The move away from nuclear energy, bans on diesel, and now even a ban on plastic bags - the Germans lead the world when it comes to the environment. While the last of those is not yet a done deal, German environment minister Svenja Schulze is working right now on the legal provisions for such a ban. What is already certain is that the EU is banning single-use cups, straws, cotton buds and other disposable plastic products from 2021. These are significant efforts, as ultimately around ten million metric tons of plastic waste ends up in the oceans alone every year. While more and more governments are declaring war on plastic, production volumes continue to increase. According to experts, around 350 million tons of the material is produced every year. Ten years back that figure was around 100 million tons less, while 40 years ago just 50 million tons were produced. The companies spewing out the highest volume of plastics are in the beverage and food industry. Foremost amongst them are Coca-Cola and Nestlé. The carbonated drinks company alone produces 167,000 disposable plastic bottles per minute.
Despite all bans and regulatory measures, the consultancy firm McKinsey assumes in a current analysis that the global plastic waste mountain - currently around 260 million tons - will increase by a massive 80 per cent by 2030. Admittedly, plastic also has many advantages: it is light, adaptable and lasts a long time. That is also the reason why plastic is omnipresent in our modern lifestyle society. The last of those qualities is, however, also plastic’s greatest weakness: plastic is simply very difficult to break down again. For example, a PET bottle will only decompose in 450 years. For that reason, effective waste management has a major part to play. The international nature and environmental protection organisation WWF, amongst others, is calling for producer responsibility to be extended. This would see the companies marketing plastic products ensuring that they are not only sold, but also collected, sorted and recycled. View more information on investment solutions on the topic “The world declares war on plastic”.
Today’s recycling rate for plastic packaging is, however, still vanishingly low. According to the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s “Plastikatlas 2019”, the figure globally is just 14 per cent, and relates primarily to downcycling into lower-value products. Around 40 per cent of plastics end up on landfill and 14 per cent in incineration facilities. The remainder, which is still just under a third of the total, is lost to the environment. Given the small proportion which goes for plastic recycling, an estimated 95 per cent of the value of plastic packaging materials is lost after a short initial cycle of use - meaning significant losses for the economy and for the environment.
When it comes to recycling, too, Germany is pressing ahead: the new Packaging Act, which came into force in January 2019, provides for 63 per cent recycling rates from 2021. Reusing the raw materials is not the only way of stemming the tide of plastic waste, however: replacing it with other materials is a proven method, and research in this area is being pursued keenly. The emphasis here is on materials derived from renewable raw materials. Known as “bioplastics”, these are obtained from e.g. sugar cane, maize or even potatoes. Glass and aluminium, too, are increasingly featuring as replacement materials. To give an example, drinks cans (which are largely made from aluminium) can be completely recycled. What’s more, recycling aluminium can save a lot of energy. Processing it requires only around five per cent of the energy needed to manufacture new aluminium.
