Avery Dennison and The Future Laboratory launch global action plan for zero-waste future

13 Apr 2021 --- Avery Dennison has partnered with The Future Laboratory consultancy on a zero-waste roadmap. The report provides brands and retailers with a strategic framework for action, outlining a set of key drivers to accelerate solutions for a circular economy.

According to The World Bank, two billion tons of municipal solid waste are generated worldwide annually. This figure is expected to grow by 70 percent to 3.4 billion tons by 2050, based on the current trajectory.

The report draws on experts, features best-practice case studies and details three “future scenarios” around biomimicry materials, lifecycle visibility and circular ecosystems. It also details six immediate focus areas to drive the zero-waste transition:

1. Eco-design, where products are designed waste-free with end-of-life and recyclability built-in at the beginning of the design process.
2. Reframing waste as a valuable resource of raw materials.
3. Increased focus on consumer education around recycling. 
4. New legislation to avoid or limit the generation of unnecessary waste. 
5. Industry and cross-sector collaboration to propel systemic change. 
6. Widespread adoption of technologies that enable end-to-end supply chain visibility.

“Waste does not necessarily have to be negative – if we can create a world without waste by reframing it as a valuable resource to create new products and avoid extracting virgin materials from the earth,” Rob Groen in ‘T Wout, marketing manager, films, Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials, tells PackagingInsights.

“Recycling remains a crucial element of any waste reduction strategy. Businesses should not only invest in increasing the recyclability of their products but also educate consumers on how to recycle effectively.”

(Image credit: Avery Dennison/The Future Laboratory). “Waste reduction also requires a joint effort from brands, suppliers, manufacturers and consumers. No one entity can solve this problem on its own – it’s really something we have to do across the entire value chain.”

Groen in ‘T Wout explored the report’s key takeaways, including insights on reuse versus recycling, carbon labeling and waste reduction legislation, in a video interview with PackagingInsights.

COVID-19 exacerbates waste problem
Already a major concern, the proliferation of waste and environmental pollution has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the US, containers and packaging comprise 28 percent of the waste ending up in landfill, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. In December 2020, an estimated three billion packages were shipped for Christmas in the US, an 800 million increase from the previous year.

Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization says roughly one-third of food produced globally for human consumption each year – approximately 1.3 billion tons – gets lost or wasted.

“The sheer scale of global waste has created a renewed sense of urgency,” notes Tyler Chaffo, manager for global sustainability at Avery Dennison Smartrac.

“We need cross-sector collaboration and a shared vision to drive system-wide change because the problem must be solved from multiple angles.”

“Each sector will need to create calculations around the materials they use, their environmental impact, where waste occurs on the supply chain and where it can be eliminated for the most sustainable outcome.” The reports calls for eco-design, where products are designed waste-free (Image credit: Avery Dennison). 

Digitally-enhanced transparency 
The report indicates the combination of materials and digital solutions will be critical to a zero-waste future, as a “huge part” of the problem is “invisible waste” caused by poor inventory management and overproduction.

Solutions such as unique digital IDs, which provide end-to-end supply chain transparency, can make the invisible waste visible, creating more efficient inventory management and allowing businesses to eliminate unnecessary waste.

Toward this end, Avery Dennison has launched atma.io, a digital venture “bridging the physical and digital worlds.” atma.io is a connected product cloud: an end-to-end platform capable of creating, assigning and managing unique digital identities for every physical item in the world. 

The global Fortune 500 company says atma.io completely reimagines how supply chains operate, how brands connect with individual consumers, and how global organizations can achieve their sustainability and transparency goals.

Currently, atma.io manages over 10 billion unique items and adds over 50 new connected products to the platform every second.

“New technologies, such as digital IDs and intelligent labels, will enable a level of supply chain transparency we’ve never seen before, so you can trace raw materials and inventory to foster a truly circular economy,” concludes Groen in ‘T Wout.

By Joshua Poole

Avery Dennison recently launched atma.io, a digital venture “bridging the physical and digital worlds” (Image credit: Avery Dennison).