Planet under Pressure

edge on the main recycling pathways
(mechanical/chemical recycling) will
not only speed up product development,
but also allow for predicting behavior
within a circular value chain. Integrating
these considerations right from the start
during product development will, in the
future, be a key aspect for the industry
in successfully transforming the value
chain toward a circular economy. The
first center will be located in Pogliano,
Italy, and will focus on product design
and mechanical recycling for polyolefins
in supporting circular product design.
Plastic waste to be considered the
new raw material
Plastic packaging is by far the single
largest challenge to be solved. On the
one hand, it requires the largest amount
of plastic; on the other hand, it has the
shortest lifecycles in use. It accounts for
about 57 percent of the 250 million tons
of plastic waste produced globally every
year, of which only 10–20 percent is recycled,
and almost all of it is downcycled
to lower-value applications. To increase
the recycling rate, it is crucial to preserve
the quality of the plastic resin to enable,
for example, turning a plastic bottle into
a new plastic bottle using recycled plastic.
Many companies and organizations have
already announced concrete targets in
this direction, such as achieving 100
percent recyclability of their packaging
and using between 25–50 percent of
recycled plastic in their packaging by
2025. Achieving these targets will require
a change in collaboration approaches
among partners across the different value
chains in order to create new products
and establish new value chains that
include consumer involvement.
The role of consumers returning
plastic for recycling
On the path to a circular plastics economy,
consumers play an important role.
An extensive education of the global
population is required in order to send
the message that plastic waste is not
garbage, but an important raw material
source for future production. Independent
of the way in which plastic waste is
collected in different countries, the effective
and improved execution of recycling
efforts will be key. Consumers need to be
encouraged to collect plastic waste. This
can be done by creating an easy-to-use
system to collect and dispose of plastic
waste, enabling further economically
viable and feasible processing. With
no collection system in place, plastic
waste ends up in landfills, consumer
acceptance levels will remain low, and
the leakage of plastic waste into the environment
will take place. The success of
establishing a circular plastic value chain
is therefore based on congruent actions
taken by industry, governments, and
consumers. A joint education program
run by the industry and local authorities
will help to create the fundamental
shift in perceptions and understanding
within today’s society. This is one of the
fundamentals of the Alliance to End
Plastic Waste, which Clariant joined,
together with more than 30 companies.
These companies have pledged to invest
more than $1.5 billion in projects
to reduce plastic waste in the environment
by focusing on rivers and oceans,
expanding the recycling infrastructure,
and ensuring the required mobilization
of politicians and society.
Harmonized quality system for
recyclates
One of the fundamental drawbacks of
using recyclates in packaging today is
the availability of high-quality recyclates,
which are compatible with the processing
and quality requirements of brand
owners, converters, and consumers. Recyclates
show reduced quality because of
reduced polymer properties, color, and
odor. Counteracting the quality issues
concerning post-consumer recyclates
(PCR) starts with the packaging design,
for example avoiding different polymer
types in one packaging. Including the
impact on the recycling process in the
packaging design is a new approach
that can only be managed with a good
understanding of the circular value chain.
Value chain cooperations – one of the
key elements of Clariant’s EcoCircle initiative
– will play an important role in
this transition. Additionally, Clariant
is developing solutions for some of the
functional and critical performance issues
with PCR materials through additive
solutions as well as using adsorbent and
detergent technologies to help with the
purification in the recycling process, resulting
in higher-quality PCR. In addition
to product innovation, a harmonized
approach to defining recyclate quality
– similar to how it was done in the
paper industry some decades ago – will
facilitate the purchasing and usage of
recyclates. This will enhance the suitability
of reclaimed plastics for consumer
or industrial goods that are in popular
demand.
Global Goals Yearbook 2020 95