The environmental component has become an important part of any business. If the manufacturer does not take into account
Henkel
Henkel's global corporate strategy is to produce more products, minimizing environmental damage.
According to the annual sustainable development reportHenkel, by 2017, the concern improved the ratio between the value created and the environmental impact of production by 42% compared with 2010. By 2020, Henkel plans to increase resource utilization by 75%.
About a year ago, Henkel joined forces withorganization Plastic Bank. Within a year of cooperation, three plastic collection centers were opened in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. Thanks to this partnership, more than 35 tons of plastic were collected (comparable to 1.2 million bottles of water).
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At the end of 2018, Henkel announcedthe beginning of the production of packages using the collected "social plastic" - in October, 25 thousand bottles of cleaning and detergents from recycled material were released.
Lego
Danish manufacturer of designers LEGO produces about 75 billion plastic parts annually. Today, there are 62 bricks for each person on Earth.
Details are made mainly ofacrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS plastic), whose components are derived from petroleum. The corporation has invested in its own Center for recyclable materials, and by 2030, LEGO plans a complete transition to environmentally friendly materials.
For every person on Earth there are 62 LEGO bricks
In the middle of 2018, LEGO announcedthe release of a trial batch of products, which included a solid modification of polyethylene obtained from ethanol, the source of which are sugar cane products. The material is recyclable. It is symbolic that the first batch of toys from biopolyethylene is made in the form of green plants.
Procter & Gamble (P&G)
In 2016, the World Economic Forum wasa report was submitted, according to which, by 2050, the amount of plastic in the oceans will exceed the number of fish. According to scientists, every year up to 12.7 million tons of plastic is released into the ocean.
Plastic makes up 80% of all trash in the worldocean. Plastic collected from beaches is difficult to reuse. P&G has developed a unique PureCycle recycling technology that allows you to restore recycled polypropylene to its original state. It became the first consumer goods company to receive the UN Momentum for Change award for its innovative technology in packaging made from plastic collected from Atlantic coastlines.
KYOCERA
KYOCERA developed the ECOSYS system - basicThe printheads are not embedded in the toner cartridge, but in the machine itself. Thus, the company saves resources: with the release of a used cartridge in the trash takes much less detail. The drum unit and other parts built into the machine continue to serve their owners.
KYOCERA has established and equipped plants forrecycling used cartridges and plastics. The corporation uses in the creation of printers and MFPs plastic, whose structure is similar to the honeycomb in the beehive. Due to this, less plastic is consumed, in case the user throws out the device, the negative impact on nature will be less.
The plastic formula makes it possible to reduce the weight of the devices, during transportation of which the vehicles consume less gasoline, and accordingly, emissions of gasoline vapors into the atmosphere are reduced.
Toner for all production printersKYOCERA is developed with the use of advanced technologies and under the strict control of chemists and doctors, who actively ensure that the powder is as safe as possible for human and animal health and does not harm the environment.
Coca cola
According to Greenpeace, obtained in the course of 239Coca-Cola's plastic brand trash is most commonly found on coasts and natural areas around the world. The audit was conducted jointly with the Break Free From Plastic volunteers in 42 countries on six continents.
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According to Coca-Cola, 85% of packaging is subject toprocessing, by 2025, the company plans to reach 100%. By 2020, Coca-Cola plans to recycle at least 40% of consumer packaging waste released onto the market. And by 2030, the company will collect and dispose of as much plastic as it produces.
In Russia, in the framework of the eco-project “Share with us”the company installs containers for separate garbage collection, collects plastic in schools, universities and courtyards, and more than 25 thousand teachers from all regions of Russia conducted lessons for 720 thousand schoolchildren.
Trends in the fight against plastic
Currently, over 90% of plastic is worldwidenot recycled, but its production is constantly growing. The search for ways to combat plastic pollution is conducted not only by individual corporations, but also at the state level. All initiatives to combat the negative impact of plastic on the environment can be divided into four main areas.
1. Tax on plastic bags and a ban on their free distribution.In some countries, the use of polyethylenetaxed. This is causing bag prices to go up and shoppers are starting to use reusable bags for shopping. Since 1994, such a tax has been in effect in Denmark, where stores pay for the sale of plastic bags. During the five years of the tax's existence, production volumes of plastic bags fell by almost 80%.
In the UK, the tax on plastic bags is valid from 2015. Before its introduction, each Briton used an average of 140 bags per year. By 2018, their number had dropped to 19.
The increase in the cost of plastic and banfree delivery of plastic film bags in stores forces customers to use reusable bags. In October 2018, the ABCs of Taste supermarket chain stopped issuing free packages at the checkout. In just two months, the number of plastic bags dropped from an average of 60 tons to 24 tons per month. Instead of the usual plastic bags, customers can buy a reusable spunbond bag - a material that decomposes in the open air up to one and a half years and causes the least harm to the environment when recycling - with the slogan "The world we like!".
Parks used the same method in 2019Disneyland entertainment and hotels. Plastic bags have now been replaced with reusable themed bags made from 80% recycled material. This marks Disney's first step in reducing single-use plastic.
2. Complete prohibition of plastic bags and disposable plastic products.. Many countries are turning to radical measures toPlastic pollution control - a total ban on plastic products. In May 2018, the European Parliament voted to ban plastic tableware and other disposable products throughout the European Union. The new law will come into force by 2021 and will prohibit the use of cotton swabs, tubes for drinking, plastic stirrers for cocktails and sticks for balloons. By 2025, the EU plans to reduce the use of products for which no alternative has yet been found. For example, containers for selling takeaway food.
At the beginning of 2019, a ban on disposableplastic bags announced by South Korean authorities. The country is beginning to take steps to reduce waste. Shops and supermarkets will offer recyclable containers or reusable bags to customers.
The most stringent ban on plastic bags introduced in Kenya. There, the use of the package faces a fine of 32,500 euros or a prison term of up to four years.
In 2008, East African Rwanda announcedabout replacing all plastic bags with paper. The ban on plastic bags is still valid and concerns tourists: when leaving the airport, they must leave all the packages there.
Countries in which the use of disposable plastic bags is prosecuted by law also include Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bangladesh, Tanzania.
3. Finding innovative ways to recycle plastic waste.When burning polyethylene in the environmenttoxic substances are released that harm the environment and human health. Many countries are searching for and developing new technologies for recycling plastic waste.
American researchers from ArgonneThe national laboratory learned how to turn plastic waste into pure carbon by placing garbage in a special container heated to 700 ° C and keeping it there for three hours. According to testers, batteries with such carbon work five times longer than usual.
For several years, automatic machines have been installed in the supermarkets of Finland to receive used bags, which are processed and used as raw materials for the production of new plastic.
In Israel, scientists continue to work on a project for plastic that is completely biodegradable in nature. It contains several types of microscopic algae.
American organic processing companywaste TerraCycle announced an environmental delivery service Loop, which has already been supported by major manufacturers Unilever, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo. Instead of the usual plastic packaging, the goods will be delivered in a reusable container. After use, a courier will pick up empty containers free of charge and deliver them to Loop for recycling and reuse.
A new method for recycling plastic and makingIts fuel was developed by scientists from Purdue University in the USA. They developed a technology capable of processing polyolefin wastes into useful products. These include fuels, polymers and naphtha (a combustible mixture of liquid hydrocarbons).
In February 2019, Evian introduced a new glass bottle with a bamboo cap and silicone sleeve. Thus, the company will gradually reduce plastic production.
4. The development of green movements.In support of the fight against plastic pollutionThere are many environmental movements. Greenpeace has released a special guide, “A Million Actions for the Planet: A Plastic-Free Future,” which includes tips on spreading awareness of the issue to audiences of different ages and local businesses.
British movement Surfers Against Sewageuses another method to combat plastic pollution - collecting signatures on a petition with the requirements to introduce a special deposit for the purchase of food or drink in a plastic container or bottle. Having handed over empty plastic ware back, the buyer can return the deposit.
In 2018, Russia hosted the action "Water of Russia" -The All-Russian cleaning action for water bodies and their banks, organized with the support of the ECA’s green movement in Russia. About 1.8 million participants cleaned 5,300 reservoirs in 85 regions, having cleaned up the largest lakes and rivers in Russia. At present, ECA continues to promote plastic pollution control and environmental education of the population.
At the beginning of 2019, large international companiesled by the director of Procter & Gamble David Taylor announced the creation of an alliance to combat plastic pollution - The Alliance to End Plastic Waste. The alliance plans to use funds to clean up ten of the world's largest rivers and will also look for new solutions to minimize plastic pollution.
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Currently, up to 1% of the Pacific coversA large garbage patch, an impressive part of which is plastic and polyethylene. Every year, millions of marine creatures die from plastic. According to the report of the World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, if the situation does not change, by 2050 plastic waste will exceed the number of fish in the oceans.
Since 1950, around 8 billion have been produced worldwide.tons of plastic, which is almost 30 times the mass of the entire adult population of the planet. The existing disposal methods are not able to completely solve this environmental problem, since the growth rate and production volumes of plastic regularly increase. Many states have already embarked on the path of combating plastic pollution of the environment, but the problem requires even greater efforts from the global community. It is necessary to reconsider the attitude to the use of plastic in areas where there is no urgent need for it.