Turning ambition to action on reducing plastic consumption

As a society, we rely on plastic heavily for practicality, convenience, and safety. From medicine packets and food packaging to mobile phone cases, demand for plastics has grown in tandem with society’s changing habits. In 2021, global plastics production was reported to have doubled since the beginning of the century to almost 400 million metric tons per year.

While plastics play an essential role in many cases, this increased use means increased plastic pollution and waste. India uses around 14 million tonnes of plastic annually and is among 12 nations responsible for 60% of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste. Whilst there has been progress, with initiatives such as the country’s ban on some single-use plastic items, there is still much that we can do to reduce the impact of plastics.

Plastic pollution impacts society in a number of ways – by altering habitats and natural processes that directly affect millions of people’s livelihoods, food resources, social wellbeing, and physical health. Some plastic pollution, such as litter on roadsides, beaches, riverbanks, urban estuaries and even surrounding landfill sites is, at least in principle, reversable. On a local scale, such plastic pollution can be removed through encouraging individual responsibility, clean ups, and improved waste collection infrastructure. However, when left in the environment for a significant amount of time, weather can see abandoned plastic pollution fragmented into micro- and nanoplastic particles that cannot be easily removed from the environment. Many remote areas of the globe, where recycling or removal is more complicated, are already accumulating large amounts of poorly reversable, weathered plastic pollution, with significant impacts on land and ocean biodiversity. In India, waste management is a significant challenge as current systems are struggling to cope with the volumes of waste generated by an increasing urban population. India research suggeststhat only 30 per cent of 3.4 MT plastic waste generated annually is currently recycled.

Ultimately, to truly reduce plastic pollution requires society to reduce plastic waste generation. This is a global challenge, not least because waste in one part of the world does not just affect that location.

There is an opportunity for governments, organizations, and individuals to collaborate to act on plastic pollution, protect the environment and notably our water resources. Global initiatives such as Earth Day are seizing this opportunity to campaign for a 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040. But with plastics present in so many aspects of our life and work, how can we encourage this societal shift to drive positive change?

To reduce plastic use and, as a result, reduce plastic waste for a water secure future, here are some steps organizations can take:

1. Join voluntary initiatives

To first understand the solutions available, organizations can join voluntary initiatives. These initiatives can help organizations to make commitments on reducing plastic pollution, and to collaborate with NGOs, governments, and other organizations to accelerate progress. The India Plastic Pact is one of these of initiatives that provide tools and guidance to tackle plastic pollution and connect organizations to share knowledge and drive change.

2. Plastic Footprinting

Initiatives such as the Plastic Footprint Network offer scientific guidance and methodologies to support organizations in understanding their plastic footprint. Similar to measuring carbon footprints, by assessing the environmental impact of the plastics used in products, services and operations, organizations can identify areas for improvement, take meaningful steps for reduction and set realistic and credible targets.

3. Engage employees

Accelerating progress towards a sustainable world requires input from across organizations. Internal culture and engagement can be key to delivering organizational sustainability goals. Organizations can embed a plastic reduction culture through educational talks, local clean ups, and by providing the necessary infrastructure and utilities to enable employees to reduce their own plastic use. Empowering employees to engage with an issue, understand how they can have a positive impact and then supporting them to change behaviours is a fundamental step to driving change.

4. Embrace a circular economy mindset

The circular economy is an economic model designed to minimize resource input, waste, and emission production by considering every stage of the product lifecycle. By implementing its principles to design products for reuse and repurpose, organizations and the people working in them can be better placed to reduce their consumption of plastics and other materials. Beyond their product design, organizations can also embed circularity in business strategies, such as the 5 R’s of Refusing waste; Reducing use of products that generate waste; Reusing; Repurposing; and eventually Recycling. For example, Coca Cola India has recently introduced the “World Without Waste” initiative which focuses on increasing the use of recycled materials in their packaging and promoting responsible disposal of plastic waste.

5. Engage supply chains

Sustainable procurement practices can help ensure organizations’ supply chains are environmentally responsible and socially ethical. By actively engaging with their supply chains, organizations can foster collaborative relationships to achieve sustainability goals, including around plastics. This involves identifying opportunities for improvement, sharing best practice, and establishing mutual sustainability targets and consistent methods of reporting.

To drive positive change on plastic consumption and mitigate the societal and environmental impacts of the associated waste, organizations and the individuals in them have the opportunity to take action in both their internal and external operations. A sustainable future is one without plastic pollution on land and in our water supplies. It’s not about eliminating plastic, it’s about using the tools we have to manage its use effectively. Now is the moment to partner across society to achieve this.

Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.

Theuns is currently the Managing Director Assurance for BSI – Management Systems in India, Middle East, Turkey and Africa. He holds a B.Com. Degree from the University of Pretoria. Previously he held the position of Sales and Marketing Director for BSI- Management Systems in Europe, based in London. Prior to that he has held positions as the Managing Director of Amtri Veritas – UK and he was an Executive Director of Nosa International responsible for Auditing and Certification globally.