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It is perhaps no coincidence that in the list of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) and Climate Action (SDG13) sit side by side. Efforts to protect the environment and combat climate change are inextricably linked.Put simply, if we are to reduce global warming, we need to make more efficient use of resources and reduce emissions arising from the production of primary materials. This means re-thinking the way we produce our products, what we use them for, and how we treat them at the end of their ‘first life’. But while there is consensus on the value of a circular economy approach – there are a range of different opinions on what this means in practice.THE PARADOX OF PLASTICS PACKAGINGPlastics packaging is a prime example of the dilemmas, trade-offs, challenges and opportunities inherent in delivering on a circular economy – and indeed defining what we want to achieve within this new paradigm. Of the 78 million tonnes of plastics packaging produced globally on an annual basis, only 14 per cent is collected for recycling*1. While a further 14 per cent is incinerated or recovered to create energy, the rest is either landfilled or not disposed of properly. This contributes to environmental degradation in natural habitats – on land and at sea. At the same time, efforts to develop genuinely biodegradable plastics are a long way from success, and are arguably causing more harm than good WIDENING THE CIRCLEfor the moment. They also do not provide the economic value capture mechanisms desired for circular systems.As a result, for many people, plastics packaging is incompatible with true circular thinking and has no place in a sustainable future. For others, it is a necessary evil, whose convenience during its use phase outweighs a perceived lack of options to recycle it at end-of-life.But is this a balanced picture? While clearly it can be used to excess in certain consumer applications, for the most part packaging exists for good reasons that go far beyond mere convenience.A case in point is food waste prevention. Of all the food that is produced, over one third is never eaten. This is due to a range of factors – but prominent among them are a lack of storage and packaging systems to protect food and keep it fresh. As well as having serious social consequences, food waste is also an environmental concern. It represents a strain on already limited resources and unnecessarily increases the carbon footprint that results from food production – one of the most significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.Plastics packaging helps preserve and protect edible products, increase food security and reduce food waste. Recent and ongoing innovations have meant that more complex types of packaging can now perform these functions even more effectively than ever before. For example, a recent study into food waste in Austria showed how the introduction of a new flexible packaging contributes to four times less wastage of sirloin steaks2. LUCIE CHARBONNEL, EMEA MARKETING LEADER FOR INDUSTRIALS AND RECYCLING, DUPONTSARAH PERREARD, GLOBAL PACKAGING SUSTAINABILITY VALUE CHAIN LEADER, DUPONTDR KARLHEINZ HAUSMANN, R&D FELLOW, DUPONT“NATURE REUSES MATERIALS NOT ALWAYS IN THE WAY THEY WERE ORIGINALLY USEDBUT IN THE MOST RESOURCE-EFFICIENT WAY. WE SHOULD STRIVE TO DO THE SAME”074 RESOURCE EFFICIENCY