Lately a trend has been observed, where more and more companies are turning to the reuse of plastic materials discarded in the environment to give them a second life. The aim is to offer innovative and environmentally friendly products.
In the Dutch city of Rotterdam, for example, they inaugurated the Recycled Park in 2018. This is a very interesting initiative: a series of green spaces built on floating platforms made of recycled plastic, devised by architect Ramon Knoester.
Also recognized footwear brands (Nike, Adidas, Converse) are incorporating the use of recycled plastic in their operations even going as far as using up to 50% of reused plastic in the final product. Within the fashion industry, other apparel brands (The North Face, Prada, H&M) are using recycled fibers in their fabrics, bags, etc.
Other equally sustainable projects include the manufacture of poles, urban furniture and construction materials that replace wood and are made from 100% recycled plastic. These products provide added benefits since the material is highly resistant to humidity and fire, does not generate splinters and does not deform. In addition, they achieve results with quality finishes that greatly resemble the wood that is being replaced.
Also in the packaging industry, there are several sustainable alternatives of this type. It is worth mentioning the recovery of post-consumer PET plastics to food grade material and with improvements in intrinsic viscosity (VI) to be reused in the manufacture of new packaging.
The possibilities for using this waste are endless and there is still a long way to go. But it shows that the development of an economic activity is compatible with a circular and responsible economy. From PET Packaging Network (PPN), we encourage more and more companies to opt for this type of environmentally friendly business practices.