A linear economy is a concept that the majority of the world is familiar with. A brand takes raw material, makes usable products that are discarded or thrown into waste bins post usage. Sound fair enough, right. But the major problem linear economy poses is the rising heaps of waste that cause plastic pollution on land and ocean alike.
With waste on the rise, the need for a system to manage it is much needed. This led to the inception of the Circular Economy where the materials post-usage are either reused or recycled to reduce the environmental impact they have.
A lot of brands are coming forward to be a part of the circular economy by initiating take-back programs and procuring back the post-production packaging. HUL has taken a bold decision in this aspect.
In recent news, HUL announced that it will be collecting back 100% of the post-usage plastic waste and process it. They will be collecting and processing more post-production plastic waste than plastic usage in packaging. Over 1 lakh tons of post-packaging plastic waste will be collected from over 100 towns across India.
HUL is currently partnered with Recykal and other leading organizations for the collection of plastic waste.
Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director, HUL, said, “Our vision is one where key stakeholders work together to ensure that plastic stays in the economy and out of the environment. As a responsible company, we are committed to playing our part. We believe that this is a collective responsibility, and each stakeholder needs to play an active role in managing plastic waste to fulfil the vision of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.“
Willem Uijen, Executive Director Supply Chain, HUL, explained, “This is in line with the commitment we have made for a circular economy. We have taken a head start on implementing the proposed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework for plastic waste management. HUL has also developed an ecosystem of partners enabling the collection and safe processing of plastic packaging waste. We have now scaled up our joint efforts to collect more plastic packaging waste than our total plastics footprint, four years ahead of what we previously thought was possible.”
Recykal is proud to be partnered with HUL as their EPR consultant in creating a sustainable future and converting waste into a resource. Our holistic programs revolve around properly channelizing waste to ensure recycling and create a sustainable waste management system. Refer to our take-back programs and EPR compliance solutions to understand how you can participate.
