years that recycling is not an economically or technically feasible plastic waste management solution. That has not stopped them from promoting it, according to a new report. The research draws on previous investigations as well as newly revealed internal documents illustrating the extent of this decades-long campaign." I've been a proponent of the 3R philosophy (Recycle, Reuse, Reduce) and to have stumbled upon this article while browsing my daily dose of news, was distressing. It's a horrendous allegation on the plastic industry, which if proven, would be a scathing blow to the international public trust in the sustainability campaigns and pledges doled out by the companies and governments. #plastic #recycling #sustainability #wastemanagement

🌍 At Viridor Polymers, we are driven by the vision of achieving full circularity in plastics recycling by 2025. A recent report from Greenpeace UK and Everyday Plastic underscores the urgent need for innovative solutions in tackling plastic waste. 🔍 The report reveals that UK households discard approximately 1.7 billion pieces of plastic packaging weekly, a staggering 90 billion pieces annually. Only 17% of this is recycled domestically. This aligns with our focus at Viridor Polymers, particularly after our strategic acquisition of Quantafuel AS, which enhances our capabilities in transforming plastic films—a traditionally challenging material—into valuable resources. 🔄 Our pioneering plastics-to-liquids technology not only supports the transition to advanced recycling methods but also emphasises our commitment to removing plastics from the waste stream. This significantly mitigates the climate impacts from Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities, reducing the reliance on virgin plastics and fossil fuels. 🌱 Greenpeace highlights strong public support for reducing plastic production by at least 75% by 2040, a goal that aligns with our mission. We are committed to leading the way to a sustainable future by developing effective recycling and reuse systems that meet the public’s demand for sustainable solutions. Viridor Polymers remains committed to advocating for significant reductions in plastic production and the adoption of global targets that support a circular economy. 🔗 Join us in this crucial journey towards sustainability. We are excited to set new standards in the industry, demonstrating that through innovation and collaboration, we can tackle the plastics crisis effectively. #PlasticRecycling #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #Innovation #ViridorPolymers #Greenpeace #EverydayPlastic #GlobalPlasticsTreaty https://lnkd.in/dAezbzYV

Plastic recycling: A panacea or environmental pollution problem   As the article emphasized, increasing plastic waste is a critical global challenge to ecological and human health requiring focused solutions to reduce omnipresent plastic pollution in the environment. While recycling has been touted as one solution to counter plastic waste and resource utilization, it has been largely ineffective in offsetting the impact of rising global plastic production of more than 400 million metric tonnes annually, due to low global recycling rates of only 9%. Over three decades since implementing plastic resin codes, recycling has favoured thermoplastics, neglecting thermoset plastics. There is a constant need to enhance overall recycling efficiency by exploring advanced methods, as enormous gaps exist in fully unlocking the potential of plastic recycling. The authors of the article identified critical gaps associated with plastic waste recycling and its potential environmental impacts. They discussed some progress in recycling technology, designs-for-recyclability with controlled chemical use, and economic incentives to expand markets for recycled plastics and to curb plastic leakage into the environment. Additionally, it was highlighted some emerging strategies and legally binding international policy instruments, such as the Global Plastics Treaty that require further development to reduce plastic waste and improve plastic recyclability.   #waste, #plasticwaste, #recycling, #chemicalrecycling,  #environment, #circulareconomy https://lnkd.in/gcBCQeeJ  

🌍 Unwrapping the Plastic Waste Problem 🌍 In the 1940s, the chemical industry promised society a "bright future molded in plastics.". Less than an average human lifetime later, plastic has become one of the most pressing environmental issues on earth today. 🥤 🍫 ♻ At Hitachi Ventures, Jan & Tobias have spent the past 12 months exploring the plastic recycling market. Dive into our findings and discover: 1️⃣ Barriers to Adoption: Understand what has hindered the widespread adoption of recycling methods in the past. 2️⃣ New Opportunities: Learn why now is the perfect time for novel recycling methods to emerge. 3️⃣ Market Landscape: Explore the current market landscape and the exciting innovations on the horizon. 🔗 Click to read more and join us on this journey towards a sustainable future! https://lnkd.in/d8FBs5J2 #Circularity #Plastic #Recycling #HitachiVentures