The Sustainable Plastics Economy

The Circular Economy was created from the idea that we can create sustainable human systems by mimicking the sustainable processes in nature. A methodology to ensure resources flow continually between systems, where the waste from one process becomes a resource for another. The Sustainable Plastics Economy adopts this philosophy and creates a system without plastic waste that can ultimately integrate into nature, and most importantly can be implemented by organizations immediately.

In the plastic industry, the Circular Economy is often mistaken for a rebranding of the “recycling agenda”. Recycling is typically understood as using a waste product to manufacture a similar product; such as using discarded water bottles to manufacture new water bottles. The primary focus of recycling is for plastic to remain in a continual cycle of use and recycling. This interpretation follows the traditional approach of increasing plastic recycle rates without addressing the technical limitations of the material. It also lacks the vision and robustness of the Circular Economy.

The Sustainable Plastics Economy integrates a complete Circular Economy approach with the unique challenges of plastic. It includes the concepts of Sustainable Materials Management by addressing the full LCA impact of various plastic options such as, what types of materials to select, where to source raw ingredients, waste infrastructures, and customary discard scenarios. The Sustainable Plastics Economy creates a dynamic, data driven approach to create a system designed to replicate and ultimately integrate into nature, as intended in the Circular Economy precept.