Making environmental statements and claims can be a very powerful marketing tool. Companies are increasingly using environmental statements and claims in an attempt to differentiate themselves from others. Claims come in a wide range of forms including statements about sustainability, recycled material content, recycling and also environmental impacts of a product. Sellers realise that end consumers today have an increased awareness of the environmental impact that packaging has. Environmental claims are now becoming a standard message on packaging, courier bags, ecom bags and general packing. Many consumers are considering environmental claims as part of the buying decision, It is essential that consumers are provided with factual information so informed decisions can be made. Businesses which make environmental claims should ensure that their claims are, accountable, transparent, accurate and validated by a third party. End consumers rely on any environmental claims made and they expect these claims to be truthful, not false or misleading. Any false or misleading claims is breaking the law. Retail businesses must perform due diligence.

You are in safe hands with Bluprint. Enviro 80 is produced using 80% post consumer waste PE and has been endorsed by a global third party accreditation company, we take our recycle content claim with the up most importance.

The term biodegradable doesnt mean anything because everything is biodegradable eventually. Legislation in the USA forbids the term ‘biodegradable’ to appear on any product unless that product is shown to break down into elements in nature within 5 years. The problem is, in Australia regular plastic bags are being labelled ‘Biodegradable’. This misleads consumers to think these bags are made from plant matter and will return to nature which isn’t always the case. In Australia we allow companies to use the term ‘Biodegradable’ without proof, this issue is being challenged and companies will need to provide transparency, evidence and will be held accountable for any claims.

Compostable confusion

A group has been working with recycling organisations to survey shops’ anonymous responses to public anxiety about plastic polluting the oceans.

Its spokeswoman, Libby Peake, told BBC News: “A lot of shops are selling packaging described as biodegradable or compostable.

“In fact the items might only be composted in an industrial composter – and, even then, some items might not be fully digested.”

The report says: “Over 80% of consumers think biodegradable or compostable plastic is environmentally friendly, but there is little understanding of what the terms mean and how the material should be dealt with.

“Our interviewees wanted a clearer approach to where it should be used and how it should be marked to avoid confusing consumers and potentially causing more problems.”

The retailers worried that confusion could potentially harm the environment if people either put “compostable” plastic in with conventional plastic, or littered it, wrongly assuming it would biodegrade like an apple core.

Some companies that had tried using this type of plastic also suggested that the material did not degrade as expected in real world conditions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51040155

Every piece of plastic you have come in contact with in your life, still exists. This fact alone is startling as you realise every drink, shampoo, takeaway container, toy, etc that just you has used, still exists somewhere on this planet. Whether it is in a landfills, in our oceans or in our homes, plastic waste is a serious issue that our world faces.

Only 9% of the 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste produced has ever been recycled, as plastic is very cheap to make and more expensive to recycle. A leading suggestion made by Andrew Forrest co-founder of Minderoo Foundation proposes a global industry led initiative that fixes the broken circular economy system we have with plastics. It encouraging the recycling of plastic by increasing the value of this commodity.

Plastic is a finite resource, just like other finite resources recycling is the key to making sure we don’t use up all our non-renewable resources. We live in a world where everything needs to have an economic value, without value items will not be seen to be worth the investment to recycle/reuse the resource. By increasing the value of the plastic commodity the price gap between using fossil fuels and recycled plastics closes. This increase in value will also drive the collection of used plastics in countries where waste is at its worst, as used plastics will have a cashable value for people gain. This will also promote countries to stop placing collected recycled plastic into landfills increasing the circulation of usable/recyclable plastics.

With every piece of plastic still being in existence, it gives us an opportunity to harvest the plastic we have already created, and reuses this to our advantage. Reducing our need to create new plastics. The current population can utilise, thrive and survive on the current amount of plastic that the world has ever produced, by simply using the circular economy principle.

How does this fit in with us here at Blu Print?

We know how important recycling plastic is. Our partners at Redcycle help us and our customers recycle our plastic products for them to be reused to create new products. Thus, helping to create the circular economy that Andrew Forrest refers to. We see the value in reusing the plastic that the world has already created. We have produced our Enviro 80 satchels that are made from 80% recycled post consumer waste, reducing the use of virgin polymers. We are stopping tonnes of ‘new plastic’ from entering our environment, while reusing plastic that already exists.

This issue of plastic waste can be a bit daunting sometimes, but focusing on what’s better for the environment, will ultimately be better for business!

Contact us for free samples of our Enviro 80 satchels. They are no more expensive than regular satchels and are of the same great quality!

To find out more information about Andrew Forrest and his theory on a circular economy for plastics, watch his TED talk below.