You’re probably tired of hearing that plastic is destroying the planet. However, there is a great deal of misleading information about this material. What is really leading the planet to an unsustainable situation is the current production and management model of goods, resources and services, which seeks to boost short-term consumption of this material.
Did you know that around 50% of European food is wrapped in plastic and that about eight million tonnes end up in the sea? Plastic causes problems, as a bad use of its life cycle, together with its long lifespan, creates waste and pollution. Precisely for this reason it is necessary to properly manage the waste generated by this material.
Facing this serious problem, new trends have appeared which prevent that plastic will end up as another waste product in the environment. These trends are directly related with Circular Economy, which aims to ensure that the value of the products, materials and natural resources is maintained for as long as possible.
In other words, the purpose of the Circular Economy model is to lengthen the lives of products to the maximum in order to reduce the amount of waste. Plastic should never end up as waste in the environment. It is a material that can be recovered by recycling and to make that possible, appropriate and precise management is required.
Recycled plastic, a sustainable alternative.
There are still relatively few companies that show their commitment with sustainability and the environment, but those that care for the planet have managed to produce long-lasting products and savings on the use of raw materials and energy consumption.
Plastic is a 100% recyclable material and its reuse allows to obtain innovative materials and products with high added value. In fact, recycled plastic is the most suitable material for preserving food.
Apart from this, its light weight converts it into the most sustainable material when it comes to transport. The number of journeys required to transport the same number of products is reduced considerably, with the subsequent saving on fuel and CO2 emissions.
As a result, prohibiting plastics and forsaking the advantages and benefits that this material offers society is not an effective solution for reducing waste. The solution resides in raising awareness: avoiding single-use plastic and make sure products, not only plastic, do not end up in the environment.
The well-known 3 Rs of ecology –reduce, reuse and recycle– is everyone’s responsibility. Plastics are recyclable materials that contribute to Circular Economy, so using recycled plastic in your distribution chain will benefit both your company and the environment.
To counteract the misleading information about this material, several organisations working in alliance with Circular Economy set into motion a campaign called #WeLovePlastics or #DoNotBlamePlastics and launched an infographic of good practices, with the aim of explaining the benefits of making good use of this material.
How does Tradepallet contribute to sustainability?
GreenBox recycled pallets have joined the Circular Economy model, which means that they reduce the impact on the environment caused by plastic. The process is very simple:
Tradepallet is a pallet made of 100% recycled polypropylene with a useful life of up to 10 years. When the industry considers it has to be removed, our company takes care of converting this waste into a new resource, lengthening the life of the material and reducing the amount of waste, thus reducing the environmental impact.
In this blog we have already spoken about the great benefits of using plastic pallets; however, the main features offered by Tradepallet, besides being made of recycled plastic, which converts it into a unique product in the market, are: competitive price, light weight and reverse logistics process.
Very competitive price:
Tradepallet only costs €3.80, a very competitive price in respect to the plastic pallet market.
Bearing in mind the excellent conditions that this pallet offers, it can be affirmed that it is a very good option for investing in the future of a company, for both its qualities and its low price, which is recovered several times over throughout its useful life.
The most lightweight pallet in the market:
These recycled plastic pallets are the lightest in the market (2,8 kg), which enables companies to save a lot of money as regards logistics. When a company uses plastic pallets to transport its products, it means that fewer lorry journeys are required to carry the same amount of product; therefore implying a reduction of CO2 emissions and a lower fuel consumption, which saves money.
Reverse logistics:
The reverse logistics process includes the controlled disposal of products and considers waste as a reusable raw material.
The process takes charge of transferring materials from the consumer back to the manufacturer or waste collection points, so they may be properly reused and recycled.
This is what happens in GreenBox. The company undertakes to remove the pallet when the product reaches the customer, thus preventing it from ending up as waste and polluting the planet.
Proper management is the key factor
Littering or leaving rubbish lying about is one of the most serious environmental problems for our surroundings. If we do not become aware of the harm we are doing, by 2025 there could be 250 tonnes of plastic in oceans an unsustainable situation for the planet.
Consequently, as affirmed by the #Don’tBlamePlastic campaign, the problem isn’t plastic in itself; the key lies in society’s behaviour and in proper management throughout the long life of this material.
The decision to use recycled plastic products is a Good way to contribute to the targets that follow the Circular Economy model. Now you know, we either change our behaviour or we change our planet.
Reuse, reduce and recycle!