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Reinventing plastics in Europe and around the world

Plastics are far too valuable to be incinerated or dumped in a landfill, so we must rethink their role in our society. Single-use, disposable plastic packaging is no longer viable.

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First in a series of articles featuring “live” coverage of Sustainability in Packaging, Europe 2017, conference in Barcelona.

“Plastic is everywhere, we know that,” said Werner Bosmans, Coordinator Plastics Strategy of European Commission, DG Environment. Bosmans painted a bleak picture for attendees in Barcelona at “Sustainability In Packaging Europe 2017,” hosted by Smithers Pira.

“Today we have 20-percent more plastic than we did a half century ago,” Bosmans continued. “What is amazing is the growth still to come—an 80-fold increase in less than a century. Exponential growth from 314 million tons in 2014 to 1,200 million tons in 2050."

According to Bosmans, in the EU, plastic packaging is the most important sector and accounts for 40% of production. The EU has a much better record of dealing with plastic waste than the U.S., with 30% of collected plastics recycled, 39% incinerated, and 31% landfilled. “The problem is that plastic is far too valuable a resource to be burned or buried," he said. "There are also a lot of different kinds of plastics, and many need an individual solution.”

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