A new project will help implement reusable plastic packaging in multiple countries across Europe.
As explained by Packaging Europe, the plastics technology center AIMPLAS announced the launch of the Buddie-Pack project, which aims "to implement a circular system for the large-scale deployment of reusable plastic packaging."
Examples of products that Packaging Europe provided included "a semi-rigid skin pack for meat distribution (Dawn Meats), semi-rigid catering trays at schools and nursing homes for 1 portion and 8 portions (Ausolan), pre-packed food in supermarkets (Uzaje), and catering trays for takeaway food consumption (Vytal)."
On the one hand, this news gives vibes of "the best way to cut down on plastic is to produce more recyclable plastic" — even though it may never actually get recycled. That could be worse in many ways if the plastic items are made with more plastic and then still get tossed at a similar rate.
If there are single-use items that can become multi-use items, it's generally better to make them with something less polluting such as metal, ceramic, or glass. But if those would be easily damaged or broken, it could be beneficial to use plastic products designed to be reused or recycled — if those who use them actually do so enough to drive down virgin plastic production.
That's a big if without knowing more about how it will play out in practice. But while the Buddie-Pack project is coordinated by the Industrial Technical Center for Plastics and Composites, it's funded by the European Union research and innovation program Horizon Europe, which says it "tackles climate change" and "helps to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals."
The report said 19 partners from six countries have committed to participate in the project, which is set to take place over the next three-and-a-half years.
"The project is anticipated to cut down the production of single-use plastic packaging, reduce water and energy consumption, and avoid the release of microplastics into the oceans," Packaging Europe stated.
Reusable plastic packaging incurs skepticism from many who question the safety and cleanliness of repeatedly using the same products. The Buddie-Pack project plans to address this by analyzing consumer habits and promoting "cleaning solutions to guarantee consumer safety against the possible contamination and ageing of all reusable business cases during their repeated use, and the durability of their functional properties and recyclability," per Packaging Europe.
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The way it looks 😍 The project will apply mechanical recycling, which Packaging Europe said is "'the most widely adopted method' for plastic recycling, said to have relatively low energy requirements, minimal infrastructure needs and be highly scalable."
This effort is one of the latest positive steps in the fight to reduce plastic pollution across the world, as many big-name companies have begun lending a hand in hopes of making a difference. For example, ShopRite partnered with TerraCycle to launch a program that provides kiosks for recycling flexible plastic packaging. Similarly, Nestlé expanded its use of innovative paper packaging across major brands to make 95% of its plastic packaging recyclable by the end of this year.
These projects are part of a commitment to help consumers make smarter recycling choices and keep plastics out of landfills, where they can take decades to break down. By reducing our reliance on single-use plastics, we can all contribute to a healthier planet.
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