Printing Innovation Asia Issue 8 2021
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Today, as concerns about the environment grow even more significant, consumers, brands, and businesses are paying increased attention to the impact their choices have on the planet. This demand for more sustainable options has many companies focusing on reducing waste by actively participating in a circular economy. The time is now for the printing industry to embrace this circular economy and improve its impact on a changing marketplace. What is the Circular Economy? A circular economy requires us to think differently about how we define sustainability. When most people think of sustainability, they think of recycling. While recycling is necessary, in a circular economy, it is the least desirable solution. That’s because recycling relies on materials that are “one-and-done” or single-use. Even when products are described as bio-based materials and biodegradation, it may not be the correct endpoint. After all, landfills are still full of one-time-use products. This kind of indiscriminate waste is terrible for the environment and a company’s bottom line.
The principles of a circular economy, on the other hand, provide a new way to think about material use. In this economy, the best way to eliminate waste is to eliminate excess material consumption. In other words, if you don’t want waste, don’t create it in the first place. For a mechanical system, this may include continual maintenance, upgrade, and repair. In a materials sense, this may consist of new ways to reuse or repurpose a resource.
EU Circular Economy Framework — legislation targeting ways to increase recycling and reuse throughout a product’s lifecycle while making waste creation more costly
A circular economy’s goal is to keep materials in use for more extended periods without disrupting the environment.
Maine and Oregon have added legislation to impose recycling fees on manufacturers that include benefits
A Call for Action Increased attention from NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs) is forcing governments around the globe to take proactive steps toward a circular economy. Initiatives that include legislative action, penalties, and prevention incentives that address waste creation, including: EU Single-Use Plastics Ban — one of the first pieces of legislation to pass in the EU
Quebec bans shrink-sleeves NGOs are pushing for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging — this will force paying fees into a scheme to collect plastics packaging
