By Gayle S. Putrich
- Published on July 3, 2014 by Plastics News
“This year’s Plasticity Forum marks a new chapter in collaborative action between industry, governments and communities in banding together to scale solutions that can really drive mindset changes in how we perceive plastic in a new form, that of the resource that it truly is,” said Doug Woodring, founder of the event and Ocean Recovery Alliance. “By no means is this an easy challenge to address, but leaders at this event are some of the real trail blazers who know how to deliver solutions that we can all participate in, and benefit from, in our respective communities.”
Architect, author of Cradle to Cradle and self-styled sustainability guru William McDonough challenged attendees expand their thinking beyond the traditional Rs of “reduce, reuse, recycle,” to include “redesign, renew and regenerate.”
“We have to stop thinking about, using the phrase ‘end of life’ with our plastic products. It goes in, it continues, it becomes something new. Let’s move on, let’s make it ‘next life,’” McDonough said in his keynote address, encouraging plastics processors and trade associations such as event sponsors the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. and the American Chemistry Council to consider products’ potential next life on the front end, even in the design phases.