WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Plastic packaging does not add to the world’s environmental burden

• Plastic packaging means less waste, less energy, fewer resources, less cost and lowest environmental impacts

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Retail packaging under unprecedented attack

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Modern storage and distribution systems reduce spoilage

• In the less developed world up to 50% of all food is wasted between harvest and home. In a ‘packaging-oriented’ society wastage is reduced to around 3%

50%WASTE HARVEST TO HOME

3% FOOD CHAIN WASTAGE

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Plastic reduces waste by extending shelf life

• Extended shelf life means less preservatives plus extended life in the home

LONGER ON THE SHELF LONGER IN THE FRIDGE

LONGER LIFE AT HOME

• Research shows that shrink wrap extends the life of a cucumber on the shelf from around three days to more than ten days

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Plastic is the lightest of all packaging materials and has the lowest environmental footprint

METAL CAN

23.7g

CARTONBOARD

24.8g

GLASS 100.8g

PLASTIC 3.1g

Average pack weight per 100g of product

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

plastic film laminates offer major weight savings and resource reduction

• Excellent resource reduction - for goods like fresh-ground coffee

METAL CAN

104 GRAMMES

PLASTIC POUCH

6 GRAMMES

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Reduction in transport, warehousing and associated environmental damage

• Without plastic packaging, a retailer’s vehicle fleet would make 50% more journeys

GLASS JARS

36% IS

PACKAGING

PLASTIC POUCHES

3.56%

IS PACKAGING

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Constant improvements to plastic without sacrificing strength or durability

• The plastics sector takes the initiative to achieve major weight reduction

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Today’s plastic supermarket bag has 70% less plastic than in the 1980’s

• The most convenient and, if re-used, environmentally-sound option for taking goods home

A 70% REDUCTION IN PLASTIC USED WITHOUT LOSS OF STRENGTH

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Plastic protects more than half of everything on your shelf

• Yet plastic represents only one fifth of the weight of your packaging

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Environmental impacts would be far greater without plastic

• Weight of packaging increases fourfold

•The energy for packaging up 50%

• Volume of waste goes go up 60%

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

The packaging we use is reducing compared with consumption

• Household consumption rose by over 20% and GDP by 17%

• Packaging has shown only a 4% growth

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Packaging environmental impacts in the household are minimal

• Production energy for goods has more than twelve times the impact of the packaging that protects them

88Gj

PRODUCTION OF GOODS 63Gj

HOME HEATING 39Gj

FAMILY TRANSPORT

7 GjALL PACKAGING

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Using plastic packaging in Western Europe saves millions of barrels of oil and tonnes of CO2

• Plastic packaging saves Europe 101 million barrels of oil and 42.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions- equivalent to that generated by 3.38 million people

Equivalent to CO2 from

3.38 million people

101 million barrels of oilsaved

WHEN MORE MEANS LESS

Benefits of weight, volume, cost, energy, lifestyle and environmental impacts

4: A VALUABLE RESOURCE

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Three Key Issues

THE DEGRADABILITY AND COMPOSTABILITY DEBATE

PLASTICS FROM RENEWABLE RESOURCES

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR PLASTIC PACKAGING

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Conventional plastics already conform to environmental ‘best practice’ hierarchy

• Reduce, re-use, recycle and recover is the official best environmental practice hierarchy RECOVER

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

REDUCE - plastic reduces raw material, energy inputs, transportation, storage and overall environmental impacts

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

REDUCE - Plastic also reduces food wastage through extended shelf life

• Meat stays fresh for twice as long in MAP packaging

• 27% more waste occurs when fruit is not sealed in a tray

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

RE-USE - returnable plastic crates substantially reduce one trip packaging

• Returnable crates have a life of 25 years or more

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

RECYCLE – two key options are mechanical recycling or chemical/feedstock recycling

• Mechanical recycling is straightforward for single polymers which can be returned to high value-added applications

• But technically and economically difficult with mixed plastics packaging

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

RECYCLE – two key options are mechanical recycling or chemical/feedstock recycling

• One option to ship to China for hand sorting

• Another is to produce low value wood substitutes

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

RECYCLE – two key options are mechanical recycling or chemical/feedstock recycling

• Chemical recycling in a German steelworks

• Feedstock recycling back to oil derivatives for fuels, petrochemicals, lube oils

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

RECYCLE – Our industry already recycles more than 450,000 tonnes of plastic every year

• Waste plastic is recycled into damp proof membrane, dustbin bags and long-life products

• Including litter bins and fashion clothing

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

RECYCLE – not always viable for lightweight plastic products

• Small, lightweight food contact packaging may be tainted with food residues

•But re-use in other plastic products is high – for example 80% of households re-use their supermarket carrier bag e.g. for bin liners

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Plastic forms a very small part of the domestic waste stream

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

ENERGY RECOVERY - an important fourth option energy, district heating or waste-derived fuel

• Plastic has more calorific value than coal or fuel oil – yet the UK burns coal for power generation every day and buries plastic

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Plastic is a reclaimable ‘borrowed resource’

•A single plastic bottle will provide enough power to light a 60 watt bulb for 1.5 hours

PLASTIC BOTTLE 1.5 HOURS

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Plastic is a reclaimable ‘borrowed resource’

• Plastic waste has a proven value as waste-derived fuel for power generation and in industrial plants and processes

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Energy from Waste is proven throughout Europe

• Energy from Waste captures energy content, replaces fossil fuel and reduces the volume of waste going to landfill

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Government policy is now changing on energy from waste

• EfW is set to triple in the UK by 2020

•Sites like these across the UK ensure hundreds of thousands of homes benefit from energy from waste

CHINEHAM DUDLEY

MARCHWOOD TEESSIDE

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

We welcome bioplastics to our family of polymers but are they a magical solution for every application?

• Biodegradable plastics can be made from both renewable and fossil resources

• But all conventional polymers can also be made from renewable resources

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Bioplastics offer a renewable resource base for a range of speciality applications

•Speciality applications include mulching film for agriculture or waste bags in closed loop garden waste collections

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

LCA’s however are not always persuasive

Comparison of different plastics for0.5 litre drinks cup

MATERIAL

148

WEIGHT kg ENERGY Gj POST CONSUMER WASTE kg

GG EMISSIONS Kg/CO2 equiv

123

PLA

PS (HIPS)

PET

PP

158

105

14.5

13.3

16.1

9.82

118

98.4

126

84

510

576

719

345

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Bioplastics also require consideration of technical and commercial implications

• Temperature sensitivity

• Brittleness and durability

• Need for laminates for water/fat resistance

• Cost-effectiveness

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

There is also much confusion over definitions

DEGRADABLE?

BIO-DEGRADABLE?

COMPOSTABLE?

OXO-DEGRADABLE?

PHOTO DEGRADABLE?

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Aerobic versus anaerobic biodegradation

Breakdown of organic materials by micro-organisms can occur in the presence or absence of oxygen

Under anaerobic conditions (such as those found in landfill) methane will also be produced

Under aerobic conditions, CO2, water and biomass are produced

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Waste management options for Biopolymers

Industrial Composting (windrow, in-vessel, anaerobic digestion)

Recycling

Home Composting

Suitable for materials certified to EN 13432

Suitable for materials certified to the OK Compost Home Scheme

Includes organic recycling (composting)

IncinerationRecover energy value within biopolymer

Anaerobic Digestion Units (emerging technology)

Creation of anaerobic conditions to generate and capture methane for energy

LandfillThrough anaerobic biodegradation, may createmethane which could be captured for energy butMay also be released to atmosphere

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Industrial and home composting

EN 13432 test protocol comprises: • biodegradation (6 months)

• disintegration (pilot test)

• plant growth and compost quality tests• heavy metals testing

EN 13432FOR INDUSTRIAL COMPOSTING

•Not all materials certified to EN 13432 are suitable for home composting. Additional testing is required under ambient (20˚C) conditions which are found in home composting and waste water environments

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Degradable plastics which end up in landfill contravene the EU Landfill Directive

• CO2 and Methane can be generated by degradable materials in landfill and composting but conventional plastics remain inert in landfill

• Degradable materials could be banned from landfill

• Degradable materials still have significant environmental/carbon impacts

• GM issues

• Impact on local authority recycling/green waste programmes

A VALUABLE RESOURCE

In summary - plastics are a natural resource which help reduce environmental impacts

REDUCES MATERIALS AND FOOD WASTE

RE-USABLE AND DURABLE

RECYLABLE FOR LONG-LIFE APPLICATIONS

RECOVERABLE POWER AND HOT WATER

• Plastic offers good waste management options including reduction, re-use, recycling and beneficial recovery