In 2019, Greta Thunberg became the youngest person to ever be named Time Magazine’s person of the year. An announcement that shook the world.
As a plastic producing, purchasing or retailing company, this probably shook you more than the rest. Maybe it even inspired you. Either way, it was less about Greta, and more about the fact that caring for the environment is making headlines. It’s become popular!
This means that ordinary people, just like your customers, choose to support companies with a smaller carbon footprint. As for everyone else, well, they fall victim to negative publicity – something easily achieved through today’s social media frenzy. This is a risk you can’t afford to take.
So, what should you do? Make your ‘foot’ smaller by discontinuing plastic-related product lines? Sure, your footprint will be reduced, but so will your revenue. Little help that is if it puts you out of business.
Maybe you should swap plastic for alternatives, like cotton? Wait, didn’t you recently read that cotton production uses far more energy, and releases far more carbon dioxide emissions, than plastic? There goes that idea.
There is something you can do, though. A pioneering solution that many of the biggest companies around the world are embracing with wide-open arms. It’s called biodegradable plastic.
What is biodegradable plastic, anyway?
Let’s start at the beginning, with regular plastics. Plastic is made up of carbon chains called polymers. The microorganisms that live in landfills feed off carbon and break it down into tiny bits. The problem with regular plastic is that the polymers are too long and hard for microorganisms to break down. So, our landfills pile up, and up, and up!
This is where Biodegradable Future’s organic additives come in. Our additives cause plastics to biodegrade through a series of biological processes in a landfill disposal environment. Whereas regular plastics can take up to 1000 years to break down, biodegradable plastics are broken down at a comparatively rapid rate.
Why your brand depends on it
Ask me how biodegradable plastics will benefit your business, and I’ll ask you how much time you have. I could talk for hours about the positive impact on your brand appeal alone.
You see, 70% of consumers between the ages of 15 and 20 want to buy goods from companies committed to sustainability. These consumers are your future, and you need to get their attention early on.
This is probably why Nestlé launched their very own Institute of Packaging Sciences to explore the potential of biodegradable materials and systems. It’s also why Unilever announced its commitment to ensuring all of its plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
This is a bandwagon you need to jump on.
By leveraging biodegradable plastics, you’re making a statement that your company cares for the environment. More than that, you’re giving your customers a product they don’t need to feel guilty about. Every time they chuck it in the bin, they can rest assured that it’s going to break down into a natural humus that takes little to no space in a landfill.
If you’re interested in learning more about our additives, and how they could lower your company’s global footprint, get in touch with Dean Lynch at dean@biodegradablefuture.com
