Shortages will occur by 2050 without circular economy

The Netherlands must introduce a circular economy for packaging or it will face shortages in primary materials like virgin plastic, cardboard and aluminium by 2050, according to a new report.

The analysis by the  Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) and supported by TNO, RIVM, Utrecht University, and Rijkswaterstaat suggests that circular strategies could reduce the use of primary materials by 67 per cent in 2050, and greenhouse gas emissions by 62 per cent. Keeping the status quo would see those measures rise by 14% and 12%, respectively.

Currently only around 7 per cent of consumer plastic packaging in the country is based on recycled material, says the report, which suggests that the measures could also reduce the country's dependency on imports form other countries.

It calls for a range of measures to achieve a circular economy including refusing to accept any packaging that is used for marketing purposes rather than customer need, switching to other materials to reduce weight and space taken up by packages or increase recyclability, wholesale reuse of containers like glass bottles and improved recycling processes and facilities.

Other measures include changing the designs of items that use batteries, including electric vehicles, to make sure they are easier to repair or replace.

"Our analysis shows that, by 2050, there would still be a demand for 149 kilotons of primary plastics for consumer packaging, mainly required for flexible packaging and contact-sensitive applications," said TNO.

"To realise a fossil-free packaging system by 2050, additional policies are therefore necessary. The focus should be on the use of alternative raw materials (such as biomass or CO2 from carbon capture) and on further reducing the demand for packaging."

Photo by Killari Hotaru on Unsplash