Discovering Circular Economies

Over the last week, I have been reading and investigating many different things relating to my vision for a “Plastic Free Supermarket”.

One of the things I stumbled across was ANZPAC Plastic Pact. The organisation behind the “Plastic Pact is Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation This organisation is looking at options for a circular economy for plastic.

I am sceptical when it comes to these kinds of claims. We are not even remotely close to a circular economy for plastic, particularly when I look at the products for sale in our supermarkets.

However, to see a plastic circular economy at work, we have to look elsewhere, not at the products we purchase but at how we transport them.

The first example is the humble milk crate.

Milk Crate

Still used today, milk crates transport milk to supermarkets. I was recently at a coffee shop for breakfast, and I saw the milk delivery. I saw the delivery person bring in a stack of four milk crates full of milk. I was so happy to see him leave with four milk crates full of empty milk containers.

RPC’s

Plastic is also heavily used in the fresh produce section of the supermarket. If you look past all the plastic film in use, you can see Reusable Plastic Containers (RPC’s). Used to pack fresh produce at farms, transport to the supermarket, and then return to CHEP for distribution to farms for reuse.

Reuse is where plastic thrives. It helps with creating circular economies.

What is a circular?

A circular economy focuses on designing products and processes that reduce waste and pollution, while a linear economy prioritises profit and efficiency over environmental and social impacts.

Circular economies are our sustainable future. The ANZPAC Plastic Pact mentioned earlier is linked to a global Plastic Pact Network, which you can find out more about at Ellen MacArthur Foundation

And, if you, like me, are now wondering who Ellen MacArthur is, here is a TED talk she did about eight years ago.

My vision for PlasticFreeSupermarket is becoming more apparent. It’s all about the Circular Economy and eliminating our Linear Economies! Our future is going to be pretty amazing. I am confident of that. To ensure it is, we MUST eliminate Linear Economies! I am starting with the Supermarket.