How Cullen Can Help Solve the Problem of Plastic Packaging
With already 11 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year. Without radical change, the amount of plastic waste generated worldwide could double by 2040 and, if waste infrastructure can’t keep up, the amount of plastic entering the ocean will nearly triple, according to research by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
In the Wired article Jim Palardy from Pew Charitable Trusts states he is hopeful that plastic waste can be reduced to a trickle within 20 years. His report found that it’s possible to cut all plastic waste flowing into the ocean by 80 percent in the next 20 years using existing solutions and technologies. “The most important solutions really aren’t rocket science,” Palardy says. As well as better waste management and recycling, hitting this reduction would require making sure that all the plastics we do need are recyclable, avoiding single-use products whenever possible, and replacing plastics with paper and compostable materials—or other materials which are easier to reuse or recycle.
Palardy is right important solutions really aren’t rocket science, we have plastic-free solutions ready today, however the best action to replace single use plastic is to stop producing it in the first place.
Moulded Fibre and Corrugated packaging are the answer, and it is available today and at scale. Cullen are Europe’s only combined manufacturer of moulded fibre and corrugated packaging solutions, with a 14-acre site in the UK. Cullen can help global brands reach their sustainability targets by designing their next plastic free alternative packaging within one month with our inhouse designers and engineers, who manufacture machines and tooling as well as products.
David MacDonald, Owner and CEO of Cullen Eco-Friendly Packaging and recent Wired Trailblazer agrees; ”Single use plastic is simply unnecessary and viable solutions to the problem already exist. Brands can take comfort that established manufacturers like Cullen can support them to take what can seem a daunting step of transitioning to plastic free, we are here to help and support them every step of the way.
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Image: PET plastic bottles await recycling Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg/Getty Images