Sustainable cleaning products manufacturer Ecover unveiled its new type of fully sustainable and recyclable plastic packaging in London on Wednesday (March 6), which it intends to roll out in 2014.
The plastic will incorporate post-consumer recyclables (PCR), waste plastic fished from the sea and its own existing Plantastic product made from 100% sugarcane.
The firm has been using its Plantastic packaging across its product range since 2011, but claims its new form of plastic incorporating this alongside PCR and sea-collected waste plastic is a world-first in plastic packaging.
Sea-collected plastic
Ecover will work with Waste Free Oceans (WFO) and UK plastic recycling plant Closed Loop as well as fishing communities to collect waste plastic from the sea and reintroduce it into the recycling chain via Ecover product bottles.
According to research by the Marine Conservation Society, plastic debris accounts for almost 60% of all litter found on UK beaches and a large amount of this waste ends up in the sea.
Around 10% of the worlds waste plastic ends up in the sea and most of it in the Pacific Ocean, where waste plastic currently covers a patch twice the size of France, according to Ecover. The firm said the WFO would incentivise fishermen to collect waste product from the sea to be sorted and recycled.
It said boats outfitted with a special trawl will be able to collect between 2-8 tonnes of waste per trawl for cleaning and recycling, with the collected waste then sent to Closed Loop Recyclings plant in Dagenham for processing into plastic for Ecover bottles.
It is not currently known what percentage of Ecovers new form of plastic will be made up of sea-collected product, and the firm did not reveal how much it would cost to collect. However, Ecover said it would for the moment just be focusing on collecting plastic from the North Sea, where 600 thousand tonnes of plastic is currently estimated to be sitting.
Chief executive of Ecover, Philip Malmberg, commented: Sustainability is a never-ending journey. Our focus on continual innovation means that we are always pushing boundaries. In relation to packaging that means were committed to using the right materials at the right time, changing and revising as part of a continual improvement journey.
He added: As manufacturers weve got to take responsibility for sustainability very seriously to take real action on climate change and the damage done by our over-reliance on fossil fuels, creating green products that deliver more than a nod to sustainability.
Glastonbury installation
The announcement was made as part of Ecovers Message in our Bottle campaign, which also includes a social media campaign and the commissioning of an 18-foot art installation for this years Glastonbury Festival to raise awareness about the importance of recycling.
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The bee-shaped installation, designed by Brighton sculptor Ptolemy Elrington and partly made from recycled Ecover bottles, will also later go on show at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
Mr Malmberg said: Glastonbury is a hugely influential event so where better to spread the word about recycling? Through the power of social media well also be engaging consumers in debates and discussions, opening their eyes to issues and challenges and hopefully inspiring them about the future of plastic packaging,
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