Meet the experts, Romain Zanna-Bellegarde, Head of Retail Partnerships, Loop & Bertrand Swiderski, Head of Sustainable Development, Carrefour
The arrival of plastic has caused an upheaval in our consumption patterns. It has led to the emergence of a disposable culture, creating new ranges of single-use products. One of the consequences of this change in practice is well known; a generalized pollution of the environment and in particular 12 million tons of plastic dumped annually in the oceans. To solve this problem, why not change our practices once again? Why not move towards a more environmentally friendly way of consuming by swapping disposable items for sustainable ones? In a zero waste perspective, we often talk about bulk and deposit. In this new series of videos, experts present a solution that allows reusable containers to be put into circulation, thus ensuring a closed consumption circuit. Find out how this practice is being implemented in supermarket shelves and what challenges it will have to overcome to become more widespread.
Expert Romain Zanna-Bellegarde, Head of Retail Partnerships at Loop, tells us all about the challenges of the deposit in these two videos.
Expert Bertrand Swiderski gives us an overview of the deposit system on the distributor side.
Meet the expert, Alain Marty, Scientific Director, Carbios
Reducing the production and consumption of plastics must remain a priority if we are to address the plastics crisis. As well as ensuring that the composition of this material is transparent and safe for health and the environment. However, in order to make an effective transition to a circular economy, multiple solutions are coming onto the market, especially to improve the disastrous plastic recycling figures.
During an interview in October 2022, we had the opportunity to exchange with the scientific director of Carbios, who presented us their recycling solution based on a biological technology: enzyme. This innovation would allow a more efficient recycling of PET for all its uses as well as polyester textiles. We also talked about other possible uses of enzymes for the treatment of other polymers. Some are already proven, others are under development.
Rencontrez l'expert, Francesco Degli Innocenti, Senior Advisor, Novamont
In this new “Meet the Expert” video series, let’s talk about bioplastics. Novamont, a leader in the bioplastics industry, presents its innovations and one of its top products based on Mater-Bi; a material obtained by means of exclusive technologies using starches, cellulose and vegetable oils. To bridge the gap between a world with and without plastic, innovative solutions are needed. Bioplastics present themselves as an attractive solution, but it is important to mention some important factors. The use of biodegradable plastics should be limited to a number of applications such as packaging that ends up mixed with organic waste. That is compost bags or agricultural films, or whenever the reusable alternative is impossible, such as cutlery or plates. For optimal biodegradability there is a need for industrial composting facilities and collection systems. The only safeguards, which are currently not mandatory, are certifications. These should be more demanding, particularly in terms of toxicity and biodegradability analysis. The question of non-competition with agricultural resources must also be addressed.
Discover the interview of the expert Francesco Degli Innocenti, Senior Consultant at Novamont.
