The world is overflowing with waste. In fact, according to The World Bank,
two billion tonnes of waste are generated annually; and without urgent action,
global waste will increase by 70
percent
on current levels by 2050.
These global statistics are sometimes hard to connect to — so large, they can
appear incomprehensible. However, the truth is that we are confronted with waste
daily; whether it’s the food in our fridge, or the inventory losses in our
supply chain — its prevalence cannot be ignored. In France, a social media
campaign that began last month with an anonymous user uploading images of the
trash left in public places across Paris, alongside the hashtag
#SaccageParis (“#TrashParis”)
has now gone viral. Staggering photos of Parisian streets overflowing with
garbage, food waste and abandoned cars have captured the world’s attention far
beyond France.
One of the long-term trends accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic is the shift to
ecommerce. In February 2021, it was forecast that 52.1 percent of China’s retail
sales will come from ecommerce in 2021, up from 44.8 percent a year prior. That
means that for the first time anywhere, a majority of retail
sales
for an entire country will be transacted online. With this phenomenon comes even
more waste. Already, containers and packaging make up 28 percent of the waste
that ends up in US landfills, according to the EPA; and in December 2020,
an estimated three billion
packages
were shipped for Christmas in the US — up 800 million from the year prior.
This all paints an overwhelming picture, and one in which it’s hard to conclude
anything other than “waste is bad.” However, this binary thinking stops us
looking at the bigger picture. For circularity to become mainstream, where
nothing is wasted and everything is fed back into the system, it requires
businesses to find value in resources already in circulation — and reframe how
they perceive waste in the first place. We must ask, “what is waste?” And “what
do we consider valuable?”
Waste is valuable
Transforming fashion through materials innovation
Join us as leaders from Crocs, Hilos, Marchon Eyewear, Planet FWD and Target discuss real-world examples, practical strategies, and supply chain considerations for developing eco-friendly clothing, shoes, and accessories that minimize waste and protect the planet — Tuesday, Oct. 15, at SB'24 San Diego.
Waste is thought of as something that nobody wants or can use — it is there to
be discarded. However, waste should be viewed not as useless, but as something
that can be harnessed as a resource. Landfills, for instance, are brimming with
precious minerals within discarded
electronics.
Researchers have found there is more gold, palladium and silver within landfills
and
sewers
than in natural ores in the ground.
Plastic waste also presents an opportunity. There is almost too much plastic in
the world to recycle within the existing available infrastructure. Spanish
clothing brand Ecoalf views plastic waste as a
material. The brand works with fishermen worldwide who collect plastic while
trawling for fish in the ocean. This ocean plastic waste is then processed into
a new polymer yarn used in Ecoalf’s clothing.
The apparel industry wastes an estimated 15-20 percent of
fabric during
production; but recycling fabric from the cutting room floor is another way to
reintroduce waste into the supply chain. Avery Dennison’s Albert
Yarn
is produced from the loom waste created during label production and can be
GRS (Global Recycled Standard) Certified. This gathered waste is then
recycled into a 100 percent polyester fabric, a raw material that can be used to
create new labels.
Digital ID technology is also breathing new life into waste by enabling
returnable loops and ensuring products stay within the circular system.
CupClub, for instance, works with high street coffee
chains to offer returnable, reusable, recyclable polypropylene coffee cups. The
cups are equipped with intelligent labels, allowing the company to follow them
along their journey from retailer to consumer and back again.
adidas has integrated Avery Dennison’s atma.io connected
product cloud into its Infinite Play initiative to scale its ability to buy back
products and give them a second life. The program tags every adidas item with a
unique digital identity and allows owners of the brand’s clothes, footwear and
accessories to return them to the company — where they can be repaired and sold
again, or recycled if beyond repair.
This reimagining and reintroduction of “waste” into the supply chain is just one
of the key trends outlined in our new report, Zero Waste Futures. The
free report highlights three ‘futures’ scenarios around biomimetic
materials,
lifecycle visibility, and circular
ecosystems.
Waste is only waste if you waste it
The sheer scale of global waste has created a sense of urgency as governments,
businesses and consumers alike recognise we cannot continue to dispose of stuff
at will without consequences. Creating a world where waste is both lessened and
prevented will require different approaches and cross-sector collaboration.
The one thing that is clear is that we cannot ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ our way
out of this problem. Our approach to waste needs a seismic overhaul and it
begins with a fundamental shift in mindset — we must stop thinking of waste or
trash as something we don’t need. As Ecoalf founder Javier
Goyenach
says, “Waste is only waste if you waste it.”
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Manager of Global Sustainability
Avery Dennison
Tyler Chaffo is Manager of Global Sustainability at Avery Dennison Intelligent Labels.
Published Apr 29, 2021 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST