9. Reducing plastic 101 - summary

You’ve reached the end of the pathway about plastic reduction. Hopefully you now have a better sense of what a plastic reduction strategy might look like, and some great ideas as to what your brand can do to reduce its plastic use.

We have seen that reducing plastic is a strategic business move that can benefit the planet and business. By prioritizing plastic reduction strategies, brands can make smart business decisions, do more to protect the planet, future-proof their brand, prepare for packaging policies, and engage better with consumers.

This can all be achieved by making direct reductions to plastic use, or substituting materials for more sustainable or recyclable alternatives. Setting targets and creating a simple plastic reduction strategy is within reach of any brand.

However, we’ve also seen that these decisions are not always clear-cut. There are often trade-offs and complexities. That’s where your mission comes in and helps guide you to the unique strategy that works for your brand.

Before we sign-off on this pathway, here’s one more quick lesson:

Think of a river. It starts its journey in the mountains - upstream. And it ends its journey in the sea - downstream. Now imagine that you live somewhere in the middle of its course that is between the mountains and the sea.

Reducing plastic in packaging is considered an “upstream” solution because it takes place near the beginning, or the top of the supply chain. Investing in plastic waste recovery and waste infrastructure development is considered a “downstream” solution because it happens near the end, or bottom of the supply chain. By pairing both upstream and downstream solutions as part of a plastic action strategy; businesses can be sure to affect as much positive change as possible in the fight to end the global plastic crisis.