Plastic pollution is a global menace. Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans. Approximately, 7 billion of the 9.2 billion tonne of plastic produced from 1950 to 2017 became plastic waste, ending up in landfills or dumped, as per the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The situation in India is no less better. The country is now among the top five polluters in the world, generating a staggering 3.4 million tonne (MT) of plastic waste every year, of which only 30% is recycled, as per a report by Marico Innovation Foundation prepared in association with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Praxis Global Alliance, released earlier this year.

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Interestingly, global brands, often identified as the top plastic polluters, are taking steps towards recycling, upcycling and a circular economy. But are the efforts efficient enough?

Enter circular economy

If you are someone who is concerned about plastic ending up in the environment, then you may have heard about a possible solution—the circular economy. “The concept essentially revolves around recycling, repurposing and reusing waste products to enable effective waste management and suitable resource recovery,” explains Anjali Taneja, senior policy specialist and group head of cross-sectoral initiatives, Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a think tank based in Bengaluru. “It blocks the leakage of plastic material into the environment,” adds Anu Pavithran V, a marine biologist who has done extensive research on microplastics.

Although the concept has been around since the 1970s, it has gained attention in recent years, says Taneja. This increased focus is a “good thing” as people the world over are becoming aware of the detrimental impact of waste on the environment, well-being and resources. “Where, at one point in time, waste used to be simply disposed of in landfills or largely operated by the informal market, the circular economy could in fact guarantee that this waste is either reused or re-manufactured for greater social, environmental and economic gains,” the expert adds.

While a circular economy can be challenging to achieve, Pavithran says “promoting the same would create more efficient and sustainable products, help reduce energy, save money and resource consumption”.

The UNEP, in a recent report, batted for the circular economy, saying that global plastic pollution can be brought down by 80% by 2040 if countries and companies shift to a circular economy, along with making deep policy and market shifts.

NITI Aayog, the Centre’s think tank, also sees huge potential. “With a growing population, rapid urbanisation, climate change and environmental pollution, India must move towards a circular economy,” it had said in 2021. “A circular economy path adopted by India could bring in substantial annual benefits, along with a significant reduction in congestion and pollution, which would consequently have a snowball effect on the economy,” it added.

Upcycling the waste

Although the real, long-term impact of a circular economy is yet to be seen, there are several companies that are working to manage plastic waste.

In November last year, soft drink behemoth Coca-Cola joined hands with quick-service platform Zepto to launch the ‘Return and Recycle’ initiative for PET bottles. Under it, once a consumer completes her checkout on Zepto, she just has to tap on the designated touch-point on the app. The delivery partner then receives the notification, who then collects the PET bottles from the consumer, and deposits them in designated bins installed by Coca-Cola, after which the authorised recycler takes over and completes the further processing.

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Based on the “success” of the two-month pilot programme launched in Mumbai, the company decided to expand the initiative, and are now operational in 10 cities, says Abhishek Gupta, chief customer officer, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia.

For Zepto, the initiative has a positive impact on the business as it increases customer engagement and aligns with their purpose to contribute to something meaningful in their engagement with us,” says Zepto’s COO Vinay Dhanani. Speaking on the partnership, he adds, “It started with the intent to create a circular economy for plastic by connecting all stakeholders to the recycling value chain.”

By 2025, Coca-Cola aims to make all its primary consumer packaging recyclable and use 50% recycled material in its packaging by 2030, as per Gupta. “Additionally, we strive to collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one we sell by 2030 and bring people together to support a healthy, debris-free environment,” he adds.

Earlier this month, the company launched new bottles made from 100% recycled PET plastic material (rPET) in Andhra Pradesh. It launched the new rPET packaging for its packaged drinking water brand Kinley in 1-litre bottles. “We are proud to be the first beverage company in India to offer our consumers a sustainable choice of packaging by launching Kinley bottles made from 100% recycled PET,” Enrique Ackermann, vice president, technical and innovation, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, had said at the launch.

Similarly, Bisleri International’s ‘Bottles for Change’ initiative aims to educate people about the responsible disposal of used plastic and provide enabling systems to facilitate recycling, says CEO Angelo George. Under this, the company, widely known for its bottled water, follows a three-step process of educating people to clean the used plastic, segregate it at the source, and send it directly for recycling through registered collection partners. “We also provide transport infrastructure to ensure used plastic reaches recyclers directly. The post-consumer plastic is sorted by the collection partners and sold to recyclers, who convert it into new products,” adds George.

Upcycling involves transforming waste material into products that can be reused. “The used plastic is upcycled into utility items like bags, shoes, apparel and paving blocks, furniture, etc,” George explains.

Earlier this year, Hindustan Unilever (HUL), which has brands like Close Up, Clinic Plus, Dove, Horlicks, Sunsilk, Vaseline, etc, and uses plastic in its packaging, joined hands with the UNEP to jointly launch the ‘Inclusive Circular Economy’ project. “These campaigns are aimed at driving the importance of waste segregation at source at the household level. Once the waste is segregated at the source, collection of the segregated waste is important, which helps recycle the material at the Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) set up in partnership with UNDP in Mumbai, thereby building an innovative and scalable model,” a company spokesperson explains. The company might consider scaling up the initiative once the current pilot projects are fully established, the spokesperson adds.

Companies like ITC and Amway India, too, said last year that they had become plastic-neutral.

The question mark

All of these can be seen as steps in the right direction, but questions remain on their efficacy. “It is important to note that these initiatives alone are not sufficient to address the issue of plastic pollution caused by these companies. Companies like Coca-Cola and Bisleri India are indeed among the biggest plastic polluters, and their initiatives to recycle or upcycle PET bottles are just one aspect of their overall sustainability efforts. While it is positive to see these companies taking steps to address their environmental impact, they need to do much more to reduce their plastic footprint,” says PK Joshi, professor at School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Notably, Coca-Cola has been the top plastic polluter globally for the fifth year in a row, as per the 2022 Brand Audit by Break Free From Plastic, a global movement that works for a future free of plastic pollution. Interestingly, Coca-Cola is the official corporate sponsor of COP27 in Egypt.

In India, PepsiCo was the biggest plastic polluter in 2022 followed by CG Foods India, as per the report released in November last year.

Touted as among the prominent ways of plastic waste management, the concept of recycling plastic has been around for a long time. According to Plastics for Change, a Bengaluru-based organisation that works for plastic recycling and in the process creating jobs for the marginalised, PET is the most recycled plastic.

Recycling has its share of benefits like there’s no need for raw materials, reduced water use and energy conservation, apart from the fact that the discarded plastic does not end up in landfills. “But it is not a single solution to tackle plastic pollution,” says marine biologist Pavithran.

For instance, plastic recycling may lead to the creation of microplastics. “Many studies have observed that mechanical abrasion and shredding of plastics during recycling in the facility may lead to microplastics in the environment. It also becomes a potential part of microplastic pollution,” says Pavithran. Not just environmental impact, but plastic recycling may pose a risk to human health too, especially to those working in the industry.

“Plastic products contain toxic chemical additives that can cause serious health problems,” wrote Human Rights Watch in a report last year. “Plastic recycling releases those toxins into the local environment, threatening the health of those working in the industry and living nearby recycling facilities,” it added. Among the life-long health conditions, the toxic fumes increase the risk of cancer and reproductive system harm, the report noted.

Calling out the plastic industry that has “championed recycling as a way to manage waste from their products,” the New York-based NGO said it has made “few efforts to minimise the amount of plastic in their products”.

Although upcycling plastic to make clothing, accessories and other products can be a creative way to give discarded materials a new life and reduce plastic waste, it is not a complete solution to the problem of plastic pollution, as per Joshi of JNU. “Once the plastic is upcycled into a new product, it may still release microplastics when washed or eventually break down into smaller particles that can still pollute the environment.”

“Upcycling initiatives can only address a small portion of the overall plastic waste generated each year, and they do not address the root causes of plastic pollution, such as overconsumption and lack of proper waste management,” Joshi adds.

Amsterdam-based independent global network Greenpeace, too, warns against circular economy in a recent report. “Plastics are inherently incompatible with a circular economy,” it says, adding that recycled plastic is more toxic than the original and contributes significantly to microplastic pollution. The recycled plastic often contains higher levels of harmful chemicals such as benzene, toxic flame retardants, carcinogens and environmental pollutants, the report adds.

The way forward

All said and done, for companies, affordability remains a prominent factor. “In packaging, the choice between materials is governed by the affordability of the solution for the consumer, the overall carbon footprint and the impact on resources across the entire value chain,” says Bisleri International’s George. “While alternatives to PET are being explored, the production of substitute materials may require more energy and resources, and their disposal also has environmental implications. Hence, a complete replacement of plastic/ PET is not feasible now,” he adds.

In the current scenario, while exploring eco-friendly plastic alternatives is underway, eliminating plastic completely appears unfeasible. In such a situation, proper handling of discarded plastic is essential. “While recycling has a lot of disadvantages, proper collection and segregation methods, waste management strategies and avoiding single-use plastics may help to improve the management of discarded plastics,” says Pavithran.

Joshi, too, points out the need for companies to explore alternatives to plastic packaging, among other steps, “to truly make a difference”. Some alternatives include glass, aluminum and paper.

“Every change takes time,” says Ashish Agarwal, secretary of Recycle India Foundation, an NGO that works towards recycling plastic and e-waste.

“It has hardly been four to five years since most brands have become aware of the importance of tackling the plastic waste problem,” he adds.

MICROPLASTIC MENACE

While plastic is preferred for its durability and resistance to decay, the same properties lead to another menace— microplastics. These are tiny pieces of plastic, smaller than 5 mm. These are generated when larger plastic debris breaks down into smaller pieces. However, a type of microplastic, called microbeads, is also manufactured and added to several health and beauty products as exfoliants, such as in cleansers and toothpaste.

Worryingly, a recent peer-reviewed study in the United Kingdom suggested that recycling, the strategy devised to get rid of waste, may be contributing to microplastics.

Since these are extremely small particles, they can travel far and wide and have been found at places as divergent as the Antarctic snow and even the human bloodstream. Until now, these have been found in the human lungs, livers, spleens, kidneys, and even the placentas of

newborn babies.

Although their impact on health is currently unclear, research has shown that plastic-associated chemicals such as plasticisers, methyl mercury and flame retardants, which can enter the body, can be a cause of concern for human health.