PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2020

PET planet Insider Vol. 21 No. 03/20 www.petpla.net 41 TRADE SHOW REVIEW base weight, all with the objective of using less material. Producers of larger solutions, sustainable plastic kegs in particular, are also focused on challeng- ing their own preforms’ weight, balanc- ing performance and weight throughout their innovation projects, while keeping safety at the forefront of their packag- ing design. They must do everything possible to reduce weight in other keg parts, also. Waste Waste is, clearly and of itself, wasteful. The trend that is high on the agenda and is growing in strength along the whole value chain, from producer to consumer, is the reduction of waste. Landfill or Sea Waste to landfill in the plastics packaging industry is increasingly unaccepta- ble. Keykeg/Unikeg is fully focussed on abolishing it and is currently operating pro- grammes to make sure waste to landfill is a thing of the past. Initiatives such as the Plastics Alliance, launched by the EU Commission, are creating a future plastics roadmap. Users should ask providers if they have signed the Plastics Alliance Declara- tion and, more importantly, are they actively participating in EU Commission-sponsored meetings to find long term solutions, embedded into the supply chain? Waste to sea is totally unacceptable and should be outlawed. Everyone involved, as producers and as consum- ers, must be pro-active. It is the responsibility of all of us to make sure we dispose of products in a responsi- ble way; it’s not as if there is a shortage of responsible options. It is also important to hold global, national and local lawmakers to account. They have a duty to stimulate col- lection and proper recycling means by law making. Plas- tics should be recycled locally and the practice of effectively brushing the prob- lem under the carpet by shipping end of use plastics out of sight to developing countries, which contribute to the ocean plastic problem, must be stopped. Waste to energy Incinerating plastic products to generate energy for heat, for example, are still very low down the sustainable pecking order. It may be the least sus- tainable option, but it is a first step on the solution ladder. Recycling Recycling keeps waste away from landfill and even waste to energy options. However, it is not acceptable to design a strategy where recycling of materials is seen as the highest sustain- ability goal. The aim “to leave the world a better place” must be for full circularity, to adhere to the “cradle to cradle” principle. PET BOTTLE RECYCLING LINE SUPER CLEAN PROCESS (SCP) M icro Denier Filament Grade www.bo-re-tech.com Modular Design for Flexible Layout Next Generation