How Businesses Can Tackle Plastic Pollution with Technology

Plastic is all around us. It helps keep our food fresh, it’s in the toys we give our kids, and it’s used to store life-saving medicines in hospitals. It’s practical, indestructible, and totally necessary. But, it’s causing a lot of waste and pollution, and that’s a big problem.

In the UK alone, about five million tons of plastic is used every year. That’s a huge amount of plastic that won’t break down for centuries, and it’s really bad for the environment. The UN says that plastic pollution can mess up habitats, mess with natural processes, and directly affect millions of people’s lives and food production.

The good news is that governments in Europe are making rules to help organizations deal with their plastic waste. In the UK, they’re bringing in something called the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme.

This is a big deal because it’s all about making sure that plastic gets used in a circular way. Lots of British businesses, like shops, factories, and food makers, are wondering what this means for them and what they have to do.

So, what’s the deal with the EPR? Well, companies that use a lot of packaging will have to report on their data. These new rules apply to all UK organizations that bring in or supply packaging.

But, there are some conditions. If you’re a business, a part of a business, or a group (but not a charity), and you make more than £1m a year, and you were in charge of more than 25 tons of packaging in 2022, and you do any packaging stuff, then you have to collect and report your data.

This affects a lot of different organizations, from big shops to car makers. But when does this EPR thing start? Well, it was supposed to start in 2024, but now it’s been pushed back to October 2025. Some people are happy about this, and some are not. But, even though the fees have been put off for a year, organizations still have to follow the rules and report their packaging data for 2023.

The UK has been making a lot of rules about plastic lately. Last year, they brought in the first plastic packaging tax (UK PPT) in the world. This tax is all about charging £200 for every metric ton of plastic packaging that doesn’t have at least 30% recycled plastic.

Just like companies in Europe, UK businesses have two big challenges: getting the data for their tax return and using it to make tax decisions. With the EPR coming soon, not having a clear view of a company’s plastic commitments could lead to big fines.

So, how can technology help businesses deal with all these new rules? Well, technology is super important for helping companies follow the new environmental laws. It can help companies follow the rules in lots of ways, like making sure products are designed with circularity in mind, and keeping track of where all the data on packaging and materials is. This is really important for the EPR rules.

The main goal of this technology is to help organizations keep track of important environmental data and have a better idea of how materials move around in their business. This helps make sure that plastic tax payments are accurate, lowers the risk of breaking the rules, and boosts circularity.

Even though the EPR rules won’t start until 2025, companies should start getting ready now. Laws like this are really important, and companies are worried about what it means for them. But, with the help of powerful technologies, organizations can follow the rules, work better, and help the planet.