In 2018, in the United States, the total generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) was 292.4 million tons, (MT) with approximately 69 MT (23% of total solid waste) recycled and 25 MT (9% of total solid waste) composted. Together, almost 94 million tons of MSW were recycled and composted, equivalent to a 32.1% recycling and composting rate.
Credit: Marina Onokhina / Shutterstock
Credit: Marina Onokhina / Shutterstock
While only 4.3% of the world’s population lives in the United States, the nation was the top generator of plastic waste and total waste in 2016, with a total plastic waste equivalent to a per capita plastic waste generation of 130kg (286lbs.) per year.
While America may have taken longer to get on board to aspire to be more sustainable than other progressive countries, governments, states, cities, corporations and citizens across much of the US have shown a desire to reduce their carbon footprints.
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According to a study by McKinsey & Company, most Americans recognise the need for change. “More than half of US consumers are highly concerned about the environmental impact of packaging in general,” the study reports. “They worry about a wide range of issues, not one single factor, such as marine litter.”
Consumers are willing to pay more for green, but they would also buy additional sustainably packaged products if more of them were available and were better labelled. If you ask consumers what they want to see going forward, they are almost equally interested in recyclable and recycled plastic packaging and in fibre-based substitutes. “Companies in the 900 billion-a-year global packaging industry will need to raise their game to be competitive, noted the McKinsey study.
Many new packaging material initiatives have been developed by Finland-based companies to lead the charge. The global e-commerce market is forecast to reach a projected value of $98.2 billion by 2025. As those goods reach homes around the world, so does the protective packaging surrounding them, so a shift away from plastic is essential.
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Three-quarters of Finland’s landmass is forest, and Finland’s wood-based industries have paired long-held forestry traditions with innovative new uses for the timber industry. Strong R&D programs have created a unique offering in recycling processes and bio-based solutions, such as using wood pulp and fibre to create new materials.
As a result, many new packaging material initiatives have been developed by Finland-based companies to lead the charge for change and it is spreading across the globe.
RePack delivers reusable packaging services for online retailers in Europe and North America. RePack’s award-winning reusable bags and boxes fold into letter size when empty and can be returned via any postbox, anywhere in the world, free of charge. RePack provides turnkey solutions for online retailers as well as packaging rental services for closed-loop environments in rental and re-commerce. RePack customers include Inditex, Decathlon and hundreds of smaller fashion brands so the impact will be felt far and wide.
One ground-breaking company delivering sustainable packaging solutions is Huhtamaki – a global provider of innovative products to protect on-the-go and on-the-shelf food and beverages with 100 years of history. Huhtamaki recently partnered with Unilever to transition the packaging for their Carte D’Or ice cream range to recyclable paper tubs and lids.
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Consumers rely on packaging for convenience and protection of their goods, but now they are demanding more sustainable options so they can do their bit to protect the planet. Suppliers must respond by adopting bio-material offerings along with their existing fossil-based packaging to offer the best, and most sustainable solutions for their customers.
Finland as a nation has set high environmental and carbon neutrality goals, aiming to be the first fossil-free welfare society by 2035.
Our future-looking industries have responded by developing a high level of green research and technology know-how – including biomass packaging. With these innovative approaches to material design, we are aiming to make the transition from linear to circular material flow.
- The author, Ulla Lainio, is Commercial Counsellor of Business Finland at the Finnish Embassy in Washington D.C.
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