As we continue our efforts towards “Closing the Loop”, we would like to highlight further best practice initiatives to repurpose recycled plastic in additional end-market industries. We are, once again, thankful to our partners ETH Zurich for their invaluable research in amassing and documenting these numerous examples from across the globe.
Agriculture is a significant industry, where leveraging repurposed plastic to produce durable and efficient agricultural equipment can offer more affordable solutions which limit the damage caused by human pollution on the environment.
Agricultural films are used to improve crop quality and increase overall productivity by being placed over soil. Trioplast, a company based in Sweden, produces 100% recyclable agricultural films made out of 40-95% recycled material. The TriO2 film is the “first recyclable film of this type on the market”. Its lightweight facilitates handling, rendering the film highly efficient. Such products have lower environmental impact since in total less material is needed to cover the silo.
Buckets and Pots are also necessary in agriculture and numerous companies offer recycled and recyclable solutions. For instance, the Ghanaian company Miniplast (also mentioned in Blog 1 of this series), manufactures Industrial Buckets from 1.6L to 20L, as well as resilient Jerrycans. Nursery Supplies, Inc. is another company located in New Jersey, US, offering innovative and eco-friendly products of high quality for the Horticulture Industry.
Repurposing plastic waste into Irrigation Tubes is also a viable initiative for the agricultural industry. In Australia, a Circular solution to reduce plastic waste has been put in place by the wine industry: Recycling Plastics Australia receives old irrigation tubes and sells the resin to Netafim to produce new tubes. Netafim, the world’s “leading irrigation company”, undertakes some of the world’s most complex challenges. In partnership with several growers, companies and governments, including the UN and their 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Netafim works towards a sustainability action plan, focusing on 9 of the 17 goals set by the UN: no poverty (n°1), zero hunger (n°2), gender equality (n°5), clean water and sanitation (n°6), decent work and economic growth (n°8), industry innovation and infrastructure (n°9), climate action (n°13), life on land (n°15), partnerships for the goals (n°17).
In addition to fighting environmental pollution, these initiatives focused on the Agricultural Industry offer a practical solution for more affordable and efficient agriculture.
Stay tuned to learn more about our journey and how we continue to move towards the future with optimism despite obstacles, striving to reach our goals.
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