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Going Circular in the Manufacturing Sector
Image: © chanpipat / Adobe Stock
Estimates say that more than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since the early 1950s, of which about 60% has ended up in either a landfill or the natural environment.
More than 99% of plastics are produced from non-renewable resources which means that if current trends continue, by 2050 the plastic industry could account for 20% of the world’s total oil consumption and we will end up with more plastic than fish in the ocean.
Cleaning up the beaches is vital, but the real problem with plastic starts long before it reaches our oceans and beaches, and so must the solutions. We believe that working side-by-side, businesses and governments can tackle plastic pollution at the source, which is why we’ve signed the ‘New Plastic Economy Global Commitment’.
The real question is not whether a world without plastic pollution is possible but what we will do together to make it happen. At HSSMI, we are involved in a number of projects which tackle this issue
– WATER (Water Accelerated Technology for En-Tyre Recycling) project aims to develop an innovative tyre recycling process which enables the optimal recovery of high value resources from end-of-life car tyres.
– CLIFFF (Closed Loop Innovation in Fused Filament Fabrication) project will enable industry and academic 3D print service bureaus to reprocess discarded 3D prints back into high value new 3D printing filaments creating a fully circular business model for the Additive Manufacturing sector
The Global Commitment is a line in the sand; it creates a global coalition of leaders with the power to prevent plastic pollution at the source. At the heart of the Global Commitment is a vision of a Circular Economy for plastic, where plastics never become waste.
More broadly, the Circular Economy represents an opportunity for businesses to rethink and redefine the way that they make, use and discard products. Moving away from the linear model of ‘take, make, dispose’, circular business models can be just as profitable, if not more, whilst reducing our impact on the earth’s climate.
A typical UK manufacturing business spends four times as much on materials, water and energy as they do on labour. Minimising the waste and maximising the value of those resources offers more potential to add to the bottom line and grow productivity. However, to achieve a more circular model that is economically and environmentally sustainable is no easy task.
That is why HSSMI developed the Circular Economy Readiness Review (CERR) which is a comprehensive and strategic workshop, which aims to assess your organisation’s current and desired Circular Economy future state. Through the expert advice and facilitation of our consultants, we will work closely with your organisation to understand your business goals and objectives, before developing a strategy to reach them.
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