Reuse Reduce Recycle or Rethink
Below is just a quick introduction to the topic with some very basic observations. This is a difficult subject and very emotive for many people, for heaps of very different reasons. I am going to try and speak from a neutral point of view unless I say otherwise, it’s difficult though.
Reuse
Ok we have all jumped on the bandwagon about being environmentally friendly but out parents and our parents parents were doing it years before we even started banging the drum. Milk used to come in bottles, bottles that were collected and reused. So was pop and beer and loads of other consumer goods. We have got so engrossed in speed and convenience that we have lost site of being able to reuse packaging, especially for its original purpose. I visited http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/ for a little inspiration and found the reuse section quite disturbing with only the good old carrier bag getting reused for its original purpose.
That said there are brand owners and retailers who are working together on things such as POP (Point of Purchase) packaging that is reusable. A good example is coke who supply bottles on pallets that have interleaf stacking trays made of plastic that are returned to coke for reuse, simple. In my opinion designers need to work closely with supply chain and marketing to restart the business to consumer (B2C) reuse of packaging with an easy reference being the not too distant past. After all in France you can take an empty bottle and get it filled with wine, isn’t that a simple enough approach, OK may be too simplistic but you get the idea.
Reduce
This is seen as a quick win, adopted my many governments and enforced on Brand Owners and Retailers. I can see the point in this and it is very simple, reduce the weight and you reduce the CO2 footprint of the transport logistics and all is well in the world. Well perhaps NOT. I did a piece of work for a multinational retailer based in the UK who have bought into the whole reduction and are doing more than necessary to reduce packaging. I was disappointed (understatement) to hear they wanted reduction at ANY cost, never mind the packaging goes from 100% recyclable to 0% as long as it weighs less. Now I am all for reducing superfluous secondary and tertiary packaging or making the over-elaborate box simpler but if you start with something that is 50% recyclable you should end up with something that is lighter and at least 50% recyclable if not greater.
I shall just point out the flaw in this approach and put a hand grenade into the government’s legislation. A paper bag weighs more than a plastic bag, so why tax plastic bags?
Reduction is therefore a good thing and the easiest solution to enforce and gain results from but should not be taken in isolation, CO2 impact, recyclability, supply chain any being fit for purpose surly have to come into the equation as well.
Recycle
- Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the dustbin could be recycled.
- The largest lake in the Britain could be filled with rubbish from the UK in 8 months.
- On average, 16% of the money you spend on a product pays for the packaging, which ultimately ends up as rubbish.
The answer is surly dead easy then, make everything 100% recyclable and the job is done, NO.
OK so may be not job done, we have to think about the situation very carefully. Can the packaging even be made to be 100% recyclable? What are the environmental impacts upstream, does the recycle process use loads of power? What are the environmental impacts downstream, is the raw material from an unsustainable source? Is there a reduction in packaging weight, do you need twice as many trucks to move the same amount of product? Can it be recycled everywhere, does it need to go to one specialised plant in the UK?
The list goes on and on but does show you that we have to think of the bigger picture rather than just try make everything 100% recyclable without thinking.
We have to agree that recycling is one of the ways forward, make a product from a source that is sustainable and make it so can be recycled in as many locations as possible, or that supply chain can easily handle its movement.
I was always a little dismissive about why Brand Owners were doing very little about recycling until an encounter with Nick Brown, Associate Director for Recycling, Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd. He spoke about customer engagement and education and about hitting the right note with the different users of the supply chain. He opened my eyes to the complexity of waste stream management and contamination, I’d always had a simplistic approach. The point is if Coca-Cola can bang the drum and get consumers and councils to buy into the whole recycle movement why are we putting up with others doing less or nothing.
- 9 out of 10 people would recycle more if it were made easier.
Alternatives
I was at a function recently talking passionately about the whole reuse, recycle and reduce issue and a fantastic gentleman came up and said “there is another way”, so just for Barry Twigg, Chief Executive at National Flexible, here are his thoughts.
In the flexable market we have a great amount of none recyclable or contaminated waste (recyclable material mixed with none recyclable or of a different recycle types) that just goes to landfill, this can be used to fuel power stations. Surly it’s more efficient to use this waste as a fuel in the UK than to ship it offshore where it currently goes. I agree with Barry we must look at the alternatives and perhaps start using waste as fuel!
- The unreleased energy contained in the average dustbin each year could power a television for 5,000 hours.
Conclusion
One size does not and will never fit ALL
We need to look at the whole supply chain and come up with solutions that work for individual products, soap powder will be different from milk.
We need to collaborate and share information for the good of the cause, designers, manufacturers and brand owners.
One link in the supply chain cannot effect a change without the buy in of the rest of the chain.
Individuals can and should push for a change, don’t settle for the norm.
If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.
Education of everyone from business to consumers about the alternatives and process will improve the rate of change.
