This document discusses moving towards a circular economy for plastics. It outlines the current challenges with different types of plastic packaging, including flexible films and laminated plastics which have poor recycling infrastructure. For rigid bottles and containers, it notes there is infrastructure but no incentives for brands to use recycled content. It proposes solutions like advanced sorting technology, harmonized collection, and incentives to increase recycling rates and use of recycled materials. Overall the document advocates for systems changes, new business models, improved reverse logistics, and designing packaging for circularity.

1. CIRCULAR ECONOMY
FOR PLASTICS
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
MARCH 2015
LOUIS LINDENBERG
THE DUTCH CENTRE

2. Packaging Sustainability
Look back to 2010

3. Improving Health
&Well-being
Enhancing
Livelihoods
Reducing Environmental
Impacts
HEALTH &
HYGIENE
NUTRITION GREENHOUSE
GASES
WATER WASTE
SUSTAINABLE
SOURCING
BETTER
LIVELIHOODS
Reduce diarrhoeal
disease
Improve heart health
Improve oral
health
Improve
self-esteem
Provide safe drinking
water
Reduce salt
Reduce saturated fat
Remove trans
fat
Reduce sugar
Reduce calories
Reduce GHG from
skin cleansing &
hair washing
Reduce GHG from
washing clothes
Reduce GHG from
manufacturing
Reduce GHG from
transport
Reduce GHG from
refrigeration
Reduce water use in
agriculture
Reduce water use in
laundry process
Reduce water use in
skin cleansing &
hair washing
Reduce water use in
manufacturing
Recycle
packaging
Tackle sachet waste
Eliminate PVC
Reduce waste from
manufacturing
Reuse packaging
Reduce packaging
Sustainable
palm oil
Sustainable paper &
board
Sustainable
tea
Sustainable
fruit & vegetables
Sustainable
soy
Sustainable
cocoa
Help smallholder
farmers
Support micro-
entrepreneurs
Sustainable
sugar, sunflower oil,
rapeseed oil & dairy
Provide healthy
eating information
Our thinking then

4. MORE WASTE
More People More Consumption More Packaging

5. Strategy focuses on:
- Resource efficiency
- Embedding circular
design principles
Strategic partnerships
with EMF and various
Academia / Universities
to underpin the
approach.
Reduce
Re-think
+
Reuse / Recycle
Recover
Packaging Re-thought

6. Packaging Sustainability
From… To…
Circular Economy design
Today’s and tomorrow’s technology
Business solution for Sachet waste
a corporate priority
Focused recycling effort on specific
materials in relevant geographies
Renewed waste ambition
Many packs not recyclable
Today’s technology
Sachets a risk
Small scale approach to recycling

7. GAME CHANGING
TECHNOLOGY
Develop reduction and
regenerative
technologies which are
radical
TRANSFORMING
MARKETS
Open up technologies
to move the entire
industry
Packaging Sustainability
DESIGN FOR
CIRCULAR
ECONOMY
Move from product
design to systems
design
RECYCLING &
RECOVERY
Collaborate for
maximum value –
businesses, the
environment and
society
Resource reduction & next use strategic thrusts

8. Packaging Sustainability
FLEXIBLE FILMS AND
LAMINATED FILMS
• Poor to no infrastructure
• Some mono-layer
materials are recycled
• At best end up in waste 2
energy
• Very little investment in
industry solutions
RIGID / SEMI RIGID
CONTAINERS
• Fair infrastructure
• Most cascaded into lower
value propositions
• No common industry drive
to generate find harmony
• NO INCENTIVE for brands
to develop / re-use
recycled content
RIGID BOTTLES
• Good infrastructure
• PET & HDPE highly
collected
• More can be done on B2B
to improve circularity
• NO INCENTIVE for brands
to re-use recycled content
Our perspective on the current situation

9. Packaging Sustainability
RIGID BOTTLES
• Good infrastructure
• PET & HDPE highly
collected
• More can be done on B2B
to improve circularity
• NO INCENTIVE for brands
to re-use recycled content
What can be done
• Increased consumer messaging (public & private)
• Investment in advanced sorting technology
• Colour batching
• Circular rather than cascading
• Consider financial mechanisms to incentivise the
use of recycled content

10. Packaging Sustainability
RIGID / SEMI RIGID
CONTAINERS
• Fair infrastructure
• Most cascaded into lower
value propositions
• No common industry drive
to generate find harmony
• NO INCENTIVE for brands
to develop / re-use
recycled content
What can be done
• Harmonious nationwide collection
• Investment in advanced sorting technology
• Investment in developing higher quality recyclates
• Consider financial mechanisms to incentivise the
use of recycled content
• Increased consumer messaging (public & private)

11. Packaging Sustainability
FLEXIBLE FILMS AND
LAMINATED FILMS
• Poor to no infrastructure
• Some mono-layer
materials are recycled
• At best end up in waste 2
energy
• Very little investment in
industry solutions
What can be done
• Invest in high output value technologies i.e.
chemical recycling
• Investment in sorting technology – mono, multi and
composite materials
• Intense consumer messaging campaigns
• Incentives to use maximum amounts of recyclates
• Public / private “discovery” schemes

12. Systems conditions
- conflicting legislation,
- conflicting infrastructure,
- conflicting messaging
New business models
- financing mechanisms,
- collaborations,
- supply-chain
Reverse logistics
- EPR & Kerbside collection,
- Retailers collection,
- Consumer habits
Designing for circularity
- material choices,
- combinations,
- disassembly

13. The
Circular Economy
in the
Asia Pacific Region
www.keepasiabeautiful.org