Unfortunately, my wrap-up of 2024 is not an especially cheerful one. Just as we close out the year with little to no significant progress made at COP29 or INC-5, we enter a new one under various governmental powers for whom sustainability is not a priority.
It appears we cannot rely on legislation to set environmental baselines, lay infrastructure groundwork, or tackle urgent problems with any significant effect.
For decades, our industry has operated within a linear economy and waste management system, underpinned by rules set by governments and presided over by society as a whole.
Such is the genesis of the plastic waste crisis as we now know it. Yet as we become more conscious of the accumulating problems related to material waste, it becomes all too easy to point the finger at packaging or fast-moving consumer goods, rather than reflect on the role of inefficient policies or take individual accountability.
We’re entering a world in which it looks less likely that universal action is a reasonable expectation. Certain countries are resisting strong agreements on climate and plastics – and perhaps the time has come for a coalition of the willing to drive better standards across more geographies than is currently the case.
On that note, let’s not twiddle our thumbs and wait for the law to catch up. Now is the time for companies to put their money where their mouth is and push for better: design for reuse and/or recycling, implement PCR, make green investments, et cetera. Mandatory baselines might not be sufficient, but a lack of legislative ambition does not have to stifle our own progress.
I am, at least, greatly encouraged by the high calibre of innovation showcased at this year’s Sustainable Packaging Summit. It reassures me that, even as the outlook for (inter)national sustainability initiatives becomes ever more bleak, our community remains determined to do better, both for our planet and future generations that will inherit it.
On behalf of myself and everyone at Packaging Europe, happy holidays, and thank you for all your high ambitions and hard work this year.
Let’s go forth into 2025 with renewed determination, but first, take some well-deserved time to celebrate with loved ones. We look forward to seeing how high the bar can be pushed from January onwards.
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