WHEN MORE MEANS LESS Plastic packaging does not add to the world’s environmental burden
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Transcript of WHEN MORE MEANS LESS Plastic packaging does not add to the world’s environmental burden
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Plastic packaging does not add to the world’s environmental burden
• Plastic packaging means less waste, less energy, fewer resources, less cost and lowest environmental impacts
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Retail packaging under unprecedented attack
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Modern storage and distribution systems reduce spoilage
• In the less developed world up to 50% of all food is wasted between harvest and home. In a ‘packaging-oriented’ society wastage is reduced to around 3%
50%WASTE HARVEST TO HOME
3% FOOD CHAIN WASTAGE
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Plastic reduces waste by extending shelf life
• Extended shelf life means less preservatives plus extended life in the home
LONGER ON THE SHELF LONGER IN THE FRIDGE
LONGER LIFE AT HOME
• Research shows that shrink wrap extends the life of a cucumber on the shelf from around three days to more than ten days
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Plastic is the lightest of all packaging materials and has the lowest environmental footprint
METAL CAN
23.7g
CARTONBOARD
24.8g
GLASS 100.8g
PLASTIC 3.1g
Average pack weight per 100g of product
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
plastic film laminates offer major weight savings and resource reduction
• Excellent resource reduction - for goods like fresh-ground coffee
METAL CAN
104 GRAMMES
PLASTIC POUCH
6 GRAMMES
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Reduction in transport, warehousing and associated environmental damage
• Without plastic packaging, a retailer’s vehicle fleet would make 50% more journeys
GLASS JARS
36% IS
PACKAGING
PLASTIC POUCHES
3.56%
IS PACKAGING
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Constant improvements to plastic without sacrificing strength or durability
• The plastics sector takes the initiative to achieve major weight reduction
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Today’s plastic supermarket bag has 70% less plastic than in the 1980’s
• The most convenient and, if re-used, environmentally-sound option for taking goods home
A 70% REDUCTION IN PLASTIC USED WITHOUT LOSS OF STRENGTH
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Plastic protects more than half of everything on your shelf
• Yet plastic represents only one fifth of the weight of your packaging
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Environmental impacts would be far greater without plastic
• Weight of packaging increases fourfold
•The energy for packaging up 50%
• Volume of waste goes go up 60%
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
The packaging we use is reducing compared with consumption
• Household consumption rose by over 20% and GDP by 17%
• Packaging has shown only a 4% growth
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Packaging environmental impacts in the household are minimal
• Production energy for goods has more than twelve times the impact of the packaging that protects them
88Gj
PRODUCTION OF GOODS 63Gj
HOME HEATING 39Gj
FAMILY TRANSPORT
7 GjALL PACKAGING
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Using plastic packaging in Western Europe saves millions of barrels of oil and tonnes of CO2
• Plastic packaging saves Europe 101 million barrels of oil and 42.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions- equivalent to that generated by 3.38 million people
Equivalent to CO2 from
3.38 million people
101 million barrels of oilsaved
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WHEN MORE MEANS LESS
Benefits of weight, volume, cost, energy, lifestyle and environmental impacts
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4: A VALUABLE RESOURCE
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Three Key Issues
THE DEGRADABILITY AND COMPOSTABILITY DEBATE
PLASTICS FROM RENEWABLE RESOURCES
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR PLASTIC PACKAGING
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Conventional plastics already conform to environmental ‘best practice’ hierarchy
• Reduce, re-use, recycle and recover is the official best environmental practice hierarchy RECOVER
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
REDUCE - plastic reduces raw material, energy inputs, transportation, storage and overall environmental impacts
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
REDUCE - Plastic also reduces food wastage through extended shelf life
• Meat stays fresh for twice as long in MAP packaging
• 27% more waste occurs when fruit is not sealed in a tray
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
RE-USE - returnable plastic crates substantially reduce one trip packaging
• Returnable crates have a life of 25 years or more
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
RECYCLE – two key options are mechanical recycling or chemical/feedstock recycling
• Mechanical recycling is straightforward for single polymers which can be returned to high value-added applications
• But technically and economically difficult with mixed plastics packaging
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
RECYCLE – two key options are mechanical recycling or chemical/feedstock recycling
• One option to ship to China for hand sorting
• Another is to produce low value wood substitutes
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
RECYCLE – two key options are mechanical recycling or chemical/feedstock recycling
• Chemical recycling in a German steelworks
• Feedstock recycling back to oil derivatives for fuels, petrochemicals, lube oils
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
RECYCLE – Our industry already recycles more than 450,000 tonnes of plastic every year
• Waste plastic is recycled into damp proof membrane, dustbin bags and long-life products
• Including litter bins and fashion clothing
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
RECYCLE – not always viable for lightweight plastic products
• Small, lightweight food contact packaging may be tainted with food residues
•But re-use in other plastic products is high – for example 80% of households re-use their supermarket carrier bag e.g. for bin liners
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Plastic forms a very small part of the domestic waste stream
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
ENERGY RECOVERY - an important fourth option energy, district heating or waste-derived fuel
• Plastic has more calorific value than coal or fuel oil – yet the UK burns coal for power generation every day and buries plastic
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Plastic is a reclaimable ‘borrowed resource’
•A single plastic bottle will provide enough power to light a 60 watt bulb for 1.5 hours
PLASTIC BOTTLE 1.5 HOURS
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Plastic is a reclaimable ‘borrowed resource’
• Plastic waste has a proven value as waste-derived fuel for power generation and in industrial plants and processes
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Energy from Waste is proven throughout Europe
• Energy from Waste captures energy content, replaces fossil fuel and reduces the volume of waste going to landfill
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Government policy is now changing on energy from waste
• EfW is set to triple in the UK by 2020
•Sites like these across the UK ensure hundreds of thousands of homes benefit from energy from waste
CHINEHAM DUDLEY
MARCHWOOD TEESSIDE
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
We welcome bioplastics to our family of polymers but are they a magical solution for every application?
• Biodegradable plastics can be made from both renewable and fossil resources
• But all conventional polymers can also be made from renewable resources
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Bioplastics offer a renewable resource base for a range of speciality applications
•Speciality applications include mulching film for agriculture or waste bags in closed loop garden waste collections
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
LCA’s however are not always persuasive
Comparison of different plastics for0.5 litre drinks cup
MATERIAL
148
WEIGHT kg ENERGY Gj POST CONSUMER WASTE kg
GG EMISSIONS Kg/CO2 equiv
123
PLA
PS (HIPS)
PET
PP
158
105
14.5
13.3
16.1
9.82
118
98.4
126
84
510
576
719
345
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Bioplastics also require consideration of technical and commercial implications
• Temperature sensitivity
• Brittleness and durability
• Need for laminates for water/fat resistance
• Cost-effectiveness
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
There is also much confusion over definitions
DEGRADABLE?
BIO-DEGRADABLE?
COMPOSTABLE?
OXO-DEGRADABLE?
PHOTO DEGRADABLE?
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Aerobic versus anaerobic biodegradation
Breakdown of organic materials by micro-organisms can occur in the presence or absence of oxygen
Under anaerobic conditions (such as those found in landfill) methane will also be produced
Under aerobic conditions, CO2, water and biomass are produced
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Waste management options for Biopolymers
Industrial Composting (windrow, in-vessel, anaerobic digestion)
Recycling
Home Composting
Suitable for materials certified to EN 13432
Suitable for materials certified to the OK Compost Home Scheme
Includes organic recycling (composting)
IncinerationRecover energy value within biopolymer
Anaerobic Digestion Units (emerging technology)
Creation of anaerobic conditions to generate and capture methane for energy
LandfillThrough anaerobic biodegradation, may createmethane which could be captured for energy butMay also be released to atmosphere
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Industrial and home composting
EN 13432 test protocol comprises: • biodegradation (6 months)
• disintegration (pilot test)
• plant growth and compost quality tests• heavy metals testing
EN 13432FOR INDUSTRIAL COMPOSTING
•Not all materials certified to EN 13432 are suitable for home composting. Additional testing is required under ambient (20˚C) conditions which are found in home composting and waste water environments
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
Degradable plastics which end up in landfill contravene the EU Landfill Directive
• CO2 and Methane can be generated by degradable materials in landfill and composting but conventional plastics remain inert in landfill
• Degradable materials could be banned from landfill
• Degradable materials still have significant environmental/carbon impacts
• GM issues
• Impact on local authority recycling/green waste programmes
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A VALUABLE RESOURCE
In summary - plastics are a natural resource which help reduce environmental impacts
REDUCES MATERIALS AND FOOD WASTE
RE-USABLE AND DURABLE
RECYLABLE FOR LONG-LIFE APPLICATIONS
RECOVERABLE POWER AND HOT WATER
• Plastic offers good waste management options including reduction, re-use, recycling and beneficial recovery