When it comes to the plastic pollution crisis, creating circular economies to tackle this serious issue facing our oceans and our planet is critical. We need a systemic approach and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation lobbies for just that.
“A circular economy favours activities that preserve value in the form of energy, labour, and materials. This means designing for durability, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling to keep products, components, and materials circulating in the economy. Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy and materials, the circular economy is a resilient system that is good for business, people, and the environment.” *
The Foundation’s approach to the circular economy relating specially to plastic states that three actions are required:
• Eliminate all problematic and unnecessary plastic items.
• Innovate to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable.
• Circulate all the plastic items we use to keep them in the economy and out of the environment. *
Plastic waste is everyone’s issue, not only global organisations.
Every industry sector uses plastic including aerospace, retail, construction, electrical and electronic applications, military, packaging, energy generation, automotive, marine, medical and more.
“Every year, over 400 million tons of plastic is produced worldwide – one third of which is used just once”, said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of the United Nations.
We are all responsible for using plastic wisely and for the safe recycling of it into long term products which can also permanently recycled. International corporates, regional businesses, local and national governments should all be investing in specific plastic circular economies to manage usage, recycling, repurposing and protecting the environment. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) list 7 goals that are directly impacted by plastic waste, and these goals are not on track to be close to targets by 2030.
4 Earth Global was established to contribute solutions to these serious issues facing humanity and the planet. And at the same time, addressing housing shortages and creating jobs by utilising all 7 recycled plastic categories, comingling them as required, with organic waste material such as wheat straw or rice husks (not wood), and scientific formulations to produce highly durable, permanently recyclable building materials.
All without producing any carbon emissions or contributing to deforestation. Find out more.
* Source: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/plastics/overview