Cutting Plastic: How Businesses Can Shrink Their Footprint

Every day, tons of plastic are produced, used once, and then tossed away. This plastic pollution is causing big problems for the environment and speeding up climate change. Businesses play a huge role in this issue because many of their products come with plastic packaging or are made from plastic.

Even though there are efforts to recycle plastic, it doesn’t always work well. A lot of it ends up in landfills or, even worse, in the oceans. A better solution is to cut down on plastic use and switch to more sustainable materials whenever possible.

While plastic in general is a problem, single-use plastic is especially concerning, and there have been some improvements here. For companies that want to be more eco-friendly or future-proof their business, there are many steps they can take to cut down on their plastic footprint.

Changing how a business operates to reduce plastic use can actually make financial sense. It helps businesses stay compliant with new laws and avoid future costs. While it’s tough to completely eliminate plastic, there are plenty of ways companies can reduce their plastic use and make a positive impact.

The Environmental Impact of Plastic

Plastic is everywhere in our lives, from the packaging on our food to the products we use daily. It was once hailed as a miracle material for its convenience, but this comes with a big downside—the environmental impact of plastic is enormous. Every year, around 390 million tons of plastic waste is produced, and this pollution is a major environmental issue.

Plastic waste harms the environment and contributes to climate change. Since plastic is made from fossil fuels, burning it releases carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases into the air. We dive deeper into this topic in our blog post, “How Does Plastic Pollution Affect Climate Change.”

But the problems don’t stop there. Plastic pollution also damages ecosystems and wildlife. When plastic ends up in the oceans, marine animals can ingest it, which can be deadly. It also harms coral reefs, which are already struggling due to climate change. Over time, plastic breaks down into tiny pieces called microplastics, which can even make their way into the human food chain, potentially affecting our health.

Becoming a Plastic Neutral Business

Becoming a plastic-neutral business has plenty of benefits. First off, it’s great for the environment and helps fight climate change. This not only boosts the company’s reputation with customers and investors but also shows that the company is taking real steps to tackle environmental issues. This is a much better story than being criticized on social media for poor environmental practices. Once your brand gets a negative reputation, it can be tough to fix.

Governments are cracking down on single-use plastics, so staying ahead of potential legal changes is smart business. Many companies are already taking action to reduce their plastic footprint, knowing that regulations are likely to tighten.

Having strong environmental policies can also be great PR for a business, as long as you avoid “greenwashing”—where a company claims to be eco-friendly but isn’t making real changes. In short, it’s about doing more than just making superficial efforts for marketing purposes.

Identifying Plastic in the Business

If a business wants to cut down on plastic use, the first step is to figure out how much plastic they’re using. This usually means different departments need to work together to gather all the information. A good approach is to have someone or a team focused specifically on reducing plastic.

Another useful step is to conduct a plastic audit. This will show you where plastic is being used and help create a plan to cut down on it.

It’s important to make a plan for reducing plastic use. Even starting with small changes can make a difference. If you need help with this, the Plastic Collective is there to support your business.

Changing Materials and Suppliers

When evaluating plastic use in a business, it’s worth considering whether you can switch to more eco-friendly materials or suppliers. For example, look at your warehouse packaging: are there cheaper, greener options available? Are your consumables over-packaged? Could you choose more sustainable suppliers? Simple questions like these can lead to meaningful changes and improve your environmental footprint.

Governments are increasingly introducing new rules about plastic. Some places, like the UK, have a plastic bag tax, while others, like Tanzania, have banned plastic bags entirely and require reusable ones. With these changes, it’s smart for businesses to plan ahead, especially since more single-use plastics might be banned in the future. For instance, some countries are already banning single-use plastic cutlery and straws.

Plastic packaging, often single-use and hard to recycle, could be targeted by future regulations. So, planning to switch to sustainable options makes good business sense. If your business ships products wrapped in single-use plastic, consider how you handle the waste. Do you leave it up to customers, or do you have a system to manage it? Some companies collect plastic waste from customers, which works well for some businesses but not all.

Exploring innovative solutions can also be helpful. For example, resellers might remove single-use plastics from products before shipping and inform customers of this policy. This approach makes waste easier to manage and avoids placing the burden on customers.

There are many eco-friendly packaging options available now, and costs have decreased as these materials have become more popular. Not all plastics are harmful; some, like bioplastics, break down faster and come from renewable sources.

Popular alternatives include:

• Paper bubble wrap
• Corrugated packaging
• Bioplastics
• Biodegradable packing peanuts

Consumers are also leaning toward companies that use sustainable products and packaging. A recent survey showed that 75% of millennials consider sustainability when making purchases.

Other Plastic Use in Businesses

When tackling plastic waste, don’t forget to consider all aspects of your business. For example, while you might focus on the plastic packaging your company uses, you might overlook the plastic that comes from employees bringing in their own lunch. Those single-use plastics end up in office waste and could end up in landfills if there’s no system for recycling them.

In a large company, this can add up to a lot of waste and impact your overall plastic footprint. Imagine the amount of plastic generated just from employees’ lunches that your business has to deal with!

So, what can you do? Start by educating employees about their plastic use and consumption. You can also provide reusable items like cutlery, containers, and coffee cups for them to use.

A simple step is to improve your waste management by making sure there are recycling bins in the office and the cafeteria.

For a bigger impact, consider banning single-use plastics like cutlery and bottles from your premises. You could also set up facilities for employees to get food on-site.

Offering reusable water bottles and water coolers can help reduce single-use plastic bottles. Plus, branded reusable bottles can double as low-cost marketing, making your brand visible to potential customers while helping the environment.

Also Read: Challenges of 100% Sustainable Plastics

Plastic Offsetting

Plastic offsetting is a temporary solution for businesses that struggle to reduce plastic use right away. It involves investing in certified projects that collect and recycle plastic waste. This way, if a company can’t immediately cut down on its plastic use, the money it invests helps another group (often community-based non-profits) handle the recycling and collection of that plastic.

To start, the company needs to calculate its total plastic footprint. Next, it should create a detailed long-term plan for reducing that footprint. This might include immediate steps like cutting down on plastic use, switching to alternative materials, setting up in-house collection and take-back programs, or redesigning products to be more recyclable. After that, the company can buy plastic credits from certified recycling projects to offset the rest of its plastic footprint.

The business will then need to track and report its progress, making sure it’s effectively following its strategy to cut down on plastic. With these steps, a company can make a positive impact on reducing plastic and work towards a greener future.

The great news is that the Plastic Collective can assist businesses with these steps and help them become plastic neutral. They provide all the tools and resources needed to reduce a company’s plastic footprint.

If you’re looking to make your business plastic neutral, the Plastic Collective is here to help.