What Is Plastic Circularity and Why Is It the Way to Go?

What Is Plastic Circularity and Why Is It the Way to Go?

“We need to stop thinking of plastic as ‘waste,’ but as a renewable resource that needs to be disposed of correctly,” says Helen Jordan of the British Plastics Foundation.

A circular economy is designed to be restorative and regenerative in nature. This means that materials flow continuously around a ‘closed loop’ system, rather than being used only once and then being thrown away or discarded. In the case of plastic, this means keeping the value of plastics in the economy while avoiding its leakage into the natural environment.

A fundamental rethink is necessary to shift society away from the “take, make, dispose of” mindset that has long affected business models. This will entail improving recycling, encouraging reuse, developing a market for recycled materials, and redesigning products with end-of-life considerations in mind.

Read on to learn more about key approaches that can drive the shift towards a circular economy for a more sustainable plastic future:

1. Reinventing Plastic Packaging 

A truly circular economy kicks off with crafting products that use less material in the first place, as well as making their packaging fully recyclable so that it can be recycled into new products.

It is also important to ensure that used plastic bottles can be easily recycled, including caps as there is an increasing need to reinvent the packaging designs to ensure maximum recyclability of the plastic with minimum yield loss. For example, the majority of beverage brands have stopped the use of ink in plastic bottles to ensure better recyclability.

2. Ensuring Awareness amongst Consumers 

Building a circular economy requires a diverse set of players, including businesses, governments, non-profit organisations, and consumers to play their part in the process. Recycling bottles and manufacturing recycled bottles can translate to heavy costs. Consumers play a significant role by bringing in the demand push to support smarter plastic use by paying small premiums towards recycled products.  Necessary plastic awareness can also help them select products made from recycled materials and request more of them. The more people who use recycled materials in their purchases, the more incentive companies will have to use them. 

3. Increasing the effectiveness of government policies, regulations, and commitments to a circular plastics economy

To boost the market and create a new plastics economy, we need the right enabling environment to transform the way plastic packaging and products are designed, used, and recycled. India is now truly moving towards a circular economy as the country’s government has made it mandatory to utilize recycled packaging in all plastic packaging from 2025 onwards, thus helping India move towards a circular economy.

Go Rewise rPET flakes, rPET Chips, and recycled polyester, among other things have been awarded prestigious certifications and are now being extensively used to ensure a better tomorrow!