What is plastic waste-Henning Weigand

Plastic waste, or plastic pollution, is ‘the accumulation of plastic objects (e.g.: plastic bottles and much more) in the Earth’s environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, and humans.It also refers to the significant amount of plastic that isn’t recycled and ends up in landfill or, in the developing world, thrown into unregulated dump sites. In the UK, for example, over 5 million tonnes of plastic is consumed each year — and yet only 1 quarter of it is recycled.

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Re-using – which is a key thing that I have always done-Henning Weigand

A bag from shopping was never just thrown away, it was always always re-used multiple times. And the stronger the bag was, the longer it was re-used. So in reality any decision on packaging needs to be taken through the whole lifecycle of the package taking all aspects into account end to end.

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Reducing and Reusing Basics-Henning Weigand

The most effective way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place. Making a new product emits greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change and requires a lot of materials and energy - raw materials must be extracted from the earth, and the product must be fabricated then transported to wherever it will be sold. As a result, reduction and reuse are the most effective ways you can save natural resources, protect the environment and save money.

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We live in a superficial world-Henning Weigand

Do we live in a world where looks mean so much that we forget what some things truly mean? Have we blinded ourselves with the glitter of new.

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What have we become in our convenience focused society-Henning Weigand

Certainly, it is simple and easy and convenient for us to pick up some food or drink or any other consumable quickly along the way. It is easy to use it and then to throw it away again. Most people – fortunately – still have the courtesy to wait until the next trash can and throw it in there instead of throwing it in any random place from where it easily moves into the ocean leading to the core problem of waste in the ocean, as we face it today. Ideally then the trash is either already pre-separated into different waste types, or it gets separated by smart machines in the background, which fortunately are going through rapid progress in technology.

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For “Reuse”, you need to re-design a package-Henning Weigand

A shopping bag that is used over and over again should not be thin, it should be quite strong to last over a long time. A reusable box, which we take with us to the supermarket to store bulk groceries in. That type of box, which we use again and again needs to be thick and rigid to be washable and reusable. So the downgauging part of “reduce” is not the right approach. Also for recycling facilities, downgauging is a problem. Thick, high density polyethylene (HDPE) is best for recycling, ideally when it comes in a neutral color. A thin bag breaks easily, is difficult to recycle and has a high likelihood to end up in our environment as microplastics. If that happens, a good intention of “Reduce” can lead to an even bigger problem.

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Unfortunately this end to end view so far is seldom seen out there in politics-Henning Weigand

Unfortunately this end to end view so far is seldom seen out there in politics. So far people follow the most simple and best sounding messaging from the party they support (may it be the Greens or Mr. Trump – they all oversimplify), from the NGO to which they donate, or to the brand they buy. Anyone in this chain has a self-interest why they say what they say. Important is to take a step back, take a broad set of factors into account and then make an informed decision. On each individual criteria, that decision will always be vulnerable, as nothing in this world solves all problems. 

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Of course, not having any of that (Reduce) is the best option. Wherever it is possible and it makes sense, avoidingreducing is what we should aim for.

Of course, not having any of that (Reduce) is the best option. Wherever it is possible and it makes sense, avoiding/reducing is what we should aim for. But it’s easier said than done, and we need to be careful, that this is not demanded in a superficial one dimensional view, not taking into account all relevant aspects: If we go away from a single dimension view of packaging waste into a broader view of all the aspects and properties, packaging needs to embody. Not to have packaging is sometimes not an option.

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And the stronger the bag was, the longer it was re-used-Henning Weigand

And the stronger the bag was, the longer it was re-used. So in reality any decision on packaging needs to be taken through the whole lifecycle of the package taking all aspects into account end to end. It is a decision that needs to be made at the start of the chain taking into account what happens at the end of the package.

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What many don’t see is that the “reduce” aspect can hinder recyclability-Henning Weigand

What many don’t see is that the “reduce” aspect can hinder recyclability: When a package is down gauged, e.g. minimizing the plastics thickness, you save CO² and you save cost. It is simple and it’s a fantastic message.

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How plastic waste could become such a problem in nowadays world-Henning Weigand

How plastic waste could become such a problem in nowadays world.  A bag from shopping was never just thrown away, it was always always re-used multiple times. I Henning Weigand 

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Unpacked bulk food naturally tends to have a shorter life cycle, tends to break easier-Henning Weigand

In Germany, there is an increasing number of unpacked stores (Unverpackt). For some products, that makes absolute sense. But it may lead to food getting wasted, because unpacked bulk food naturally tends to have a shorter life cycle, tends to break easier. In times of Covid, where smear infections have become an increased problem, bulk is a risk (e.g. with buffet food)

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Where I grew up, reusing things was always a key thing to do-Henning Weigand

It came naturally, even generations back. Sometimes I do not understand the behavior of some people, but then again we all notice how convenient the use and throw concept is (which increases significantly through online shopping). We never bought and threw after using it once. 

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What are the negative effects of throwaway culture-Henning Weigand

These include impact on land use, biodiversity loss, energy, water consumption, and end of life pollution.

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This throw away culture is not a good development- Henning Weigand

Throw-away culture is an attitude and sad reality that we face today. In days gone by it was not uncommon to mend and reuse items to get maximum benefits out of a single purchase. But those days are far behind us!

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What have we become in our convenience focused society.

It is simple and easy and convenient for us to pick up some food or drink or any other consumable quickly along the way. It is easy to use it and then to throw it away again. Most people – fortunately – still have the courtesy to wait until the next trash can and throw it in there instead of throwing it in any random place from where it easily moves into the ocean leading to the core problem of waste in the ocean, as we face it today.

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Reducing, saving resources and reusing them where possible is not a new concept

It actually is something totally natural in many societies and was a necessary practice, making use of scarce resources. The wealth and prosperity in recent decades, which has distributed progress and prosperity over large parts of the globe has brought along this problem.

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How plastics waste could become such a problem in nowadays world

Where possible, and where the advantages end to end overweigh the disadvantages (e.g. waste of food, hygiene and health – such as viruses, higher CO² footprint for e.g. soy, that has been transported halfway round the globe into Western supermarkets,…). Reducing our packaging to the minimum is a good option, likely the best option. But only, if all relevant factors are taken into account and weighed off end to end. 

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Source - Henning Weigand

How plastics waste could become such a problem in nowadays world

It is something that needs to be tackled from multiple angles. Education is one of the key levers. Another lever is to rethink the end to end concept of packaging. Which brings us into the “Reduce”, “Reuse”, “Recycle” approach of Packaging.

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Source - Henning Weigand

How plastics waste could become such a problem in nowadays world

Of course, not having any of that (Reduce) is the best option. Wherever it is possible and it makes sense, avoiding/reducing is what we should aim for. But it’s easier said than done, and we need to be careful, that this is not demanded in a superficial one dimensional view, not taking into account all relevant aspects: If we go away from a single dimension view of packaging waste into a broader view of all the aspects and properties, packaging needs to embody.

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Source - Henning Weigand

Plastic waste such a big problem

The wealth and prosperity in recent decades, which has distributed progress and prosperity over large parts of the globe, has brought along this problem. By no means do I want to say that this only is a problem in developing societies. Just as much in a developed society, some people just randomly throw away their trash. It is something that needs to be tackled from multiple angles.

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Source - Henning Weigand

Why do countries import waste

Why it's important and why we should do it. Current supporters of global waste trade argue that importing waste is an economic transaction which can benefit countries with little to offer the global economy.

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Source - Henning Weigand

A bag from shopping was never just thrown away, it was always re-used multiple times.

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Source - Henning Weigand

The Health and Safety aspect of circularity

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Source - Henning Weigand

How plastics waste could become such a problem in nowadays world - Henning Weigand

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Source - Henning Weigand

Circularity the waste of the past is the raw material of the future Henning Weigand

 

Personally, I dislike the term “waste”, as it is implying the linear economy mindset, that a pack is “useless” after it has been used. I prefer to consider the “waste” of the past the raw material of the future. In the past we digged material out, made something useful out of it, sold it, used it and put it in the trash bin to be incinerated or to end up in landfill, in the ocean. by Henning Weigand

Avoid where feasible – reuse as often as possible – Recycle, once Reduce and Reuse are not possible Henning Weigand

 You have certainly heard about the guiding principles of sustainable Packaging: Reduce – Reuse – Recycle. The most sustainable pack is no pack, at all, so the best thing we as the Packaging experts can do, is make ourselves obsolete. If a pack cannot be avoided, the next best thing is to reuse it as often as possible (with a pack designed for circularity). In this case aspects such as a return… By Henning Weigand

The Health and Safety aspect of circularity Henning Weigand

 

As we move towards a circular economy with reusing packs and products and recycling the associated materials, we need to be mindful of the Health and Safety, as well as of the Worker Welfare and Human Rights side: Treating “waste” often involves dealing with contamination – for example a used pack which contained Chemicals, including many household products. By Henning Weigand

Design Packaging for circularity | Henning Weigand

 Reduce often is misunderstood as making a pack as light and thin as possible. This is only of advantage in a linear economy, if the pack will end up as waste. Reducing the pack weight usually creates a “use-and-throw” type of pack. The pack is much harder to be reused – we all know that from a thin plastic bag, which might be lighter and cheaper for the supermarket, yet it leads to the consumer throwing it away after single-use, as it breaks easy. 

The same with a one-way coffee cup: Depending on how rigid it is, it can be reused once or if it is made of solid material, it can be re-used multiple times. And with each re-use the end-to-end Carbon footprint and the amount of waste generated drops. So – if we intent to re-use a pack, the initial pack must be solid and rigid to maintain its properties through multiple cycles of re-usage. Once these cycles lead to a deterioration below a certain level, it is time to recycle. Circularity is a key principle of nature. Ashes to ashes – dust to dust – everything returns to where it came from…

Article by Henning Weigand

The Health and Safety aspect of circularity | Henning Weigand

 As we move towards a circular economy with reusing packs and products and recycling the associated materials, we need to be mindful of the Health and Safety, as well as of the Worker Welfare and Human Rights side: Treating “waste” often involves dealing with contamination – for example a used pack which contained Chemicals, including many household products. 

A key aspect to closely monitor through the process is, how the cleaning and treatment of the pack is done by those who are involved in the circular process. Robotics can help here. But in some parts of the world, human labor is used rather than robots. As much as we want our environment to be clean and plastic waste to disappear from our oceans and landfills: It is absolutely crucial to ensure in any circular model, that all minimum standards with regards to Health and Safety of those performing the collection, sorting, recycling activities are ensured. Depending on which part of the planet this is performed, unfortunately this cannot be taken for granted and therefore requires close monitoring.

Article by Henning Weigand

 

Circularity: the waste of the past is the raw material of the future | Henning Weigand

Personally, I dislike the term “waste”, as it is implying the linear economy mindset, that a pack is “useless” after it has been used. I prefer to consider the “waste” of the past the raw material of the future. In the past we digged material out, made something useful out of it, sold it, used it and put it in the trash bin to be incinerated or to end up in landfill, in the ocean. 

In a world of limited resources and a planet under pressure, making something useful out of the former “waste” will be a key aspect to a more sustainable world. Circularity goes way beyond packaging, it refers to all our daily used products, including clothing, cars, mobile phones, etc.

Article by Henning Weigand

Avoid where feasible – reuse as often as possible – Recycle, once Reduce and Reuse are not possible | Henning Weigand

You have certainly heard about the guiding principles of sustainable Packaging: Reduce – Reuse – Recycle. The most sustainable pack is no pack, at all, so the best thing we as the Packaging experts can do, is make ourselves obsolete. If a pack cannot be avoided, the next best thing is to reuse it as often as possible (with a pack designed for circularity). In this case aspects such as a return supply chain and a possible cleaning process and the associated Carbon footprint need to be taken into account. 

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Once a pack has been re-used multiple times and the pack properties deteriorate below a certain level, the third best thing to do is to Recycle, which is a mechanical or chemical process requiring scale, logistics, waste management and treatment. Yet, we need to make sure, we compare apples with apples: In a linear economy, brand owners often do not involve enough yet with what their customers do with the pack after sale, so any follow up cost is not calculated into the business case and carbon footprint case. 

In the case of circularity through Reuse and Recycling the circular collection logistics, treatment and re-distribution and the associated cost and carbon footprint are calculated in. Although normally I am not a fan of regulation, in this case I am convinced it is necessary, to avoid any tradeoff dilemmas to the above. 

These days, governments talk about plastics taxes (EU, Italy, UK, many others…). This is focused on recycling only, although this – in my view – is only the 3rd best option after Reduce and Reuse. 

Why set the incentive only on recycling? Although the intention might be good, it sounds a bit like the intent is to generate higher taxes rather than achieving a true sustainable change. What created a true change are things, which were in place long before: An example are the regulations, which the visionary politician Klaus Toepfer (CDU party) put in place in his time as Germany’s minister for the environment between 1987 and 1994 are still considered a role model across the Packaging world 30 years later. Let’s revive and enhance those. 

 

Article by Henning Weigand