Pitney Bowes Finds Consumers Want Sustainable Products and Packaging –

Minister of State with special responsibility for the Circular Economy and Communications, Ossian Smyth TD, has announced funding of €490,000 for 10 projects across Ireland under the first Circular Economy Innovation Grant Scheme (CEIGS). Creating a ‘circular economy’ is part of the move towards a more sustainable future, with a focus on reducing and eliminating waste and keeping resources in use for as long as possible. The CEIGS will help communities to make this transition across Ireland and allow the country to move towards a more sustainable future. Funding under this round of the CEIGS was initially set at €250,000. However, due to the overall quality of the successful applicants, and in line with the Department’s commitment to supporting the circular economy, Minster of State Smyth secured an additional €240,000 in funding. This has resulted in the CEIGS being able to support projects across the whole spectrum of the circular economy, from green construction to digital platforms for re-use.

Unilever is seeking novel methods to recover  and improve the recyclability of the plastic actuator.  This is the device at the top of a aerosol packaging that when depressed, allows the product to be sprayed.  It’s also commonly called a sprayer or button.  Actuators are designed to make them difficult to remove for safety reasons, but when actuators aren’t removed prior to recycling, they end up in the metal recycling process and may not be recovered.   They are also small and often made from multiple materials which further complicates recyclability.  At Unilever, we’re completely rethinking our approach to packaging and we’re working hard to use less, better or no plastic.  We’ve set ambitious goals to tackle plastic waste and halve the amount of virgin plastic we use in our packaging; collect and process more plastic packaging than we sell; ensure that 100% of our plastic packaging is designed to be fully reusable, recyclable or compostable; use 25% recycled plastic in our packaging.