Sustainability 101: What are virgin plastics?

Do you’re feeling a bit misplaced when folks check with sure environmental sustainability matters and aren’t certain the place to begin in the case of studying extra? Sustainability 101 is a weblog sequence that you would be able to flip to for details about completely different environmental phrases which will come up at work, throughout discussions with associates, and even at your annual vacation gathering.

This weblog was written by Nicole Kenney, Program Supervisor, Sustainable Packaging, and Drew Phan, Packaging Engineer.

A woman and a man's photos, side by side — Nicole Kenney and Drew Phan

As a part of fashionable life, many of the merchandise we purchase are available plastic packaging. Whenever you purchase one thing with plastic packaging, you’re in all probability not conscious of what sort of plastic it’s. There may be recycled plastic, which is when recycled bits of plastic are reprocessed into plastic merchandise. And there may be additionally virgin plastic, often known as virgin plastic polymers, which in response to a 2022 report, means “newly manufactured resin produced from petrochemical or biomass feedstock used because the uncooked materials for the manufacture of plastic merchandise and which has by no means been used or processed earlier than.”

Basically, virgin plastics are manufactured from beforehand unused supplies, which suggests they will take an even bigger toll on the surroundings.

For the reason that Nineteen Fifties, plastic has overrun the packaging business by offering cheap and lightweight safety for merchandise. Plastic packaging is extensively out there within the type of standard foams, baggage, and clamshell trays. Over the a long time, this has led to a world construct up of plastic air pollution, since these supplies should not all the time managed accurately at finish of use. Though plastics are present in all main municipal stable waste classes, in the US the containers and packaging class had probably the most plastic tonnage at over 14.5 million tons in 2018 alone.¹ That’s equal to the load of over 300,000 grey whales. The sheer quantity of waste has led to rising consciousness across the impression of packaging and elevated buyer demand for sustainable options.

On the similar time, a product has little to no worth if it arrives broken. Cisco’s Packaging Engineering division thinks holistically in the case of designing Cisco’s packaging with sustainability in thoughts. We’re rethinking product packaging and are sourcing various supplies to plastic. Our technique consists of eliminating plastic baggage in our packaging wherever attainable. For example, we’ve eliminated plastic packaging from our energy cords, leading to a discount of over 10 million baggage yearly. Work is underway to use the identical efforts throughout extra part classes.

Design for Recyclability

The place we can not fully take away plastic packaging, we should select options with a smaller environmental footprint. This implies choosing recyclable supplies which can be simply separated and extensively accepted in curbside recycling streams. As soon as these supplies are recovered, they are often damaged down and re-processed into the feedstock for the subsequent spherical of packaging.

For example, our plastic thermoform cushions are manufactured from the identical high-density polyethylene materials as milk jugs and might be accepted in the identical plastic curbside recycling stream.* In accordance with the U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA), HDPE (Excessive Density Polyethylene) is without doubt one of the most regularly recycled plastics in the US.¹

Within the case of plastic baggage in our accent kits, efforts are underway to make the most of fiber-based paper envelopes and corrugated sleeves which can be recyclable. Paper is at present the very best various as a result of it’s the most recycled materials in the US.²

Select Recycled Supplies

Recycled supplies are completely different from recyclable supplies in that recycled packaging has a share of fabric inputs which have already been damaged down and reprocessed after use. By incorporating extra recycled content material into our packaging, we preserve beneficial sources and cut back greenhouse fuel emissions in comparison with manufacturing virgin supplies. Selecting recycled supplies additionally promotes recycling by rising the demand for recycled supplies.

We’re focusing our power on recyclable and recycled plastics as a result of, sadly, biodegradable and compostable plastics aren’t effectively suited to use within the electronics business.

Biodegradable and bio-based are phrases used loosely to explain plastics produced from plant sources. The largest concern for these supplies is that it’s not all the time clear how lengthy it would take for these plastics to interrupt down. Since they’re usually not licensed compostable, they will doubtlessly leech toxins into the soil.³

On the subject of compostable packaging, the U.S. Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) Inexperienced Guides clarify that this packaging should be licensed with “competent and dependable scientific proof that each one supplies within the product or bundle will break down into — or grow to be a part of — usable compost safely and in about the identical time because the supplies with which it’s composted.”⁴ That is good for natural waste like meals scraps, grass clippings and yard waste. However at present, the shorter shelf lifetime of compostable packaging makes it higher suited to meals packaging than the electronics business.

A round technique

We’re evolving to a extra round mannequin through which we cut back the sources we eat and the waste we generate. With this method, we attempt to prioritize supplies with recycled content material; design merchandise for useful resource effectivity; and facilitate restore, remanufacturing, and recycling to increase product life. That’s why we’ve a purpose for 100% of latest Cisco merchandise and packaging to include Round Design Ideas by fiscal 12 months 2025.** Utilizing recycled supplies is an instance of considered one of our ideas.

By pursuing our purpose to include Round Design Ideas, we will use much less virgin materials, and eat much less materials total. Lowering our packaging carbon footprint will drive progress in the direction of Cisco’s packaging objectives.⁵

As we take the mandatory steps to embed Round Design Ideas into our packaging portfolio, it is very important keep in mind that each selection has tradeoffs — there isn’t a one-size suits all answer. Reaching circularity is an iterative course of — what’s finest for at the moment is probably not what’s finest for tomorrow. But when we stay agile and attempt for fulfillment, we will proceed to maneuver in a constructive course in the direction of a round financial system.

Comply with our Packaging Engineering crew’s journey as we proceed to evolve our round packaging portfolio.⁶

* Verify your native municipality for more information.

** In fiscal 12 months 2022, we had performed a smooth launch of a brand new scoring software that evaluates circularity in merchandise and packaging. We used the smooth launch to guage 13% of latest merchandise and packaging, and located that 33% of them efficiently met our round design standards. That is equal to 4% of whole new merchandise and packaging launched in fiscal 12 months 2022 assembly round design standards. In early fiscal 2023, the scoring software was formally launched throughout all enterprise items, and we count on the universe of latest merchandise and packaging evaluated to extend in fiscal 2023.