Plastic Footprint is increasingly gaining importance but what exactly does plastic footprint mean to a business? And how can we calculate it? We will also give out some ways to reduce the plastic footprint of companies.
The plastic footprint is as important as the carbon footprint and it’s high time companies decided to calculate and reduce their plastic footprint.
What is Plastic Footprint
A plastic footprint is a metric for measuring the negative effects of plastic pollution caused by a company.
In layman’s terms, a plastic footprint is a calculation that shows how much plastic waste a company generates and its impacts on the environment, society, and economy.
There are various reasons why businesses should start measuring their plastic footprint, but the foremost reason is to take action to conserve the environment.
Plastic is a useful material but the plastic industry emits a high level of greenhouse gases. And of all the plastic produced globally, only 9% is recycled.
Measuring plastic footprint and reducing it is necessary to help the marginalized communities in developing countries, as most first-world countries ship their plastic waste to the global south.
Taking on our plastic problem is a call to action for a healthy society, environment, and economy. However, we cannot manage what cannot be measured. To turn the tide on plastics, we must first understand where plastics are used in our supply chains and how we can begin to implement plastic action initiatives systematically.
HOW TO MEASURE YOUR COMPANY’S PLASTIC FOOTPRINT
Plastic footprint management is an emerging concept. As a result, there is no globally recognized industry standard that defines measurement principles and boundaries.
Plastic waste is defined as the portion and composition of plastics used in a company’s supply chain that have reached the end of its lifecycle.
But, there are three main factors to take into consideration whilst measuring your company’s plastic footprint:
- The plastic’s quantity and composition are used in a company’s supply chain.
- The amount and composition of plastic waste that ends up in nature, are also known as plastic leakage.
- The impact of leaked plastics, as well as the additives and processing aids that go with them, on the environment, society, and economy.
Brands can also collaborate with sustainability companies that calculate and offset their plastic for them via a plastic credit system.
HOW TO REDUCE PLASTIC FOOTPRINT
- Improve the sourcing, design, and application of essential plastics: Use recycled or ethically sourced bio-based plastics (where appropriate). Furthermore, the creation of a product can have a significant impact on the durability and impact of plastics.
- Reduce your organization’s use of single-use plastics (plastic straws, plastic wrap, etc.)
- Use sustainable plastic alternatives or recyclable plastic instead of single-use plastic whenever possible.
- Contribute financially to initiatives that effectively manage plastic waste.
HOW TO OFFSET YOUR PLASTIC FOOTPRINT
Rather than reducing your plastic footprint solely on your own, you can offset it. To offset your plastic footprint, instead of reducing your plastic waste on your own, you invest in programs that eliminate plastic waste. Plastic credits are one way to accomplish this. Plastic credits work in the same way that carbon credits do: you buy plastic credits based on the weight of the plastic produced by your company, and the money you spend on those credits goes toward programs that help to properly eradicate an equal amount of nature-bound plastic. As a result, as the first step toward sustainability, your company may achieve plastic neutrality.
The Disposal Company is a new-age sustainability startup that helps brands to offset their plastic waste and enable them to go plastic-neutral.
Visit www.thedisposal.co to find out more.
