Because plastic is a recyclable material, it can be circulated into other raw materials for further use. Plastic recycling technology can be divided into the following categories:
- Mechanical recycling is the process of turning used plastic into pellets, which are then molded into new products for direct use. The plastic pellets produced through this process are called post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic and can be blended with new plastic and/or additives to create properties desired for various applications like electronic parts, furniture, and higher-quality packaging for consumer products, such as plastic gallon jugs with 95% recycled PE from LyondellBasell, green tea bottles that use 100% recycled PET from Suntory, and stand-up pouches made with the full PE laminated solutions by Exxon, all of which feature the process of combining PCR with mono-materials.
- Feedstock recycling or chemical recycling is the process of turning plastic into raw material in the form of both gas and liquid. For example, Sabic and BASF have invented a process to recycle plastic through pyrolysis, which turns low-value or non-recyclable plastic waste that would otherwise be incinerated or disposed of in landfills into raw material that has been proven to be of equal quality to pre-consumer plastic and can be used for food packaging. In fact, several brands have already begun to use this material in their packaging, such as Knorr and Unilever’s Magnum bars.
Invented for improved degradability, bioplastics are synthesized from various raw materials, such as corn, sugar cane, and tapioca flour. Because traditional plastic is a byproduct of petroleum, which is a non-renewable resource, innovations have been created to encourage the use of renewable feedstock in plastic production, such as bio-based feedstock and synthesizing carbon dioxide into polymer. The use and post-consumer processing of bioplastics are different from those of traditional recyclable plastic; consumers should inspect packaging and sort waste properly, as bioplastics can contaminate and cause damage to the recycling process.
Cooperation between manufacturers and brand owners in creating innovations that answer the needs of both businesses and society is another emerging trend that could be seen at K2019. For example, BASF and Jaguar Land Rover collaborated on research into converting waste into automotive parts, while SCG and Betagro co-developed sturdy packaging material for chicken products that is resistant to tears and perforation from chicken bones. These are just two examples among many. Moreover, there were joint efforts among manufacturers, recyclers, brand owners, and other involved parties throughout the production chain in developing innovations in waste management to maximize utility. All this is an assurance that the plastic industry will grow alongside sustainability efforts, as exemplified by SCG collaborating with Dow to turn post-consumer plastic into pavement made from recycled plastic.
These industry trends for sustainability reflect the determination of industry players in solving environmental issues by focusing on recycling, reusing, and reducing resources in accordance with the principle of circular economy in order to create sustainability in plastics from the point of production all the way to facilitating post-consumer processes. Once manufacturers and brand owners have adjusted their habits, it’s now time for consumers like us to help the world change its behavior simply by starting with ourselves. #resourcemaximization #correctwastesorting #properdisposal in order to circulate resources and reduce the amount of plastic waste released into the environment.
Here is the sustainability breakdown for Kärun sunglasses (
usa@karunworld.com
14350 NW 56 Ct. Unit 115, Miami, FL), a superb example of conservation and re-use:
The value chain oriented to our Karün Conscious Development Model ®, respects, and adapts to the local and collaborative context, aiming at circularity and regeneration. In this way, it seeks to build a model that arises from the territories and communities, which stimulates the creation of social capital, improving socio-labor conditions, the formalization of collectors and associated artisans, and the conservation of the nature of Patagonia.
With the materials we recover thanks to the collaboration of our collectors, we managed to contribute to giving a better destination to disused materials, preventing them from ending up in landfills. Among the materials that we collect are: fishing nets, ropes, metals, wood, pigments, or organic materials, all from southern Chile and Patagonia.
For their part, the accessories that Karün artisans manufacture are made with noble materials, giving value to the traditional techniques and skills that they have developed over the years.
With these materials and products, we offer high-quality glasses and accessories, as a symbol of the paradigm of human beings living in harmony with the planet. Under these principles, it seeks to achieve a value chain that positively impacts the people and ecosystems of Patagonia.
The initial stage of this cycle is the identification of entrepreneurs, who could become Karün Collecting Entrepreneurs / Artisans. For this, it is considered that the entrepreneur is interested in or familiar with the actions or trades required by Karün.
The identification of the entrepreneurs is materialized thanks to the territorial work we carry out in alliance with Balloon in Cycle 2: “Regeneration and Territory” of our Conscious Development Model.
Getting to know the entrepreneur:
If the entrepreneur meets the identification criteria described above, they are contacted to find out the details of their work and are invited to participate, through a collaborative alliance. At this stage, an interview is applied to deepen their work and motivations, plan a way of working that is appropriate to their reality and that Karün can support in its development.
The sections of the interview consider:
Inscription as a supplier:
One of the key points of this process is to accompany the entrepreneurs in their development and formalization. For this reason, the initial stage is focused on formalizing this relationship through registration as suppliers of Karün, a document that is signed by both parties in which the duties and rights of both signatories are established.
The process of registration of suppliers is adjusted to the reality of the entrepreneurs and has the technical support of Karün, especially in those administrative requirements, which are often difficult to meet by entrepreneurs who have developed informally.
Work plan with the Karün Entrepreneurs:
One of the purposes of the work with the Entrepreneurs is that the income obtained from the sale of waste or products is an impulse to strengthen other enterprises that develop, in order not to generate dependence. While we strive to support the collector to improve their management and skills, we believe that these should also become a capital to implement and expand in various areas or services provided in the region. For us, receiving the discarded material from the associated entrepreneurs and paying them a fair price for this, is only the beginning, we also want that the tools they acquire along the way (like environmental and community actions, costing and inventory management, etc.) can operate as a sounding board that allows them to strengthen and expand to their other microbusinesses.
In order to support the entrepreneur in this process, we work together in the design of work plans, which have two objectives; on one hand, to identify gaps to improve the management and quality of their work as Karün entrepreneurs, and secondly, to detect strategies that allow them, through the income obtained from the services provided to Karün, to enhance their work or ventures that develop complementarily.
The following is an example of the aspects to be considered in the collectors' action plan, in addition to some of the achievements of our collectors from 2019 to the present.
Training Karün Entrepreneur Collectors / Artisans:
We believe that the development of human capital in technical and management terms is indispensable for the strengthening of entrepreneurs and to contribute in this aspect, we work on the identification of needs and opportunities for training and education.
To carry this out, Karün in alliance with Balloon, designed a program that among other aspects includes; to make visible its role within Karün’s value chain, to promote abilities that improve their business, cost estimation methodologies, elaborating plans of improvement. Optimization of their businesses.
In addition to the above, we will constantly be working with entrepreneurs to identify those skills or knowledge that they are interested in strengthening and will identify options that respond to this demand. The above will be channeled through the Impact program developed with Karün in Cochamó or strategic allies that will be added in the process and that will nourish and strengthen our value chain.
Defining the purchase value of materials:
A crucial aspect of the
Karün Conscious Development Model® is the definition of the price of the material, which must be fair and ethical. For this, we consider that the price at which we buy our raw material and products will always be 20% above the market value. This criterion applied, we determine the Unit Value of the product/service, which we calculate with the entrepreneur, having in mind the costs associated with labor, operational expenses, and profits.
Protocol for the management and sale of materials/products:
This document includes recommendations for Karün residue collectors, to ensure quality control in the selection of materials and their management, including separation, storage, and sale.
Within the protocol, the recommendations to be considered in their work are detailed, as well as the instruments that have been designed to keep a record of the waste they generate and sell, ensuring their traceability and administrative control.
Finally, this collaborative work process must be articulated and implemented together with the entrepreneurs, which translates into the
"Route of Impact Leaders": a logistical route that is traveled monthly with the aim of removing this waste, efficiently, and recycling and revaluing the raw materials that will later become our eyewear.
In this "Route of Impact Leaders", different actors are present, among which the community stands out with each Collector Coordinator and the companies that collaborate with Karün in this route. Today, Starken, Aceros Sostenibles AZA (or AZA Sustainable Steel translated), and Recollect are working with us.
- Starken is our logistic partner, who helps us in the removal and transfer of the waste from the Reloncaví Estuary, to take it to its destination.
- Aceros Sostenibles AZA is our partner in the process of re-valorization of recycled metal. Together with them, we articulate scrap recyclers to whom we sell the material, money that goes back in its totality to the "Impact Leaders" to pay for their work.
- Recollect is the organization that helps us in the recycling of plastics, being the destination of these wastes to be worked and then sent to our factories in Europe.
Below we leave you with a graphic that explains in a simpler way this articulation of our collaborators.
See:
https://usa.karuneyewear.com
I believe that Kärun Eyewear represents the current best efforts in the recycling area. Their business plan is rich with concerns at every level of the recycling of various materials through the manufacture of their final products.
Hartmann352
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