Annual Report 2020
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The State of Plastic Recycling ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Commissioned by: ANNUAL REPORT 2020 The State of Plastic Recycling Letter from our Vice President and General Manager ................................................................. 3 Executive summary...................................................................... 4 Plastics have built the modern world - but do they belong to our future? .......................................... 8 We need to do more .................................................................... 9 Consumer beliefs & attitudes ................................................ 10 Governments are acting ........................................................... 11 Less is less: plastic and its alternatives ............................. 12 Reduce, recycle, reuse: a beverage packaging case study ................................................................ 14 Moving towards a circular economy .................................... 16 A next step: fixing recycling systems .................................. 17 The way ahead: plastic is not waste .................................... 19 About Hi-Cone ............................................................................. 20 Hi-Cone’s 2025 vision and goals ........................................... 21 People and our planet .............................................................. 22 Sources ........................................................................................... 23 Please consider the environment before printing this report. © Hi-Cone 2020. All rights reserved 2 LETTER FROM OUR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER Understanding the challenges. Working together on solutions. Recycling is a core component of creating a more In 2019, Hi-Cone launched a new ring carrier, sustainable future for the global community and RingCycles™, made from 50% recycled (PCR) the planet. It is key to developing sustainable content. By the end of 2020, all of our customers consumption and production patterns, which will have transitioned to this new product. Beyond support a circular economy where the entire RingCycles™, we are continuously innovating lifecycle of a product or service is considered. to find new plastic and non-plastic solutions for a completely biodegradable, recyclable, or compostable alternative for beverage multi- Hi-Cone created this first State of Plastic pack packaging. We will be working closely with Recycling Annual Report in order to shed light on partners across the industry and supply chain the current state of recycling and to help advance to amplify our efforts in 2020 and beyond. the circular economy and sustainability as a whole. This report aims to identify the challenges, as well as the opportunities, for the industry to improve plastic recycling as sustainability plays a Shawn Welch larger role and drives change. Shawn Welch Vice President and General Manager of Hi-Cone Worldwide There is a great need to create a more transparent process and clear guidance for consumers when it comes to the development of a circular economy and better recycling practices. Only by understanding consumer beliefs, national programs and global goals, can we make real progress towards innovative improvement of our products and business practices. This cannot be done alone – collaboration is key. Hi-Cone is committed to helping develop the circular economy. © Hi-Cone 2020. All rights reserved 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Insights, observations and the way forward. Sustainability is one of the All food and drink packaging make a big positive difference to most pressing challenges has an environmental impact. the future of our planet. Making in 2020 and beyond – and Carbon emissions and the sure consumers have all the it can only be solved by amount of energy used to information they need is the first working together as a global manufacture it must all step on this journey, as knee-jerk be factored in if we are to reactions to false information – community. Consumers, account for any packaging’s such as banning all plastics, producers and organizations true environmental cost. Now as some call for – can lead along the supply chain need more than ever, the packaging to harmful long-term effects.1 to understand the impact they industry is committed to Access to the facts is required can have, which requires a good reducing its environmental so consumers and producers understanding of the attitudes impact, to act responsibly and alike can make informed toward plastics recycling and to work together. choices, as developing the most the circular economy. sustainable solution for any In a perfect world, no products type of packaging will require In this first State of Plastic would get disposed of a close look at the facts of the Recycling Report, new findings improperly and end up in the product’s lifecycle as well as the are presented from a global natural environment. None of existing recycling infrastructure consumer survey conducted them would even go to landfill in the markets in which it will by YouGov, an international or be incinerated; instead, all be used. Accepting the status research data and analytics products would be reused or quo, however, is not enough: we group headquartered in London. recycled. Many organizations, have to strive to minimize waste The research was commissioned including the UN,i the EU, the through a truly circular economy by Hi-Cone to better understand UK government and WRAPii to reduce the world population’s the opportunities and are now calling for such a shift, impact on our planet and allow challenges to advance the towards a ‘circular’ plastics future generations to thrive. circular economy in the food economy, which would require and drinks packaging industry. a thorough improvement of recycling on a global scale. YouGov surveyed 5,509 adults in ONLY Fixing the recycling system four markets – Mexico, Spain, the and building trust that it is United Kingdom and the United effective is just one of the States – on their behaviors, many tasks that face us. By knowledge and attitudes towards 34% working together and putting of adults across all territories plastic packaging recycling. Key sustainability front and center, reported recycling all the plastic findings are presented on the organizations along the supply waste they possibly could. following pages. chain can support consumers to i‘Single-use plastics: a roadmap for sustainability’, United Nations Environment Programme, 2018 ii WRAP, Waste and Resources Action Programme, is a UK initiative which provides research and recommendations on more sustainable resource use to stakeholders worldwide (learn more at https://www.wrap.org.uk/) © Hi-Cone 2020. All rights reserved 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - CONTINUED RATES OF RECYCLING IN THE HOME AND IN PUBLIC 75% of adults across all territories (Mexico, Spain, the UK and the USA) reported that they regularly recycle anything (e.g. plastic, paper, cans, or glass, etc.) in their homes, and 69% reported regularly recycling anything in public recycling bins. 75% 92% 73% 60% 58% At Home At Home At Home At Home At Home 69% 63% 89% 59% 75% In Public In Public In Public In Public In Public of Adults Across of Spanish Adults of American Adults of Mexican Adults all Territories of British Adults RATES OF PLASTIC RECYCLING 34% of adults across all territories reported they recycled % of Adults Across all of their plastic waste inside or outside their home. 34 all Territories 45% of British Adults % of Spanish Adults 92% 38 26% of American Adults ONLY 1/3 ACROSS ALL TERRITORIES 12% of Mexican Adults © Hi-Cone 2020. All rights reserved 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - CONTINUED LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AROUND RECYCLING PLASTIC Over half of adults across all territories (60%) reported they did not know how to recycle some types of plastic packaging. ??? ? ? % 56 of adults across all territories reported % % % % % 60 66 62 56 52 that they found recycling different plastics difficult to understand. of Adults Across of British Adults of Mexican Adults of Spanish Adults of American Adults all Territories LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN HOW THINGS ARE RECYCLED One third of adults across all territories reported that they believe only 25% or less of what they put into recycling bins in their area is actually recycled. PUBLIC TRUST METER © Hi-Cone 2020. All rights reserved 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - CONTINUED CONSUMERS KNOW THEY SHOULD BE RECYCLING MORE, AND THEY WANT TO, BUT THEY NEED MORE INFORMATION The majority of adults across all territories The majority of adults (80%) who do not currently (91%) reported believing that recycling plastic recycle all of their plastic waste reported that is beneficial to the environment, and more than they would recycle plastic more frequently if they two-thirds (69%) of those who do not currently had more facilities and/or guidance. recycle all of their plastic waste, reported they were not recycling as much plastic as they think they should. 91% RECYCLING PLASTIC IS BENEFICIAL 80% 69% NOT RECYCLING ENOUGH UNCERTAINTY OVER WHICH PACKAGING MATERIAL IS BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT 18% of adults across all 36% reported they were unsure 30% reported being unsure if %reported they were unsure %reported being unsure if territories reported being unsure if36 it takes if moreit takes energy more energy and and using30 a small using amounta small amount of plastic of if non-plastic packaging (e.g. naturalnatural resources resources to recycleto recycle plastic packagingplastic packaging can be can better be better for for