The Plastic Puzzle

In the article "Can the plastics industry create a collaborative model for change?" Doug Woodring discusses the "plastic puzzle." As technology for developing new kinds of plastics and polymers increases, so will the consumption of these plastics, but technology for capturing plastic waste is lagging. The versatility and durability of plastic makes it an easy material to take advantage in product manufacturing, but of the 280 million tons of plastic that are produced annually, only 10 percent of this is recycled. Plastic products are often designed for single-use items and as they are irresponsibly disposed of, the plastic makes its way into our oceans. Woodring argues that "capturing this waste stream presents a significant and untapped business opportunity, as does the redesign of packaging." Every person and business uses plastic, and therefore plastic waste is problem we all face. With such a wide-scale issue at hand, collaboration is needed in solution development. He exemplifies The Plasticity Forum as an admirable collaboration effort by experts to create new models and creative solutions to the plastic puzzle. The World Bank estimates that municipal solid waste will double within the next 15 years, so it is inherent that businesses take measures to prepare. Woodring states that "with joint cooperation between groups that leverage each other's influence and capacities, all parties can benefit, including the communities they operate within, creating a circularity which often has defined our business operations of today."

http://www.greenbiz.com/article/can-plastics-industry-create-collaborative-model-change