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Harnessing expert views on plastics sustainability strategies
Taking a step back from day-to-day operational issues and discussions focused on technology, AMI’s new event aims to provide strategic guidance for the plastics industry in an operating environment that is increasingly dominated by debates around the issues of “sustainability” and “net-zero”. A high level of market volatility combined with challenging macroeconomic conditions make it essential to understand sustainability initiatives, whether at the global or regional level, as economic opportunities to secure competitive advantage.
Plastics Sustainability Strategies takes place on 5-6 December 2023 in Dusseldorf, Germany. This focused event will review the impact that circularity driven action has made over the plastics value chain to date, and guide long-term actions around the plastics sustainability puzzle. This event is a gateway for key decision-makers to harness AMI’s authoritative knowledge in this sector.
This is the place for the wider supply chain to showcase sustainability strategies from across the industry. From brand owner needs in understanding supply chain restrictions, to the impacts of a shifting petrochemical landscape, and the material challenges of integrating recycled materials into production. This event is a discussion forum, connecting those who are required to deliberate these strategic challenges for their company.
Tap into our expert knowledge ahead of the event to align your strategic industry direction of travel, focussing on 5 key strategic perspectives:
1. Challenges and opportunities in the transition to a sustainable plastics economy – a systemic view
Silke Einschuetz Senior Consultant – Recycling and Sustainability, AMI:
The plastics industry increasingly finds itself under pressure from two sides. The petrochemical industry is changing in response to calls to reduce carbon emissions and achieve “net zero”, but also in reaction to geopolitical shifts that
have been highlighted by the war in Ukraine and China’s push towards greater materials self-sufficiency. This will impact refinery capacities and global trade flows of polymers.
At the same time, the industry finds itself under increasing pressure from consumers and brand owners and, not least, legislators, who call for a reduction in the use of certain types of plastics and the increasing use of recyclates.
Last, but not least, in May of this year, investors representing assets of US$10 trillion have called for urgent action to reduce plastics, stating that the whole plastics lifecycle poses a serious and growing threat to the environment, climate, biodiversity, human rights and public health, calling on companies, amongst others, to support international efforts for an ambitious global plastics treaty.
As a result, business as usual is no longer an option. Rather than perceiving this as an existential threat, the plastics industry is called upon to see the opportunity to take the lead in implementing changes to traditional business models that will allow it to continue to thrive in a radically changing business environment. Success might have to be measured differently.
Quoting the Ellen McArthur Foundation: “We need a systemic approach to create a system that works in practice, without loss of economic value and no plastic waste and pollution. We need to rethink the way we make, use, and reuse plastics, essentially redesigning the system in which the material is used.
Sound business decision making can indeed be coupled with
environmentalist sentiment, and the initiatives to decarbonise the global economy is likely to create the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime, especially in the context of new global environmental legislation, such as the Global Plastics Treaty.
2. Waste plastics value chain – strategic issues
Elizabeth Carroll Consultant – Recycling and Sustainability, AMI:
The previous few years have seen a hostile and negative attitude towards plastics become the opinion of the everyday consumer. Thus, what was once an industry overlooked by those not participating, has now become daily tabloid cannon fodder. It is with this social environmental landscape
that the waste management and plastics recycling industry is currently operating and making plans for its future.
Diversity of waste collection systems causes a major bottleneck for recycling inputs. Greater harmonisation, although challenging to achieve, will be of great benefit to the recycling sector. It will enable better and optimised sorting, and ultimately result in higher quality bales of separated feedstock to serve as inputs into the recycling process, whether that be chemical or mechanical. For the recycling of flexible polyolefin household packaging in particular, the lack of collection infrastructure for plastic films, coupled with ageing material recovery facility’s sorting technology unable to positively sort the flexibles that are collected, causes lack of supply of flexible plastic feedstock for recycling.
Investments into new recycling facilities, and increased capacity in those already operational, have far exceeded the developments in municipal collection infrastructure and sorting facilities, and until the infrastructure to capture plastic waste catches up, demand will outstrip supply for certain grades of waste. This will inevitably cause competition for feedstock between all recyclers whether mechanical or chemical, with the winners being those who have already integrated themselves with waste management companies, by partnership and acquisition or having long terms supply contracts.
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