World Environment Day 2023: Moving in the right circles

A systemic change is needed to stop the flow of plastic waste ending up in the environment. For businesses and manufacturers, it is important to be even more conscious about waste reduction and reuse of materials. There are many great reasons for it: A shift to a circular economy can reduce the volume of plastics entering oceans by over 80 per cent by 2040 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent, according to the UN. It can also reduce virgin plastic production by 55 per cent and save governments US$70 billion while creating many new jobs – mainly in the global south.

To realise the full economic potential of a market transformation like this, harmonised international action is crucial. But, as it is with everything; big change starts with you and I taking small steps with our very best intention. On this World Environmental Day, the UN has reminded us again to pay an extra thought about how we handle plastics in our lives.

• Guide: Beat Plastic Pollution
• Read the report: “Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy”
• The EU cracks down on plastic, here’s what you should know

A longer perspective
For a business like Mer, it demands that we keep our ambitions high on circularity and work closely and systematically together with manufacturers of charging stations and solutions. Materials and products should have the longest possible life cycle, and the amount of waste produced in our value chain should be reduced wherever possible.

“We want to contribute to sustainable cities and circular operations while also conducting our business responsibly. Resource productivity and waste management are critical components of how we conduct business. We understand that charging infrastructure is a commodity-intensive product. As many raw materials are used in the construction of charging stations, we will consider circular products and recyclable materials in our supplier choices, where possible,” says Felix Köhnlein, Group sustainability manager in Mer.

Looking into the most effective way forward, Mer has launched a pilot project in Germany to understand options to decommission our charging infrastructure.

“By implementing an asset decommissioning strategy, we want to make sure to reuse products and resources instead of binning them. Reduce, reuse and recycle are the three pillars of a circular economy, and by collaborating closely with our business partners on product design, material consumption, and waste management, we can reduce our environmental and climate impacts,“ says Köhnlein.

Did you know?

• Of the seven billion tonnes of plastic waste generated globally so far, less than 10 per cent has been recycled.
• Millions of tonnes of plastic waste are lost to the environment, or sometimes shipped thousands of kilometres to destinations where it is mostly burned or dumped.
• The estimated annual loss in the value of plastic packaging waste during sorting and processing alone is US$ 80- 120 billion.
• Cigarette butts — whose filters contain tiny plastic fibers — are the most common type of plastic waste found in the environment. Food wrappers, plastic bottles, plastic bottle caps, plastic grocery bags, plastic straws, and stirrers are the next most common items. Many of us use these products every day, without even thinking about where they might end up.

Source: UN Environment Programme.