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Pls Advice, The first synthetic plastic was produced in 1907, however its. mass production started in 1950 to a tune of 2 million tonnes per year, which has become around 400 million tonnes by 2023, that is indeed some progress. The truth that I have faced is that plastic is inescapable, however much one tries to be anti-plastic. In this heat one has to have water, and you are the least culprit if it's a 1 litre bottle because " Market Segmentation " & " Product Mix " teaches us that the product has to be available to the user as he pleases where he pleases and when he pleases. Any conference hall, any wedding hall or any public gathering one can see these smaller size bottles aplenty. We have known all this story for some years now, and data shows recycling is also increasing on a year on a year basis. But the rate of production is increasing at a much rapid rate the graph attached shows that by 2060 we would have crossed 1 billion tonnes of synthetic plastic. The problem and solution are staring at each other, this standoff is killing the bystanders. it's unfortunate but it's the truth. Plastic cannot be used in construction apart from pipelines due fire hazard, kitchen products might not be welcomed for logical reasons, Furniture seems to be the best viable product out of recycled plastic, this would be a two edged sword as it saves trees and kills plastic. But will you buy !? Keeping in mind the markup. I particularly don't have any grudge against plastic or specifically single use plastic they help me get vegetables, drink water in it, make anything waterproof etc. The issue started when it came to dispose of it. My mother would not let me throw it away, she would always keep all the polythene covers stacked in another big polythene cover. Where and when they were used I was kept oblivious of till today😃, now this tradition is being vehemently continued by my better half. So, I'm unable to escape plastic yet, if you have. " PLS ADVICE "

I feel you on the plastic struggle - it's become so ingrained in our daily lives that it's hard to avoid completely. But you're right, the environmental toll can't be ignored any longer. On the social side, we need better eco-friendly alternatives that are just as convenient and affordable as plastic. Reusables help, but they're not a total solution. Maybe there's an opportunity for innovative plant-based or biodegradable materials to finally go mainstream. You also make a good point about recycled plastic furniture. If companies can find ways to make it durable, stylish and reasonably priced, I could totally see people getting behind that. Reducing new plastic production while repurposing existing waste? That's the kind of circular economy approach we need. No easy answers for sure. But the more we have real discussions and get creative about sustainable solutions, the better chance we have at getting plastic under control before it overwhelms the planet. I'm keen to explore ideas if you want to riff more!

👨🎓 Packaging Complexity Series - Ep.5 ▶ The Chocolate Plastic Box 🍫 🎄 With the Holiday Season just around the corner, let's cover today a classic and iconic holiday season special, with another eye-opening visual by Mme & M. Recyclage ♻️ ✅ Recycled ❌ Not recycled 1. #Polypropylene (#PP) box ✅ 2. #PET Tray (divider) ❌ 3. #Cardboard ❌ when left in the box / ✅ when separated  4. #Paper ❌ when left in the box / ✅ when separated  5. Foil Wrapper ❌ #Aluminum Foil #PP sticker 6. Adhesive Tape ❌ Modified #PP Glue #PET Film 7. #PP Sleeve ❌ Modified #PP Glue Ink (Pigments + nitrate cellulose) 8. #PP Film ❌ 📊 Facts and numbers ♻ #Polypropylene is widely recyclable ( 5️⃣ ) and has been used since 2021. Before that, Ferrero used #Polycarbonate ( 7️⃣ ), which is not curbside recyclable. A significant step forward. 📉 They have also reduced the #plastic content by 40% with their new design (16-piece box). In 2 years, that's about 6,000 tonnes of plastic reduced, i.e., 360 million 0.5L plastic bottles equivalent. 🔬 Oxygen and Moisture barriers are performed through the different plastic parts of the box, while the aluminum foil adds the light and heat barriers that contribute to preserving the chocolates's freshness and shelf life 🤔 Although PET (used for plastic bottles) is the most accessible recyclable polymer, PET trays can't be put in the same recycling stream as PET bottles because they contain a wider range of chemical additives. The manufacturing process makes them more brittle, so when they go through the grinding and washing process to produce flakes, they tend to fragment, and much of the material is lost along the way. 🌍 It is estimated that Ferrero is selling about 4.8 BILLION Rochers every year in 42 countries (3.6 Bn in 2016) Sources: Mme & M. Recyclage ♻️ https://lnkd.in/ens9WQJQ https://lnkd.in/eDpSsaSz. Ferrero reports #recycling #plasticrecycling #plasticwaste #chocolate #chocolatebox #aluminium #aluminum #zerowaste #sustainablepackaging #landfill #gifts #christmasgifts #holidayseason #plasticindustry #packagingsolutions #packagingdesign #packagingengineering 🔔 Follow me to see more posts like this ↩ Share to reach more people Source Green

Have you ever noticed the number marked on bottles and other plastic products? (Part 1) Recyclable plastic is often marked with a small recycling symbol printed on the bottom and a number stamped in the middle of the symbol, ranging from 1 to 7. The number is a resin identification code created by the Society of the Plastics Industry to identify the chemicals contained in each plastic item for the separation process. #1 - PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) PET is one of the most widely used plastics in consumer products, featuring in most water, carbonated beverage, and pop bottles, as well as certain packaging. This material is heat-resistant up to 70℃, making it suited only for warm or frozen beverages. When plastic is recycled, it is reprocessed to manufacture new PET bottles or polyester fiber. Textiles made from recycled fiber include fleece garments, carpets, pillow stuffing, and life jackets. It is designed for one-time-use applications; repeated usage raises the risk of leaching and bacterial growth. Scientists discovered that after 10 months of usage, the plastic may emit carcinogens and become harmful to humans. #2 - HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) HDPE plastic is a rigid plastic that is used to create milk jugs, detergent and oil bottles, cleaning and bath goods, toys, and some plastic bags. HDPE is the most often recycled plastic and one of the safest types of plastic. HDPE plastic is extremely durable and does not degrade when exposed to sunshine or high temperatures. As a result, HDPE is used to manufacture picnic tables, plastic lumber, waste bins, park benches, truck bed liners, and other items that require toughness and weather resistance. Products manufactured of HDPE are both reusable and recyclable; hence, recycling HDPE plastic for secondary usage is a reasonably easy and cost-effective technique. #3 – PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) PVC is a soft, flexible material that is used to manufacture common raincoats, building materials, teething rings and a wide range of consumer products. It is widely used as a sheathing material for computer cables, pipes and plumbing parts, and garden hoses. Because PVC is resistant to sunshine and weather, it is used to manufacture window frames, garden hoses, arbors, raised beds, and trellises. #4 – LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) LDPE is commonly used in shrink wrap, dry cleaner garment bags, squeezable bottles, plastic shopping bags, apparel, and furniture. LDPE is regarded as less hazardous than other polymers and is relatively safe to use. When recycled, LDPE plastic is converted into plastic lumber, garbage can liners, and floor tiles. Products created with recycled LDPE are less hard and rigid than those made with recycled HDPE plastic.  In food applications, PE wrap typically melts at temperatures above 110℃, resulting in plastic preparations that cannot be decomposed by humans. The fat in the food can easily breakdown the hazardous compounds in the plastic wrap.

Many many users are confusing on identify material grade of plastic products. In fact it is really a big headache problem for procurement personnel and users to know that how to identify quality of plastic products with reasonable prices. Due to many varieties of plastic raw materials,And too complicated properties,So unless you're a professional,It’s too difficult to understand fully knowledge about all aspects of plastics.Just looking at those terms may be foggy,And suppliers or companies guarantee their product quality is the best.Under this conditions,How to choose? Here we offer a few simple methods for identifying plastic pallets' grade : 1st. Appearance: 100% Virgin material Plastic Pallet  Smooth,No burrs. Uniform color,No black spots,,Impurities. Brightness normal and harmonized. Toughness,And slightly elastic. No obvious crack when trampling or beating corner. Remark:Picture below for reference. Plastic Pallet Appearance When Plastic Filler Added: Plastic filler like talcum powder (white) is very cheaper than new raw material (white).After added,Can make plastic pallet surface gloss look brighter.As the saying goes,It’s not normally bright,But also reduce the cost of production.Many people mistakenly believe that the plastic pallet is new or 100% original material,In fact the plastic pallet service life is shorter,And hard to reach related loading weight.Even worse than plastic pallet made with a part of recycled material. Plastic Pallet(Recycled Material,Or Some Part Recycled Added) Dark in color,Some black spots and impurities existing,which means part of recycled material added(Picture below for your reference). Very dark,So Many many black spots and impurities existing,which means 100% recycled material. Crack happens when trampling or beating corner,Material is brittle and inflexible. 2nd, Flavour 100% Original material Plastic Pallet ,odorless or just flavour of plastic resin. Plastic Pallet made of recycled Material,Odor or irritating odor 3rd,Shape As the plastic pallets of raw materials (PE / PP) of the hot and cold shrinkage is a fixed parameter, so the new material of the plastic pallet will shrink to the middle part, both sides will droop, so both sides of plastic pallets will be slightly lower than the middle. Although different producers control shrinkage at different level, but it is impossible to aviod shrinkage in process of producing big injection molded parts such as plastic pallets. if plastic pallets are very flat and completely no deformation, then you have to consider it is not really plastic pallet made of virgin material.

𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗬𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗦: 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗚𝗢𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗘 𝗜𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗞𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗡? (Most of us tend to have at least one) 𝙏𝙃𝙍𝙊𝙒 𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙈 𝙊𝙐𝙏!!! The inimitable Judith Enck from Beyond Plastics gives an articulate and sobering argument why these articles should NEVER feature in your kitchen (I use wood or metal). Although black plastic makes up 15% of all plastic recyclables (largely single-use food containers), the vast majority is not recycled because the infrared technology used by recycling facilities to sort plastics cannot “see” the color black. As a result of this failure, most black plastic items end up in our landfills, incinerators, oceans and rivers after just a single use. Due to the lack of recycled black plastic, the demand is often met using e-waste (discarded electronics like old computers, phones, TVs, monitors, speakers, and appliances) that contain toxic chemicals such as phthalates, flame retardants, and heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, nickel, chromium, and mercury. These chemical-laced plastics are melted down, mixed with food grade plastics and turned into children’s toys, single-use utensils and coffee stirrers, hot cup lids, cooking implements, insulated mugs, jewelry, garden hoses, and holiday decorations, among other items. Although existing safety regulations limit the amounts of these chemicals and metals present in electronics, there are currently NO government regulations covering the safety of recycled black plastic items. Therefore, high levels of toxic chemicals that are prohibited in your laptop or phone are perfectly legal in your black plastic fork, spatula, slotted spoon, or hot cup lid. A 2018 University of Plymouth study found toxic chemicals present at up to 30 times the levels considered safe in a full 40 percent of the black plastic toys, thermoses, cocktail stirrers, and utensils tested. Please pass on and share... A simple move for your health and that of your loved ones https://lnkd.in/eTBnQw5Q Amanda Ellis Katarina Kohen Vermilye Marie-Laure Schaufelberger, CFA Rajesh Chandy Christopher Large Alexis Eyre Georgia Elliott-Smith Dr Fiona Pathiraja-Møller Sarah Jeffs Katell. Le Goulven, PhD Bianca Pitt Cindy Forde Esmeralda de Belgique Mamta Borgoyary Natalie Sifuma Florence Miller

#Climate #Sustainability #CircularEconomy The power of female-led entrepreneurship, Rethinking packaging, and the use of natural materials to replace fossil fuel based materials. Khushboo Gandhi runs ‘Go Do Good’, a Pune-based startup that repurposes agro-waste and finds innovative alternatives for single-use plastic. “We work with an array of raw materials like natural pigments, seaweed, and coir to make eco-friendly inks and bubble wraps, along with providing insulation alternatives made from coconut and wool waste. We have also created an eco-friendly coating which replaces the laminated paper,” she says. With her company ‘Go Do Good’, she has replaced up to 10 tonnes of single-use plastic, printed 1.5 lakh products with eco-friendly inks, replaced 7 tonnes of bubble wrap with biodegradable coir, and repurposed 5 tonnes of agro-waste." “I’ve also been raised to live in a sustainable manner. I used to save little ribbons from gifts.” “I saw leftover plastic like sachets being burned near a water stream. It really hit me how deep-rooted the problem had become. This needed to be solved,” “There are multiple types of plastic used for different applications. For example, ink printed on the packaging is toxic as well, and contains heavy metal additives, synthetic chemicals, and paraffin waxes. So even if you have a compostable material, you have to print on it with regular, toxic ink.” “Similarly, people fail to notice layers of plastic lamination on packaging and the synthetic glue used in the sticker industry. These are the areas we strived to work on,” “We have also utilised heavy coconut coir that are usually used to make mattresses, rugs, or doormats. This offers excellent cushioning properties for fragile products and acts as a direct replacement for bubble wrap. We also use tamarind seeds to make water-based glue and are replacing the toxic ink with our eco-friendly ink that has been developed from seaweed and natural pigments,” “Seaweed has a polymer structure and behaves very similar to plastic in terms of stretchability, flexibility, and transparency. It can go back to the planet much more easily.” “These materials allow everything that is on the package and inside the package to be 100 percent biodegradable. and compostable at home. So, tomorrow when you’re done using the product, you can dump it in your backyard and it will compost within 30 to 45 days,” she adds. ..The price difference is also at par with only a 10 percent difference." "It took time to make way through the packaging industry as it’s a male-dominated industry. As a female founder, you really have to be very headstrong in terms of leading the company.” Bubble Wrap From Coir? Woman Uses Seaweed For Sustainable Packaging: https://lnkd.in/eyYUzRuU #responsiblebusiness | #sustainablebusiness | #Seaweed | #packaging

Growing up I have seen my mother use only metal cooking utensils. It is only in the last few years that non-stick and/or plastic utensils have come into use. Little did anyone know (except those who make such plastics) that non stick utensils are simply plastic, and thus laced with toxins. Why do we really need non-stick utensils or plastic ones? Were we unable to cook eggs before such products existed? Were idlis and dosas not made in iron utensils for hundreds of years without sticking to the pan? As if this wasn't enough, recycling is being promoted as THE solution, without making the public aware of the fact all recycled plastics tend to be more toxic than non-recycled plastic due to additives of synthetic and toxic chemicals. Time to throw out all the teflon and plastics from the kitchen!

We need much more research to understand the full implication of recycling. Recycling is not, and will never be the solution to our plastic pollution crisis but we need a comprehensive approach that focuses on plastic reduction as the main feature. As COPCO we promote plastic substitution for certain applications, especially those that can not be reduced, reused or recycled. We also promote compostable plastics for plastics with food contact, agricultural plastics and plastics in the marine environment.

🤯 Can we Cancel this Can? I have seen many pieces of packaging that are 100% NOT designed for recycling, but this one is pretty high on the list. The debate between #aluminum and #plastic is everywhere, but these cans (PET body + PET label + aluminum top) seem to offer the worst of both worlds: ❌ Not #recyclable (very difficult to separate both materials, even mechanically) ❌ Require a shrink-sleeve plastic label (printed #PET, not closed-loop recyclable) ❌ Cannot be stacked one on top of another (bottle-shape bottom) ❌ Heavier than aluminum cans (10-15g vs 20-25g) ❌ Lower barrier properties (light, oxygen, moisture) ❌ Shorter shelf-life ✅ ...but slightly cheaper ($0.11 vs $0.14 basis 10,000 units) ⚖ Is #regulation the only solution to make brands choose options genuinely designed for recycling if multi-material plastic options always remain cheaper? It's not like there is no alternative; aluminum cans were there long before plastic bottles or cans. ♻ #Recycling is a low-margin business. If we want to grow and scale plastic recycling worldwide, we need to make recyclers' lives easier, not harder. Aluminum cans are not perfect, but they are by far the most widely recycled beverage (70-75%). So, let's not reinvent the wheel. 📣 Brands, marketers, packaging designers: we can do better than this! #circulardesign #circulareconomy #plasticrecycling #sustainablepackaging #beveragepackaging #aluminium #plasticbottles #greenwashing