As there are many benefits to plastics, including reducing food waste and preventing product damage, banning them outright would not be the answer.
Anthesis helps companies to explore the issues and challenges around plastics and identify how they can be tackled in a strategic and sustainable manner.
Why is plastic now a business focus?
The years since 2017 have witnessed a wave of pledges and position statements from manufacturers and retailers around their plastic reduction targets.
The scale of the plastic problem, including microplastics, in nature and the environment has become so substantial that imminent commercial and legislative action is necessary if we are to overcome this issue.
If we continue to take a ‘business as usual’ approach to plastics, especially single-use applications, we are going to end up with increased levels of plastics produced, more plastic in the environment and increased reliance on fossil fuels, which is only going to be exacerbated as society develops and populations grow.
As a society, it seems that we are now at a point where real action can no longer be put off if we are to tackle this problem and if businesses are to continue sustainably.
Which plastics are being targeted?
As there are many benefits to plastics, including reducing food waste and preventing product damage, banning them outright would not be the answer.
The main instigator of this problem is single-use plastic, which is packaging or consumer products that are thrown away after one brief use. Single-use plastics includes all products that are made wholly or partly of plastic and are typically intended to be used just once and/or for a short period of time before being disposed of. Examples include takeaway boxes, bubble wrap, coffee cups, plastic cutlery and balloons.
How to tackle the plastic challenge
Tackling this challenge is complex and requires careful thought on number of competing levels, across all points of the supply chain.
We can help you to start the journey, define your strategy and mobilise your team to support your business goal. We can also help you understand what impact any new legislation, such as a deposit return scheme, may have on your business.
It is clear though, that addressing the issues in your organisation can have multiple benefits, including opportunities to innovate, secure customer loyalty and safeguard your supply chain.
Why Anthesis?
We are a global sustainability organisation whose core business is to provide commercially relevant services. With an array of experts covering a diverse field of service areas, we can tap into a wide range of knowledge banks and experience to provide solutions to your business problems.
This is particularly important when dealing with plastics, which is a complex issue cutting across a number of disciplines we deal with directly, such as resource efficiency, waste management, recycling and circular economy, supply chain and responsible sourcing, packaging, sustainable chemistry and data analysis.
