Recycle and Reuse
A SatNav for BPF’s Journey The journey to a net zero future is long and hard - and can often be a rocky road to travel. However, out of all the confusion and darkness there is often some light at the end of the tunnel – hopefully it is not the headlamp of an oncoming express. Prof. Edward Kosier of Nextek gives us some useful Sat-Nav tools to help us reach our net zero destination. Kosier begins by taking us through some background data to our current situation. The majority of his latest paper is covered here: “If we were to crunch the data relating to our future on this planet and reduce it to one meaningful headline it would be that in less than 9 years time, we will have exceeded the 1.5 degree increase on pre-industrial temperature levels we have been seeking to avoid. We are on the edge of the tipping point as we continue to voraciously consume 3 planets’ worth of resources. “Whilst crunching the meaningful data let’s also consider that by 2040 the world will be producing 400 million tpa of plastic, which, will equate to 20% of oil production. Around the same year our global population will reach 9.2 billion people. This leads us to address the pressing issue of food waste. As it stands, we waste 35% of food annually - plastic plays a vital role in preserving food and therefore reducing food waste. What this means is that if we are to impactfully address our carbon targets we must hone our focus on managing plastic in a way it has never been managed before - as a resource rather than waste. This will require significant and systemic changes across the plastics ecosystem. So, what is society as a whole going to have to do to shift the needle over the next five years?”
“ we must hone our focus on managing plastic in a way it has never been managed before - as a resource rather than waste ”
SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING NEWS
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