Plastics

Plastics have become an integral part of our daily lives. From ATM cards to IV bags, from sewer pipes to vacuum cleaners, plastics are everywhere. Moreover, they are one of the most important materials to help us tackle climate change. Think of wind turbine blades, insulation materials or infiltration crates for collecting water. In short, plastics make our lives easier, more comfortable and safer. But there is also a downside to all that convenience.

Over 40 percent of all plastic produced is single-use. Every year, due to poor waste management, over 11 megatons of plastic waste remains on land or enters the oceans via rivers. This is predicted to triple in the next 20 years! Most of these plastics do not break down in nature. They remain in the oceans for hundreds of years, often fragmented into microplastics, ending up in our food chains. The effects of this on human health and biodiversity are still unclear.

It is clear: we MUST deal with plastics differently. And circular design plays an essential role in this. The most important thing starts with reducing. We must rigorously eliminate all plastic that we do not need. The rethink strategy is a must here. We must also design packaging to be reusable, recyclable or, in specific cases, compostable. We will increasingly use recycled or biobased raw materials. And we will have to invest heavily in collection and recycling capacity.

Innovation is needed on all fronts throughout the chain. In addition to innovative product design, we also need sorting and recycling technologies (including food - non-food), materials, collection systems and revenue models to accelerate towards a circular economy. On this page, we share what is already happening in the plastics sector in terms of circular design.