Your thoughts on the implications of the present way of dealing with packaging materials.

Currently, our approach is linear – we make the packaging, use it and dispose it of. But countries across the globe are increasingly adopting policies to combat pollution and to achieve sustainability. Going forward, the big focus should be circularity, where materials can be kept in a loop, used over and over again. Nothing gets wasted this way. This is where recycling plays a big role. You can recycle a package – say, a bottle – into a different product, a piece of cloth for instance. You can continue to recycle it until it loses its value. Circularity is critical for achieving sustainability goals.

Is recycling the only answer to issues related to end-of-life plastics, particularly packaging materials? What are the other measures that could help achieve sustainability?

We have all been taught about the importance of the three Rs - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Recycling is definitely one piece of the puzzle. But one has to look at packaging holistically. Packaging could potentially be reused many times over. The popularity of reusable cups has been one of the most prominent environmental trends in recent years. Coffee shops are using reusable cups and fast-food chains are introducing reusable cutlery and so on. And then of course, overall reduction in packaging is important as the amount of packaging that’s going into the environment is huge.

What are the major global drivers for creating a circular economy for plastics?

Well, there are several drivers but I will focus on three major ones. The first one is awareness among the public. The second is the aggressive sustainability goals set by major corporations such as PepsiCo, CocaCola, Unilever and so on. The third, the most critical, are the government legislations and regulation. including ban on singleuse plastic bans and mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility. Governments around the world are keen on tackling pollution, plastic in particular.

Do you think legislation is the only way for things to fall in place? Are there any other initiatives that could help?

In addition to legislation, infrastructure development and education are important. Investment in infrastructure is crucial to support collection, sorting and recycling of waste. Further, people should be educated on how to handle, dispose of and recycle packaging.

Considering the demand from the public now for sustainable packaging, do you think banning plastic is a right move?

I’m not in favour of a blanket ban on plastic. We have to look at ways to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic. A blanket ban on plastic too can have an impact on the environment. For instance, plastic packaging plays a crucial role in food safety. If plastic is eliminated from food packaging, it can lead to food waste. The CO2 emission from preparation, transportation and storage of food that eventually goes waste, in the absence of plastic packaging, can, in fact, have a greater impact on the environment. Many countries have banned single-use plastic. This move may work for small island countries, but such a decision should be taken carefully. Policy makers should look at the whole picture. In the United States, some states have implemented bans on certain types of plastic and some do not. The focus there is more towards how to deal with plastic waste rather than to ban plastic altogether.

Talking of commitments versus execution now where do major brands and other relevant entities stand? What are the key driving factors and challenges in recycling packaging materials and achieving sustainability?

Several multinational companies have committed to achieving sustainability targets within the next three or five years. Commitments such as using recycled plastic in their products are hard to achieve within this time window because the availability of recycled plastic is limited. We need a big push in infrastructure investment to be able to get large quantities of recycled materials. Companies have started to realise this and are working hard to rethink the whole supply chain.

What role does the Association of Plastic Recyclers play in increasing plastic packaging recycling and achieving circularity?

The Association of Plastic Recyclers is a premier organisation in the U.S. representing the plastic industry. The APR is the voice of the plastic industry. It works on several fronts related to plastic. The organisation guides companies to design packaging for recyclability using the existing facilities and infrastructure. Through its Demand Champions Program, it encourages companies to use more and more recycled material. It certifies companies for using recycled plastic in their packaging. It has a centralised repository of information on everything related to recycling. The APR acts as a central body that can provide answers and resources to help increase recycling in the U.S. Now it is expanding its reach by including member companies from across the globe.

Where does the plastic industry stand in terms of taking steps to achieve a circular economy? When you talk about circular economy, what it really means is keeping the material at its highest use possible for as many cycles as possible. For instance, if you are able to use a bottle and recycle it back into a new plastic bottle or use it for a similar application, I would say that’s the highest possible use. You can downcycle bottles into a park bench too. As long as the material can be used in its highest possible value application for as many times as possible, that would be circularity. And I think that’s where a lot of focus is going right now.

Where are the gaps in the present models when it comes to actually closing the loop?

 The biggest gap is the supply of the recyclables. When the material is collected and sent to the recycler, a lot of times it’s contaminated because people don’t have the awareness of what should go into the recycling bin, for instance. Education and systematic collection will go a long way in closing the loop.

Any other comments?

 The recycling industry is definitely a prominent one worldwide. There’s been some notion recently that recycling doesn’t work or that it is a greenwash. But I would say that given the amount of work that’s going on worldwide, there is definitely a great future for the recycling industry. The three Rs are important. You can’t just focus on any one side of the problem and hope to solve it. You should have a holistic approach.