Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2022 - 4

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A
s a plastics trade magazine about sustainability, we've addressed a broad diversity
of topics over the past two years. And yet, there is still so much more
to talk about. It's fair to say that we've only scratched the surface of what sustainability
means - and what its implications are for the industry.
Today, with its focus on environmental stewardship, economic and social responsibility,
sustainability touches almost every aspect of the plastics industry, impacting everything
from corporate policy and decision-making down to the design and material choices for
new plastic products.
As a result, sustainability has become an important factor in business strategies, as
companies have become increasingly aware that sustainable practices can bring unexpected
benefits and ultimately boost the bottom line.
For many companies, this has meant that they've mainly focused on sustainability initiatives
and solutions within their own operations. What's becoming increasingly clearer,
however, is that going it alone is not the way to go.
Research has shown that, for most companies, the supply chain has a far greater impact
on the environment than any other part of their operations. Typically, a company's
supply chain has been estimated to account for more than 80 percent of greenhouse-gas
emissions and more than 90 percent of the impact on air, land, water, biodiversity and
geological resources.
Basically what this means is that sustainable initiatives and measures implemented
within a company will have little impact if these are not adopted right across the supply
chain network.
And in fact, supply chain sustainability is increasingly being recognised as a key component
of corporate sustainability.
It's an aspect that has, up to now, received scant attention. And in the European plastics
industry, which is dominated by SMEs, sustainable supply chain management is an idea
that is only just starting to surface. A group of Portuguese researchers conducted a study,
which we've included in this issue, on sustainable supply chain management in the Portuguese
plastics industry, to find out how far along this path the industry had travelled. Their
observation that " the shift towards sustainable paradigms seems to be still at a very early
stage " shows that, here, much work remains - but so, too, can that much more be achieved.
On a diff erent note: I'd like to draw your attention to a brand-new feature. Starting now,
we've expanded our Polymer Prices feature to also include the prices of recycled plastics.
The new Recycled Polymer Prices page will be published once a month: 12 times online
and, as well, in all six issues.
Driven by such factors as plastics taxes, targets, legislation, public opinion, oil prices
and more, the market for recycled plastics is both rapidly changing and fast-growing. This
new page is a way to provide you, our readers, with the insights and information you need
for a better understanding of its trends and dynamics. We hope you like it.
Karen Laird
Editor
Karen Laird
klaird@crain.com
David Platt
davidkplatt@aol.com
Amy Steinhauser
asteinhauser@crain.com
Don Loepp
dloepp@crain.com
Matthew Barber
mabarber@crain.com
Sam Abdallah
sabdallah@crain.com
Brennan Laff erty
blaff erty@crain.com
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Volume 3 * Issue 1
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January/February 2022

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