Can Circular Economy Save Mother Earth?
There’s a massive green movement gaining traction. Will it save us?
Look around. The chocolate wrapper, the coffee mug, the furniture, the clothes, everything that you see, use plastic in some way or another. Plastic has become an integral part of our lives.
It is almost impossible to imagine how people survived without it.
Though, we did survive without it for a very, very long period of time.
In fact, it was only in 1907 when plastic for commercial use came into existence. And soon, it became omnipresent. Oh! how very proud were we of our invention.
Plastic could be molded in any shape and form. It was super durable and could last forever.
Yes, last forever. We thought it was a good thing, but it really is not. And if we continue our usage of plastic the way we do, by 2050 we will have more plastic than fishes in the ocean!
So, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is developing a ‘Circular Economy’ for plastics. Some 250 big organisations such as Coca-Cola, Ikea, Unilever, Philips, L’Oreal and Colgate have joined their efforts and made a pledge to the Foundation to eradicate plastic waste by 2025. Yes, just in the next 4 years, you can witness a big wave of revolution coming your way. The ripples have already started forming.
But before we get there, let’s first understand what a circular economy is.
Difference between Linear and Circular economy
Our current way of living can be described as a linear economy. It works something like this:
But, the principles of a circular economy say that we can “design out” waste and pollution. What does it mean?
Waste is not an accident, it is a consequence. A consequence of design flaw. In fact, the design stage in itself is responsible for 80% of the environmental impacts.
But, designing out waste is not the only solution. We also have to reduce waste by keeping products and materials in use and we have to regenerate the natural systems. All these forces together make a circular economy.
What do we have so far?
Here are some big brands that have innovated in big ways. We can’t wait for these eco-friendly packages and products to be available at scale!
Coca-Cola Company: Universal bottle
One million plastic bottles are sold across the globe every minute.
To tackle this problem of surmounting plastic bottles, Coca-Cola flirted with the idea of a universal bottle in 2018 in Latin America. It can be used across multiple brands and the consumer can return the bottles after use to the seller. But, why will they return the bottle?
Because they are given a discount on their next purchase. The producer then refills the bottles again for selling. It has been found out that these bottles are reused up to 25 more times and reduces the overall plastic use by 90%!
Unilever: Paper-based detergent bottle
Unilever has launched the first-ever paper-based laundry detergent bottle. It will debut in Brazil by early 2022. This technology has been developed in partnership with Pulpex, a consortium of several players in the industry. Pulpex claims that its technology has a 90% lower carbon footprint than glass and 30% less than PET. The bottles are made with natural materials and are easily degradable in the environment. What’s more? They're cheaper than glass bottles!
Colgate: 100% recyclable toothpaste tube
The first recyclable toothpaste by Colgate was launched in the U.S in 2019. And, the best part is that it is sharing this technology with others in the industry. These tubes are recyclable and not biodegradable. So, Colgate has launched some vending machines in a couple of places such as Brazil and Columbia. The shoppers can simply insert recyclable material and receive benefits for their next purchase.
But, all these companies could also be motivated by something else. You see, plastic is made from oil and gas. Now, these resources are limited and their prices can go up anytime. So it wasn’t just the need to save the environment. The need to keep the business running could also be very strong and compelling.
Whatever be the case, nature is ultimately benefiting and we have no reason to complain.
These companies have proved the age-old saying: where there is a will, there is a way. There is nothing that we cannot achieve if we set our eyes (and minds) to it.
If you know of more such companies that have started pivoting to a circular economy, let everyone know in the comments. Let’s celebrate them together.
If you run such a company, reach out to us; we would love to cover your story too! :)
Until next time, ReadOn!
A very good read and very well articulated.. Thanks for enlightening and keeping the Readers like me updated with such new concepts!
This is a really good article! Thanks to the team for bringing out such a informative piece. Mobile companies should start accepting mobile e-waste and in turn give discounts on their products.