Commenting on the UK Prime Minister’s remarks that recycling isn’t the only answer to easing the global climate crisis, Dr John Williams, CTO, said:
“We agree with Boris Johnson’s remarks that recycling isn’t the only answer to the global plastic challenge. For years, the packaging industry has focused innovation on functionality, making major advancements for example in weight reduction and shelf life. Inevitably, this has led to making materials more complex, which in turn are less easy to recycle in the current waste management infrastructure.
“The challenge of the circular economy is now to add environmental credentials into packaging. This requires the use of innovative materials to maintain front end functionality whilst enabling multiple end-of-life options including recyclability but also biodegradation, compostability and anaerobic digestion that leave no trace on the environment. As a manufacturer of one such material, Hydropol, and through our project collaborations with brands, we know that there are many solutions available now. We therefore welcome the discussions our Prime Minister’s remarks have initiated as it is the responsibility of the whole packaging supply chain – from raw materials, design, manufacture through to end of life processing – to transform the whole industry into a low carbon impact circular economy.”
