Working for Clean Oceans - Keeping Plastic in a Closed Loop?

he figures are nothing short of alarming. By 2050 plastic will outweigh fish in the world’s oceans if every year another nine million tons of plastic trash find their way to the sea via unsecured landfills and rivers.

Given the relevance and urgency of resolving the marine litter problem, the demand is growing among providers of private label products for sustainable packaging with a high share of recyclates, i.e., recycled plastic.

With its cooperation partners, the ECC Ecological Cleaning and Care GmbH of the Werner & Mertz Group is presenting the Recyclate Initiative at the international trade show PLMA (Private Label Manufacturers Association) in Amsterdam. The Initiative promotes effective recycling. The shared goal is the development of sustainable material cycles in which materials from the Yellow Bag source are used. After all, the solution for clean oceans lies on land. Only when plastic packaging is upcycled after its use and directed into a closed-loop system, there’s no chance that it can end up as waste in the ocean.

On 21 and 22 May, five companies will present their latest developments and innovations to about 15,000 visitors from 120 countries at the “World of Private Label” trade show.

PET and HDPE bottles made of 100 percent used plastic

At the shared booth the initiative shows the entire cycle of a PET and HDPE bottle made of recyclates, from the collection of plastic waste in the Yellow Bag and the processing of recycled plastic into new packaging to the product on the retail shelf. 

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