NEWS
19/10/2022
In this series, we meet up with 10 inspiring B.I.G. experts. They each have a distinct vision of what tomorrow’s (business) world should look like. Normally, they prefer to stay behind the scenes. But for B.I.G. Talks, it’s all cards on the table.
First up: Pieter Vanoosthuyse, Business Development Manager for Recycled Polypropylene, on the future of plastic waste.
“It’s hard to think of a material that generates so much controversy as plastics”, says Pieter Vanoosthuyse. “Because of their light weight and extreme durability, plastics serve millions of purposes in our daily lives. But that’s also their main flaw: plastics are so durable, that the majority of what has been created is still present in our ecosystem today – much of it as waste. One of mankind’s biggest challenges is to turn the fluctuating love-hate relationship into a sustainable relationship.”
The World Economic Forum predicts that, by 2050, plastic waste in the oceans will outweigh the fish. Isn’t it better to just move away from plastics all together?
Pieter Vanoosthuyse: “No. Plastics aren’t the problem. They often replace scarce materials within our everyday lives, from preserving our food and drinks, enabling transportation and securing a safe living space, to lifesaving essential medical supplies, hygiene applications etc. In short, we need plastics. What we don’t need, are non-circular product designs; and mismanaged end-of-life streams.
Are single-use plastic products the main culprit?
Pieter Vanoosthuyse: “It is all about design and how we handle the products after use. We urgently need to break with our linear take-make-waste model. According to UNEP (United Nations Environment Program), only 14% of plastic waste is recycled in Europe. The remainder ends up in incinerators (48%), and in landfills (28%), is exported to non-EU countries (8%), or turns into litter (2%). With plastics production set to double within the next twenty years, the absolute numbers will only get worse, unless we stop thinking of plastics as future waste, but as circular resources.”
We need to stop thinking of plastics as future waste, but as circular resources.