Humanity generates over 2.01 billion tons of waste annually

Can we realistically design out plastic?

This figure of 2.01 billion tonnes, according to the World Bank, represents an average of 0.74 kilograms, this does however range widely from 0.11 to 4.54 kilograms per person per day. Without immediate action, this figure is projected to rise to 3.40 billion tons by 2050. Short of drastically cutting consumption, recycling is our best lever to tackle this crisis.

On our planet, the six most important natural resources are water, air, oil, natural gas, coal and minerals. These resources are the foundation of life on earth and we’re using them up at a rapid pace. A seventh resource has been identified: recyclables. Today they cover around 40% of the world’s raw material needs. And they are estimated to save over 700 million tons of CO₂ emissions per year. There is absolutely no doubt that recycling is one of our best chances to preserve the future of our planet and humanity.

Hager Group in action for a low-carbon world At Hager Group, plastics are definitely the greatest concern, as it’s the main raw material used in production. As a group, we purchase thousands of tons of plastic raw material every single year and we are very aware of the associated environmental issues. According to recent studies, the production of 1kg of plastic raw material releases between 3.5 to 9.5kg of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Recycled plastic, on the other hand, only accounts for between 0.5 and 1.7kg of CO₂ per 1kg produced.

In short, producing recycled plastic emits around six times less CO₂ than producing virgin plastic. For several years a team of experts at Hager Group has been looking for ways to include recycled plastic in production and a project to eliminate all virgin plastic in packaging is well underway.

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