Why reusable plastics can’t fix the climate problem

IIf you’re like me, you probably have very good intentions when it comes to packing. You can bring your bag to the store or take a metal water bottle to work. You can even bring your own reusable coffee cup to your local cafe and ask them to refill it for a discount. You’re not alone: ​​across the UK, US and Australia, 75 per cent of people are making at least some effort to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics.

This is for good reason. In recent news, plastic waste is set to nearly triple by 2060. And since 36 percent of all plastics produced are used in packaging, making better packaging choices has an opportunity of giving real influence.

But then comes the inevitable pitfalls. What should I do if I left my bottle at home? I can afford to buy a new one and add to the pile of free trade bucks that are already tucked away in my kitchen cupboard. I might choose a single-use plastic bottle and promise to reuse it. Sadly, I know this has little effect on the overall output from producing that bottle in the first place.

This is not just a small inconvenience to me, but a huge inconvenience to how we all reduce plastics and the emissions associated with them. A recent report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) called for a “new approach” to repackaging for food, beverages and hygiene products.

This new approach involves many businesses sharing common, reusable packaging that can be cleaned and distributed centrally. So I can take a glass bottle from a cafe and bring it back to a restaurant at lunchtime and it ends up back in the same system.

However, this may not be the most efficient solution to reducing emissions. Although the EMF estimates that over 1,000 uses, reusable bottles will result in 69 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than 1,000 single-use plastic bottles. swapping single-use plastic for single-use boxes. A 2020 study found that for one liter of milk, disposable cartons made of paper emit 82% less emissions than plastic bottles.

This is only a narrow comparison, but it shows how reusable packaging is not a panacea to solve the problem of plastic emissions. Boxes may not be perfect (they now contain a small amount of plastic as a protective barrier) but they emit far less emissions than plastic bottles and are mostly made from recycled fibers. wood: a renewable resource that can support planting and forest management.

Meanwhile, the infrastructure required for the widespread use of recyclable materials presents a major challenge, especially in developing countries where an increasing amount of plastic waste is produced. By 2022, India attempted to outright ban single-use plastics, but the amount of plastic waste has soared – in part due to a lack of alternatives. active.

Due to the magnitude and urgency of the plastic crisis, we need to support solutions that affect consumer behavior patterns and can be easily scaled up. Although it has not come close to the UK, EU cartons make up 75 per cent of milk packaging and 59 per cent for juice. Now there is evidence that they can be used for domestic and personal property as well. In a 2023 survey commissioned by Elopak, more than half of consumers in the UK and Germany said they would be “happy” to buy products such as laundry detergent and hand soap in boxes.

Companies must play their part to encourage this change in consumer behavior. Sainsbury’s in the UK and Orkla in Scandinavia are already doing so, offering pre-packaged washing products in boxes from 2023 and 2021 respectively, inviting consumers to replenish the permanent product at home instead of buy a new plastic container every time. This is a very attractive offer: according to Elopak’s study, 74 percent of UK consumers would like to use this model.

Indeed, it is only through association and marketing risk that we are taught that soap or cleanser should come in a plastic bottle at all. Breaking our society’s plastic addiction means asking ourselves where we need it in the first place.

This doesn’t mean I’ll be throwing away my collection of reusable water bottles – far from it. But when I find myself in need of a cool drink at the airport, or my wife writes letters saying we’re out of washing-up liquid, it would be nice not to have to carry another plastic bottle, instead and that, I have low carbon. a simple box on the shelves.

One thing we can’t do is nothing. Around the world, a million plastic bottles are bought every minute, and most of them end up in landfills. Replacing them with reusable boxes or packaging can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But, with cartons in particular, we can easily create a world where plastic bottles become a novelty in our shops and homes.

Thomas Körmendi is the CEO of Elopak, a global supplier of box-based packaging.

The Independent will be revealing it The Climate100 list in September and held an event in New York as part of Climate Week