Necessary Waste for Public Health Provides Opportunity for Innovation

As we look to a new era of safer at home and reopening economies region by region, a necessary stream of waste will be a significant environmental side effect of the coronavirus pandemic. Beyond the personal protective equipment used by frontline workers, the public will continue to rely on masks, rubber gloves, and huge volumes of disposable packaging for everything from takeout to groceries. Even in states whose policies had eliminated plastic bags, the communicability of the coronavirus has caused states to disregard these progressive policies. Now more than ever, manufacturers should explore the innovative alternatives to traditional plastics and packaging to reduce the waste stream impacts.

It’s Not Just About Recycling

"Just recycle it" may be the immediate thought that comes to mind when considering the waste of takeout, delivery, and bulk hoarding. But the reality is that recycling remains in crisis. Plummeting oil prices have made plastic cheap to manufacture, and China began refusing the US waste exports, including recycling, in 2018. Many plastic goods are now thinner, which lessens the impact of first use plastics, but lightweight plastics break down the economics of typical recycling. While recycling is not the answer, consumer packaged goods companies need to use new plastic alternatives that completely change the waste stream.

Innovation is underway. Researchers have developed everything from packaging of transparent, ethylene-based polymers that dissolve in water to FDA-approved edible, seaweed-based cups. However, it’s going to take a dramatic rise in demand to move these beta products to competitive commodities.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, market-leading consumer packaged goods companies had set aggressive sustainability and climate goals that largely tackle waste. Now, these same innovators must create the demand to break down price premiums and build economies of scale for plastic alternatives. Private sector leadership will be the only real path forward in the near term; it is time for collective action and coordinated advocacy from powerful brands. Companies can launch from a platform to initiate a circular economy for packaging. For example, Danone has set a 2025 goal for “every piece of packaging—from bottle caps to yogurt cups—to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable.” The mail order meal prep market is also fundamentally challenged by packaging waste. One of these companies, Green Chef, has partnered with Plastic Bank to offset the plastic in its weekly deliveries.

Prioritize Reducing Plastic Waste

Now is the time to take commitments further that tackle the new waste reality and create even stronger sustainability impacts. This effort must be thoughtful, however. Consumer plastic goods leaders must select options based on the whole picture, including the energy, waste, and water used in the production of packaging alternatives. An assessment of the packaging life cycle in total should be a priority. In a recent article, Global Citizen pointed out the following considerations:

• If an item is compostable, how much of the market has access to the facilities and will actually utilize the waste stream?

• How far does the product have to ship?

•  For example, the Global Citizen article points to the bamboo straw trend and its associated carbon footprint from shipping to major markets like the US.

These are just a couple of questions market-leading manufacturers must consider, and with today’s demand, reducing plastic waste is a bigger challenge than ever. However, the power of the private sector to create markets is real, and our sustainable future depends on it.