Spotlight

Waste not, WANT NOT

Climate change, pollution and the loss of biodiversity are current issues the world is trying to address. Transitioning to a circular economy is a vital component of the solution, as OPI’s Michelle Sturman finds out...

Have you heard of environmental adviser Kate Krebs? Perhaps not, but one of her notable sayings, “waste is a design flaw”, hits the nail on the head in terms of one of the biggest environmental issues we need to solve. It’s eliminating waste.

The goal is to shift from the current linear economy and throwaway culture of take-make-waste to a circular one of reducing, reusing, repairing, remanufacturing and recycling. It starts with smart design principles that extract fewer raw materials, conserve resources and create products which can be returned to the biological or technical cycle at the end of their use.

As the principal aim of the circular economy is to maintain the highest value of products, materials, components and resources for as long as possible, the transition is not going to be easy.

According to the Circularity Gap Report 2020, the global economy is only 8.6% circular. A raft of new legislation including the plastic tax, extended producer responsibility, deposit return schemes and right to repair, is a step in the right direction.

WHERE TO START

There are plenty of initiatives and advice to help businesses deal with the shift. The packaging sector, for example, has seen the Confederation of European Paper Industries launch a cross-industry alliance, 4evergreen, to increase the recycling rate of fibre-based packaging; the CEFLEX consortium has published Designing for a Circular Economy guidelines for flexible packaging, and the HolyGrail 2.0 project for digital watermarking has been launched to help sort and recycle waste.

To achieve true circularity, however, there is an absolute necessity for partnerships and networks between all stakeholders from grassroots level and communities to governments, academia and businesses – plus everyone in-between.

Forming part of its Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Commission proposed a “global alliance to identify knowledge and governance gaps in advancing a global circular economy and take forward partnership initiatives, including major economies”.

The resulting Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE) involves the EU, 15 other countries so far, including Canada, India, South Africa, New Zealand and Peru, as well as the United Nations Environment Programme and United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

In September, the first GACERE meeting took place during the fifth World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF), where European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius said: “There is growing global consensus to change direction and embark on a path to a sustainable, climate-neutral and resource-efficient model.

“The EU is setting an example with actions under the European Green Deal. In July, a law entered into force to help reduce plastic litter across the EU and we see increasing support

There is growing global consensus to change direction and embark on a path to a sustainable, climate-neutral and resource-efficient model

around the world for a new, legally-binding global agreement to combat plastic pollution. We’re [also] building key alliances on circular economy and resource efficiency.”

Held in Toronto, Canada, WECF 2021 convened business leaders, policymakers, civil society, youth, indigenous leaders and other interested parties to discuss the ‘game changers’ required to accelerate the circular economy.

INDUSTRY INNOVATION

But, of course, actions speak louder than just words. Our sector is gradually edging towards a systemic change as regards the circular economy, with plenty of innovation from which to draw inspiration. Visual communications vendor Bi-silque, for example, is well-known for its sustainability leadership and Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certified Earth range.

C2C certification represents a global standard for products that are safe, circular and responsibly made. These criteria are assessed across five categories: material health, product circularity, clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship, and social fairness.

Jan/san supplies vendor Greenspeed is another company supplying our industry with C2C certified products and is also vigorously pursuing a circular economy vision (see also Big Interview, page 16).

After a successful pilot, AstraZeneca is the first customer of Essity’s paper hand towel recycling service Tork PaperCircle in the UK. The facility sees used paper hand towels picked up and taken to a local Essity mill where they are turned into new tissue merchandise.

The cleaning and hygiene product manufacturer says Tork PaperCircle helps clients meet sustainability targets by reducing waste by up to 20% and cutting carbon emissions by approximately 40% compared with other waste management systems.

We realised it made both ethical and economic sense to get ahead of the trend towards circularity

Speaking to OPI, Lyreco Group Innovation Catalyst Marc Curtis explains the importance of the circular economy and the meaningful role the company can play: “We recognised we are in a uniquely influential position, sitting – as we do – between a diverse collection of suppliers and companies of all sizes and from every sector.

“We realised it made both ethical and economic sense to get ahead of the trend towards circularity by committing to a range of ambitious targets – especially when it comes to the products we sell which currently have limited end-of-life recycling possibilities.

“It is our hope we can use our market-leading position to influence suppliers in terms of changing their manufacturing processes – to move towards mono-materials, for example – while providing the infrastructure to manage the flow of waste materials back into the asset chain. It is a huge undertaking for a company operating in 25 countries, but we are of the view that, if we don’t start the ball rolling, who will?”

CLOSING THE LOOP

Most recently, Lyreco has partnered with Fellowes Brands on a closed loop project for the French market. The collaboration sees Lyreco place recycled cardboard bins for waste office paper at customer locations which are picked up when full by its drivers during regular deliveries. The collected paper is sorted and then used by Fellowes in the production of the archive boxes it supplies to Lyreco.

In the UK, meanwhile, Lyreco was the first business to partner with global reuse platform Loop in a B2B trial for a sustainable, circular shopping cycle. Hand soap and hand sanitisers are ordered through the reseller’s web shop and delivered in a bespoke reusable tote bag.

When the product is finished, customers alert Lyreco and the empty, stainless-steel containers are taken away, cleaned and refilled. The bottles can be reused up to 100 times. Curtis says: “We’ve successfully tested the Loop proposition with two key corporate customers using two products from our hygiene range.

“We are in the process of working with a lead supplier of hygiene products to expand the range we can offer with Loop compatible containers. We also have a long list of customers that have asked if they can join the next phase of the rollout.”

GETTING THE BALL ROLLING

There are many more industry examples. That said, establishing a circular economy cannot rest solely on the shoulders of manufacturers. All companies in the supply chain must play their part.

European business supplies reseller Lyreco is renowned for its advocacy of a wide range of sustainability practices. Last year, Lyreco launched its 2025 Circular Economy pledge consisting of five pledges to provide fully circular solutions to its client base (see How To..., OPI November/December 2020, page 38. Alternatively, listen to OPI Talk and the ‘Circular economy and sustainability with Lyreco’ on opi.net/podcast).