Plastic is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from food packaging and storage boxes to children’s toys and exfoliants.
The versatile material revolutionised manufacturing with its durability and low cost. It quickly became crucial to modern healthcare, house building and transport. Our water pipes, cars, and phones all include plastic components critical to functioning.
However, plastic has become both a blessing and a concern over time.
Our oceans are now flooded with plastic waste, with 88% of their surface polluted by plastic. Britain alone contributes around 1.7 million tonnes of plastic to our seas annually.
As concerns about plastic waste grow, some think the solution to a greener planet is to stop plastic use altogether. However, eliminating plastic is not a straightforward solution, as alternatives to plastic can be costly, limited in resources, or require large amounts of energy.
Amid the growing concern, what is the solution?
The Circular Economy
Environmentalists and researchers have advocated for the circular economy, which promotes keeping products in use instead of discarding them.
Its goal is to replace the current linear economy of “take, make, waste,” where items are thrown away after use.
Instead, the circular economy promotes reusing, repairing, refurbishing, or exchanging products. The goal is to extend the lifespan of materials, enhance resource efficiency, and minimise waste and pollution.
This also cuts down on excess electricity and waste. For instance, plastic bottles from recycled plastic use 75% less energy than raw materials.
The Circular Economy in Practice: IPL Brightgreen Plastics
ClearVUE.Business, a net zero consultancy, has partnered with IPL Brightgreen Plastics, a manufacturing company that contributes to the circular economy with innovative waste solutions.
ClearVUE.Business’s work with IPL Brightgreen Plastics will identify and eliminate wasteful practices and behaviours in their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Through this partnership, IPL Brightgreen Plastics will further reduce the environmental impact of its activities, ensuring its products contribute to the decarbonisation of the UK economy.
ClearVUE.Business Director Leah Barrett added: “The circular economy, where environmental values are embedded into growth strategies, is the future of business. At ClearVUE.Business, we are proud to contribute to this movement, collaborating with companies that take their climate impact into account.
IPL Brightgreen Plastics contributes significantly to this effort by turning recycled plastic back into raw material. With our carbon and energy accounting and their commitment to environmental goals, we are confident this partnership will lead to further progress within the circular economy and net zero.”
About IPL Brightgreen Plastics:
Using their world-class recycling process to extend the product lifetime of plastic, IPL Brightgreen Plastics not only reduces the strain on our planet’s resources but also creates new economic opportunities and jobs in recycling industries. Their recycling process handles Polypropylene (PP) and High-density polyethylene (HDPE) products, which include household bottles and pots, trays, and water pipes.
About ClearVUE.Business:
ClearVUE.Business is a net zero consultancy which specialises in offering energy management and carbon reduction to businesses across all sectors. Using advanced analytics and expert advice, ClearVUE.Business drives positive change by minimising businesses’ environmental impact.
