new business models: consortium corepla focusing on collection and recycling of used plastics in a conference on research and INNOVATION TOWARDS sustainable development
At the two-day event taking place at Sant’Anna School on June 10-11, 2019, important questions on Recycling and Recovery of Plastics will be discussed by Corepla experts (National Consortium for the collection, recycling and recovery of plastics packaging), academics, policy and decision makers and high-level representatives from waste management organizations. In 2017, the European Commission confirmed its focus on plastics production and use towards the goal of ensuring that all plastic packaging is recyclable by 2030 (meeting the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development).
Topics under discussion will highlight the production of plastic water bottles and the entire lifespan of a plastic bottle including the energy used for transportation, storage, and the final disposal of the bottle. A circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design. In the case of plastic packaging, this means low-carbon and energy-efficient models will make a tangible contribution to reaching the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. In 2018, researchers reported that in Italy, just 13.6% was added to the total amount reported in 2017 of the plastic packaging recycled, while 20 kilograms per capita ended up in landfill (18 kilograms per capita was reported in 2017 and a total of 1.200.000 tons from the waste collection; 7.200 local authorities accounting for 91% of the total). This will involve improving recycling, promoting reuse, and creating a market for recycled materials.
Antonello Ciotti, President of Corepla said, “This event explores research areas for businesses, universities and institutions to accelerate change and pursue the necessary scale of innovation and collaboration to address the plastics challenge. The Consortium Corepla will deliver greater added value and capture the economic benefits of plastics. Our teamwork will analyse how the national market for recyclable packaging will evolve in the next few years. We are working to develop a positive and innovative circular economy process, while maximizing recovery, in line with new EU directives. Public institutions need to encourage sustainable supply of recycled materials”.
Sabina Nuti, Rector of Sant’Anna School said, “Sant’Anna School identified plastics as a key priority and committed itself to address the challenges posed by plastics throughout its research activity and public engagement. We think public engagement with research is more important than ever, as the value of these activities will encourage high-quality practice across the institution and the community”.
