As consumers are seeking for ‘greener’ and more sustainable packaging, they are relying on plastic manufacturing companies to make impactful changes that aim to lower the amount of plastic that ends up as waste in oceans and landfills.
The general perception about plastic as a polluter outweighs any other facts like it’s benefits of being a protector. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has reemphasized the indispensable role of plastic packaging and equipment in our daily lives. Plastics in terms of PPE, single-use medical equipment, food and chemical packaging as well as medical jars and containers for medicine and vitamins have emerged as life-saviours for protecting the health and safety of our frontline health workers and common citizens during this pandemic.
We are all conflicted: On the one hand we want to eliminate plastic and on the other hand we continue to use more plastic to safeguard our daily lives. Fortunately, the plastic manufacturing companies are also working aggressively and assisting the supply chain to tackle the failures of plastic pollution in our environment.
Thanks to continuous Innovation, Research and Development, those within the plastic industry are busy changing the way their packaging is designed, manufactured, used, and recycled. The emphasis on light weighting and using plastic recyclates for new and existing packaging will assist in both alleviating pressure and reducing waste from our existing waste management systems, landfills, and oceans.
PB Innovation
Investing in R&D to keep pace with ‘green’ goals
With the packaging industry being one of the world’s largest and most diverse manufacturing sector, new technologies are investing more and more to improve the efficiencies in production while ensuring the issues of sustainability, environmental protection, and recycling are tackled successfully. Companies are aiming to transform their old linear approach of manufacturing to a circular model which includes collection, recycling, and re-processing. This approach starts at understanding the product lifecycle and redesigning products to promote their effective use within the circular economy. Intense focus is on the conservation of resources and the indispensability of plastics to achieve the ambitious climate goal of being carbon neutral.
New alternative polymers, masterbatch and additives are continuously being developed using recycled, bio composite and biobased materials. The newer eco-friendly machines and equipment are also ensuring that processing such materials utilises the lowest number of resources in production.
All new packaging products are designed with sorting and recycling in mind. The aim globally is for 50% of all plastic packaging to contain at least 50% recycled components by 2030.
Plastic Bubbles belief
Rethinking Plastic Packaging
At Plastic Bubbles, we believe that having the time to innovate and invest in R&D is one of the best ways to move towards offering more sustainable packaging solutions. Our advancements in new technologies and capabilities not only in our products but also in our processes, enable us to change how we design and manufacture our packaging to provide clients with more environmentally friendly solutions.
Our approach to products and packaging is a holistic one. Science tells us that most of the solutions we need, exist today, but first we need to address and assist in fixing the broken infrastructure system within our country. We look to design and manufacture new packaging for consumers that uses less virgin plastic, is more functional, can be re-used and promotes recycling. We look at following a circular loop system for the plastic product we manufacture by collecting, processing and repeatedly reusing it to keep it out of the waste system as long as possible.
Plastic Bubbles is already achieving these Targets:
- All our products are 100% recyclable and easily identifiable for sorting and recycling.
- At least 30% of our electricity used in our manufacturing process comes from renewable sources like solar.
- Our manufacturing process gathers all our disposable cartons, glass, plastic, metal shavings and oil, separates them and sends each one to their corresponding recyclers.
- Finished plastic product that is rejected and uncontaminated is reground and reused as part of our own ‘recyclate’ into our new products.
- Opaque colours are progressively moving to transparent variations as less colour improves the scope of product recyclability.
What’s next?
Plastic Bubbles’ light weighting initiative – to reduce product weight &/ thickness of all our products.
Plastic Bubbles invites you to join us in changing the way we use and think about plastic.
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