https://zerowasteeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023-SB-ZWE-The-economics-of-reuse-systems.pdf

The urgency to act on plastic pollution is now widely understood, as is the fact that we cannot continue along the linear path of resource exploitation. Adopting circular economy principles could not only benefit Europe environmentally and socially but could also generate a net economic benefit of €1.8 trillion by 2030. 1 Recycling alone will never be able to mitigate uncurbed plastic production, which is on track to triple by 2050. Solutions must be focused upstream to the source of the problem, production. After elimination, the widespread uptake of reusable packaging has the highest potential to reduce plastic production. This view is sustained by a recent shift in legislative focus in the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the United Nation's Global Plastic Treaty to end plastic pollution. The popularity of reusable packaging is also growing within businesses under pressure both from upcoming regulations and a customer base increasingly concerned with the over-use of plastic. However, several brands and industry associations have been hesitant to wholeheartedly embrace reusable packaging, citing doubts over environmental credibility, customer acceptance, needed behavioural change, and the fear of heavy investments and operational costs. While several independent LCAs prove the environmental benefits of multi-use over single-use plastic packaging, and as many surveys indicate customer readiness, there is a gap in analysing the costs vs benefits of a scaled and optimised reuse system.

Making Reuse a Reality: A systems approach to tackling single-use plastic pollution, a new report.

Dear friends 

At the BFFP global meeting in Vietnam, we identified a range of research needs that will support the evidence we need to realize reuse solutions to catalyze the transition away from single use plastic. We also established a campaign development team who are working towards building the campaign framework.   

Today, in collaboration with the University of Portsmouth, we launched the research previewed there “Making Reuse a Reality: A systems approach to tackling single-use plastic pollution, a new report.” In the panel , we had Judy Hilton and Steve Fletcher from University of Portsmouth, Joan Marc Simon of ZWE, and Tiza Mafira representing the Indonesian Plastic Bag Diet Movement . This report outlines the stages which will enable the transition away from single use plastic to enable reuse systems to be scaled. It draws on many of the experiences of BFFP members, and recognises the expertise that was shared with the researchers. 

Prioritizing reduction and reuse systems in the Global Plastics Treaty will allow us to very quickly reduce plastic pollution caused by Single Use Plastic.

Reuse is not new. Scalable reuse systems are already in place in many parts of the world, some as part of traditional and cultural practice. We have the examples, the research demonstrates how these models may be scalable across sectors and locations.

Also released today was a video explainer by the Story of Stuff - “The world is absolutely drowning in plastic waste - and almost half of it is just packaging. There is a way out of this. Establishing and scaling up reuse systems could dramatically cut the single-use plastic that ends up as pollution - and it's already happening.” 

++++++++

https://zerowasteeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023-SB-ZWE-The-economics-of-reuse-systems.pdf

The urgency to act on plastic pollution is now widely understood, as is the fact that we cannot continue along the linear path of resource exploitation. Adopting circular economy principles could not only benefit Europe environmentally and socially but could also generate a net economic benefit of €1.8 trillion by 2030. 1 Recycling alone will never be able to mitigate uncurbed plastic production, which is on track to triple by 2050. Solutions must be focused upstream to the source of the problem, production. After elimination, the widespread uptake of reusable packaging has the highest potential to reduce plastic production. This view is sustained by a recent shift in legislative focus in the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the United Nation's Global Plastic Treaty to end plastic pollution. The popularity of reusable packaging is also growing within businesses under pressure both from upcoming regulations and a customer base increasingly concerned with the over-use of plastic. However, several brands and industry associations have been hesitant to wholeheartedly embrace reusable packaging, citing doubts over environmental credibility, customer acceptance, needed behavioural change, and the fear of heavy investments and operational costs. While several independent LCAs prove the environmental benefits of multi-use over single-use plastic packaging, and as many surveys indicate customer readiness, there is a gap in analysing the costs vs benefits of a scaled and optimised reuse system.

++++++++

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MZlvrHhmcQH5XFDOH3P8YiGsuo6bIJWi?usp=drive_link

Introduction

Webinar

Speakers' Presentations - 10 May 2022

https://zerowastecities.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Presentation-RSVP-Summary-Report_Webinar_May-2022_PDF.pdf

https://zerowastecities.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/220510_Presentation_Zero_Waste_Europe.pdf starts at 30.00

https://zerowastecities.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/JEAN-BOUTEILLE-PRESENTATION.pdf starts at 50.58 - 1.03

++++++++

Making Europe transition to reusable packaging §§

Key takeaways

References

https://zerowasteeurope.eu/library/making-europe-transition-to-reusable-packaging/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MAMAknCqWgSy6CIe6hQQ2IM4u0eHkXsy/view

++++

Reuse wins: §§

top findings show reuse beats single-use every time

References

https://upstreamsolutions.org/reuse-wins-report

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1opgKG9Xr63-vIT-yTlhMp85-PZz6ltgf/view?usp=sharing

++++

Reuse Revolution: Overcoming Barriers in Southeast Asia

Reuse is not only about reusable cups and canvas bags, but entire systems that require standards, infrastructure, political will, financing, and promoting behavioural change.

Member Stories, Real Solutions - Posted on February 01, 2023

Reuse systems address single-use plastics (SUPs) pollution by reducing the demand for SUPs and in the longer term, reducing the production of SUPs.

What is going to replace single-use plastics?

This is a question that Tiza Mafira, Executive Director of Gerakan Indonesia Diet Kantong Plastik (Indonesia Plastic Bag Diet Movement) posed during a panel discussion at the International Zero Waste Cities Conference in Manila, Philippines in the last week of January 2023.

Talking about overcoming barriers to mainstream reuse as a norm, Mafira emphasized the importance of showing that reuse is an already existing solution to plastic pollution and the emissions that exacerbate the climate crisis.

“If our vision is for reuse to become mainstream, we need to visualize reuse as an entire infrastructure whereby it's a circular infrastructure and the existing infrastructure is entirely used and modified and adjusted to accommodate for a reuse system," said Mafira.

Amid conversations on curbing the climate crisis and commitments on capping carbon emissions, industries have also been presenting various schemes and technologies which they claim as “solutions” to the continuous plastic pollution. Waste-to-energy technologies, waste burning, chemical recycling, and other false solutions do not address the root of the problem: unnecessary production of plastics. Simply replacing single-use plastics with other single-use materials such as paper or other bioplastics will not address the problem at source and will only perpetuate ‘throwaway culture’ thus contributing to waste pollution.

Reuse as a solution to plastic pollution

Reuse is not only about reusable cups and canvas bags, but entire systems that require standards, infrastructure, political will, financing, and promoting behavioral change.

Reuse systems address single-use plastics pollution by reducing the demand for single-use plastics (SUPs) and in the longer term, reducing the production of SUPs. This removes some of the responsibility from end-of-pipe waste management, to reduction of upstream use of raw materials.

If we are to conserve materials and make better use of our natural resources without wasting and causing damage to the environment, redesigning product delivery and reuse should be of high priority before resorting to recycling and waste remediation.

Creating an enabling environment for Reuse Revolution

Reuse is a system and it is not a new one.

One of the common means to reuse is the refill system where consumers bring their own containers to the store then purchase products using their own reusable containers or packaging like glass bottles, jars, and reusable bags among others. Another system is returning containers to the producer through which the producer will reuse the containers to package their products.

Full article

++++

Tennis / Evian Research Project

Research needed to identify decision makers about water bottle sponsorship.