recycle
The ultimate goal in sustainability is to create a circular economy instead of a linear economy, whereby waste will never leave the value chain.
linear
economy
Recycling
economy
Circular
economy
Efforts in upcycling and recycling
interrupt the traditional linear flow from production to consumption to landfill. Reducing landfill thus significantly reduces resources spent creating virgin materials.
linear economy
Recycling economy
We are engaging in research to look at the circular economy and see all things recycling and upcycling as a great starting point
a case in point
plastics
Plastics pose a pertinent opportunity. These materials are entirely man made and we’ve only been producing them industrially since the end of the Second World War. In that time, we have nonetheless managed to produce about
8.3 billion tonnes
That’s about 1.2 tonnes for every person alive on the planet today
While our efficiency in making plastic has been phenomenal, we’ve not put a lot of time into thinking about
what to do with plastic once it has been used?
indeed of those:
8.3 billion tonnes
3%
is still in use
9%
has been recycled
12%
has been incinerated
and the vast majority – 6.3 billion tonnes – litters our environment and festers in landfill.
Given that plastics take up to 1000 years to decompose, and that virgin plastic production continues to grow exponentially, it’s clear that we need to innovate now.
What are
resin identification codes?
The ASTM International System denotes what plastics are made of in order to facilitate recycling. The resins are numbered 1 through 7, by chronological order of when that plastic became recyclable. In general the lower the number, the easier it is to find recyling facilities.
PET
Polythylene terephthalate
Beverage bottles, food jars, clothing and carpet fiber, some shampoo and mouthwash bottles
HDPE
High-density polyethylene
Detergent and bleach bottles, snack boxes, milk jugs, toys, bucket, crates, plant pots, garden furniture, trash bins
PVC
Polyvinyl chloride
Credit cards, window and doorframes, gutters, pipes and fittings, wire and cable sheathing, synthetic leather
LDPE
Low-density polyethylene
Packaging film, shopping bags, bubble wrap, flexible bottles, wire and cable insulation
PP
Polypropylene
Bottle tops, drinking straws, lunch boxes, insulated coolers, fabric and carpet fiber, tarps, diapers
PS
Polystyrene
Plastic-foam cups, egg boxed, meat tray packaging peanuts, coat hangers, yogurt containers, insulation, toys
OTHER
Nylon fabrics, baby bottles, compact disks, medical storage containers, car parts, watercooler bottles
