Companies advocating
a world without plastic

DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/904 on the reduction of the impact of certain single-use plastic products (plates, cutlery, straws, cotton swabs and polystyrene food packaging) was adopted last June by the European Parliament. Since then, many companies have begun to change by seeking alternatives in the materials they use in production.

Some examples of companies that have already developed initiatives to adapt the new Directive are

• Ikea: Musselblomma collection made from plastics collected from the sea
• Ternua (RedCycle Project: mountain material from fishing nets
• Estrella Damm: cardboard rings for the beers
• Adidas Parley: sneakers made of plastic collected from the oceans
• Lush: a store without plastics
• Breitling: Breitling watch brand cleaned the Sacaba-Butano beach in Malaga
• L’Occitane’s: ecological refillable packaging
• Dell: reusing plastics collected from beaches, rivers and coastal areas to package one of its new laptops
• National Geographic Spain: from June subscribers will receive the review in recycled paper envelopes

In spite of the effort of the companies to adapt to the new law, there is a great inconvenience to adapt to the new demands of Europe, since there are not enough companies or products to supply all the demand that will be produced in the market.

The companies that supply these products manufacture mainly in Asia (in Europe the number of companies is very small), the reason being that the elements used for manufacturing, such as bamboo, corn starch, palm, sugar cane, palm, avocado fibre, wood, cardboard and paper, are elements that are mostly found in Asia.

Although there is a collateral problem, even though the final products are more sustainable for the environment they are not because of their production, because more energy is used and the chemicals used in the pressing process go to the environment (although there is a saving of water, since it is not used).

Below, we show the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the products available on the market to supply internal demand:

At Euro-Funding we accompany our clients in the process of implementing energy efficiency measures and the development of actions that reduce environmental impact through the development of specialised consultancy services, adapted to legal needs and obligations.