SUSTAINABILITY AND PACKAGING

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SUSTAINABILITY AND PACKAGING
IPSA Western Cape Conference 20 September 2007
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AGENDA

• Some personal observations on sustainability and
  waste.
• Government Initiatives affecting packaging.
• Packaging in perspective
• Sources of Waste in the Packaging Industry
• Solid Waste what is the Packaging Industry doing?
• Biodegradable Packaging
• The Way Forward

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Gaining Perspective
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• From your orbital perspective you can see that
  something has unmistakeaby gone wrong. The
  dominant organisms, whoever they are, who have
  gone to so much trouble to rework the surface,
  are simultaneously destroying their forests,
  eroding their topsoil and performing massive
  uncontrolled experiments on their planets
  climates. Havent they noticed whats happening?
  Are they oblivious to their fate? Are they
  unable to work together on behalf of the
  environment that sustains them all? Perhaps you
  think its time to re-assess the conjecture that
  theres intelligent life on earth.

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OUR SURVIVAL AND WELL BEING ON EARTH

• Making front page news headlines
• Key focus currently on climate change
• Equally important water quality and land
  degradation
• We can all expect environmental pressures to grow
  on perceived polluters of the planet

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WHO IS AT FAULT?

• Three Common responses
• Doesnt matter, wont affect me - after my time.
• Its those other guys the rich nations and the
  Chinese
• I am not changing nobody else is and why should
  I.

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OUR WASTEFUL SPECIES

• Fishing
• Energy
• - Power
• - Transport
• Water
• Computers

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• A recent survey by Collect-A-Can revealed that
  over 90 of South Africans surveyed saw litter as
  the greatest environmental threat facing us.

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• As a nation we are clueless as to the major
  environmental issues facing the world and thus
  us.
• The politicians are facing massive pressure to
  fix the litter problem.
• We in the Packaging Industry are doing a lousy
  job of selling the benefits of packaging to
  society at large

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SOME USEFUL STATISTICS ABOUT PACKAGING

• The Industry in South Africa is worth some R29
  Billion per annum (2006)
• It employs directly approximately 50 000 people
• The Recycling sector, including informal
  collectors, employs some 55 000 additional
  people.
• Packaging is estimated to be some 12 of the
  household waste stream in South Africa (PIKITUP
  Survey 2004)

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SOME USEFUL STATISTICS

• Packaging is less than 0,1 of total waste
  generated in South Africa (including air/water
  etc. calculated from Treasury Report 2006)
• There are some much bigger nasties than packaging
  in our throw away society.

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PACKAGING IN PERSPECTIVE..

• Packaging is an essential part of modern life,
  misunderstood, unloved but necessary
• Packaging protects, preserves, informs, attracts,
  creates economical options and enables our
  lifestyles

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LEGISLATION AND GOVERNMENTS POSITION

• Polokwane Declaration
• National Environmental Management
• - Waste Management Bill
• - Air Quality Bill
• Product Taxes

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POLOKWANE DECLARATION (2001)

• Implement a Waste Management System which
  contributes to sustainable development.
• To develop a common effort towards a goal for
  reduction of waste generated and disposed by 50
  by 2012 and develop a plan by 2022 for a zero
  waste society

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NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT WASTE BILL
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SOME SALIENT POINTS

• Applies to anyone who imports, generates, stores,
  accumulates, transports, treats or disposes of
  waste
• Cradle to grave approach.
• Extended Producer Responsibility is defined and
  introduced.
• Minister will decide on products or group of
  products this will apply to
• Minister will define programmme

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SOME SALIENT POINTS

• For all involved in the specifying of packaging
  this will mean closer scrutiny of their packaging
  materials and processes.
• Defines waste and determines those persons who
  are required to obtain Waste licenses for their
  activities and facilities.

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SOME SALIENT POINTS.

• Greater responsibility on producers to reduce,
  re-use, recycle and recover packaging
• Declaration of priority wastes
• Consultation Process
• Uniformity of provincial laws to avoid anomalies
• Industry Waste Management Plans
• This Bill is expected to become law in early 2008

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AIR QUALITY BILL

• Priority Areas, including Epping
• Specific Industries, Wood Products and
  Combustion.

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PRODUCT TAXES

• One example to date Plastic Bag
• Winners
• - Government Taxes collected R90 million
  per annum
• - Retailers Consumers pay for product
  previously supplied free
• - The Environment
• Losers
• - Plastic Bag Industry
• - The Environment very small percentage of
  money collected has landed up in environmental
  initiatives.
• This is not the best way to deal with
  environmental problems. Voluntary industry
  driven initiatives are much better

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PACKAGING INDUSTRY SOURCES OF WASTE

• Carbon and other Air Emissions
• Water
• Solid Waste
• Overpackaging

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SOLID WASTEWHAT THE PACKAGING INDUSTRY HAS DONE
TO DATE
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• Reduce
• Re-use
• Recycle
• Recover

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Reduce

• Technology has enabled the packaging industry to
  reduce mass without compromising the basic
  functions of the pack
• For example
• The beverage can in South Africa has reduced to a
  weight of 33g today versus a weight of 62 grams
  in 1966
• A glass beverage bottle has reduced in weight by
  18 over the last 10 years
• The PET 2 litre cooldrink bottle has reduced to a
  weight of 52g today versus a weight of 90g in
  1979 when it was first introduced
• Detergent refill packs have reduced packaging
  material by 70
• A cement sack weighs on average 240 gsm today
  vs. weighing 320 gsm in 1990

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Re-use

• Impressive figures in the malt beer industry
• Returnable containers work in some industries but
  are certainly not the solution across the
  spectrum
• Cost and energy of return loop
• Water and cleaning material wastage
• Nature of the product

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Recycle

• Packaging Waste
• A resource that is in short supply, because the
  supply chain is not working properly.

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Recycle

• Metal Beverage Cans
• 67 recycling rate
• Employment to 37 000 people
• Collected 750 000 tons since it started

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Recycle

• Paper
• 57 Recycling Rate
• 2006 collected 935 000 tons of paper in SA
• R230 million invested directly in recycling
• Demand for recycled paper will grow to 1,155
  million tons by 2009

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Recycle

• Glass Packaging
• 25 Recycling Rate
• Major returnable contributor
• The Glass Recycling Company
• Target from 25 to 50 in 3 years
• R50 million investment in cullet colour sorting
  equipment

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Recycle

• Plastics Packaging
• 33 Recycling Rate including factory waste
• Plastics covers 6 main families which should each
  be looked at individually
• 160 recyclers 172 000 tons
• Demand exceeds supply
• Impressive growth rate in recycling rates

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Recover

• Plastic has calorific value up to 40 better than
  coal
• Study completed in plastics industry on
  possibility of using waste for energy
• Used extensively in Europe

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OVERPACKAGING

• Major issues of Future
• Personal Experience
• - Radio Shows
• When is Overpackaging
• Some Perceived Problem Packs
• - Chips- Cereals- Some Retailers
• - Disposable Razors etc.

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BIODEGRADABLE PACKAGING

• 2 basic types
• Additives
• Alternative Raw Materials
• Certain applications where this can work, but a
  number of downsides which need to be understood
• Most importantly disaster that can be caused if
  they end up in the recycling stream
• Moral Issue if we were to grow crops specifically
  for packaging

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Enormous effort and money being spent in the
packaging industry on these initiatives
EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY
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THE WAY FORWARD
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PACKAGING CONVERTERS

• Accept and embrace the concept of Extended
  Producer Responsibility. You cannot, and in our
  opinion should not, fight it.
• Understand the risk of legislation if we do
  nothing more another plastic bag saga.
• Know the environmental impact of your packaging
  and the initiatives that are in place, join
  these initiatives. If there are none put
  pressure on the decision makers to do something
• Understand the legislation in detail
• Continually innovate to reduce the mass of
  packaging
• Offer more environmentally friendly packaging
  options to customers

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THE WAY FORWARD

• We are already applying the concept of extended
  producer responsibility but cannot do this in
  isolation. We need the following support to grow
  in the recycling field
• Municipalities/Provinces
• - Household sorting of waste
• - Access to Waste Stream via MRF
• - More public litter bins
• Brand Owners/Retailers
• - Joint extended producer responsibility by
• Supporting Industry driven recycling
  initiatives
• Specifying packaging that can be recycled
• Avoid over packaging
• Imports reduce where possible, but where
  necessary these must be part of recycling
  initiatives current free ride.

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THE WAY FORWARD Contd

• Raw Material Suppliers
• - Participate in voluntary extended producer
  initiatives
• - Develop lower weight materials
• Individuals
• - Separate your household waste into wet, paper
  and other dry
• - Stop littering
• - Abuse other litterers

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AS AN INDIVIDUAL

• Invest in and watch the Al Gore Documentary
• Encourage your friends, schools, companies,
  churches etc to have public showings of this.
• Share your learnings
• If you can afford it invest in Green Energy, such
  as solar heating for water.
• Cut down on water and energy waste
• Separate your waste and deliver clean waste to
  recycling collection points
• Travel less, use more economical motor cars,
• Cut out Air Travel

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Thank You. Andrew
Marthinusen

• www.pacsa.co.za
• packagec_at_mweb.co.za