 GLOBAL BUSINESS HEAD-TO-HEAD

SHOULD PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES BE BANNED?

Sollten Plastikflaschen der Umwelt zuliebe verboten werden, oder wäre der sorgsame Umgang damit die umweltverträglichere Lösung? VICKI SUSSENS-MESSERER hat sich beide Standpunkte angehört.

YES! “Around 45 per cent of the plastic bottles used globally end up in the ocean” JO ROYLE

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lastic was invented 100 years ago and every plastic item ever produced is still with us today. We are living in the plastic age, and our mass consumption of petroleum-based plastic is going to be our geological legacy. About a third of plastic produced is single-life plastic, like food containers, shopping bags and plastic drinks bottles. And we must stop using these today. We need to use our natural resources wisely if future generations are to have the same privileges we have. It takes the planet about three million years to produce the amount of oil we burn each year. Using 47 million gallons of oil a year to make bottles for our drinking water is not a wise use of oil. Each year, we consume around 200 billion litres of bottled water. To make a one-litre bottle of water, it takes a quarter of a litre of oil. This bottle is useful to us for a very short time, yet the plastic will remain on the planet for over 500 years. The bottled-water industry is worth between $50 and $100 billion a year, so it has the money to invest in better packaging. Fifteen years ago, it was a status symbol to have bottled water, but it has become so everyday that we now expect to pay for a product that is absolutely free and readily available in the developed world. Over 40 per cent of bottled water comes from the same source as tap water, the main difference being that tap water is regulated for safety and bottled water is not. As a passionate advocate of the health of our oceans, it really concerns me that only five per cent of the 22 Business Spotlight

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bottles used are recovered. There are no exact figures, but it is believed that around 45 per cent of the plastic bottles used globally end up in the ocean. Once in the sea, plastic degrades into tiny particles, which then soak up chemicals found in the water, such as pesticides and insecticides. Fish and other sea creatures consume this toxic soup, mistaking it for food. As a result, we are losing many ocean species. Scientists have also linked the toxic plastic found in our oceans to the global increase in cancer and infertility. As individuals and collectively, we have the power to make a difference. We need to use this power to drastically reduce our use of one-life plastic, and banning the plastic water bottle is an easy place to start. JO ROYLE is the British skipper of Plastiki, a boat made from

12,500 plastic bottles, which is on a world expedition to bring attention to environmental issues. www.theplastiki.com advocate [(ÄdvEkEt] billion [(bIljEn] cancer [(kÄnsE] consultancy [kEn(sVltEnsi] container [kEn(teInE] degrade [di(greId] discarded [dIs(kA:dId] durable [(djUErEb&l] end-of-life product [)end Ev (laIf )prQdVkt] footprint [(fUtprInt] fuel [(fju:El] gallon [(gÄlEn] greenhouse-gas emission [)gri:nhaUs (gÄs i)mIS&n] high-calorific [)haI )kÄle(rIfIk] infertility [)InfE(tIlEti] issue [(ISu:] item [(aItEm] legacy [(legEsi] life cycle [(laIf )saIk&l] link: ~ sth. to sth. [(lINk] make a difference [)meIk E (dIfrEns] misconception [)mIskEn(sepS&n] packaging [(pÄkIdZIN] passionate [(pÄS&nEt] petroleum-based [pE(trEUliEm beIst] recover sth. [ri(kVvE] sea creature [(si: )kri:tSE] single-life [)sINg&l (laIf] soak sth. up [)sEUk (Vp] sustainable [sE(steInEb&l] tap water [(tÄp )wO:tE] trade association [(treId EsEUsi)eIS&n]

Fürsprecher(in) Milliarde(n) Krebs Beratungsunternehmen Behälter zerfallen weggeworfen strapazierfähig, langlebig Produkt am Ende seines Lebenszyklus Fußabdruck, Hinterlassenschaft Brennstoff Gallone (4,55 Liter UK) Treibhausgasemission mit hohem Brennwert Unfruchtbarkeit hier: Problem Gegenstand Hinterlassenschaft (Produkt-)Lebenszyklus etw. mit einer Sache verbinden etwas bewirken irrtümliche Annahme Verpackung leidenschaftlich auf Erdölbasis hergestellt etw. rückgewinnen Meerestier nur einmal verwendbar etw. aufsaugen nachhaltig Leitungswasser Wirtschafts-, Fachverband

1/2011

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Plastic bottles: can we live without them?

NO! “If plastics didn’t exist today, we’d need to invent them quickly’’ PATRICIA VANGHELUWE

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hen it comes to any end-of-life product, we have to manage our waste intelligently. If you banned bottled drinks — whatever the container — and we all just drank tap water, this might indeed reduce the environmental footprint of our drinking. But banning plastic bottles would result in bottles being made of an alternative material, which could be worse for the environment. A recent study by the Austrian consultancy denkstatt (available from www.plasticseurope.org) shows that, across their full life cycle, a switch from plastic items to the same products made from alternative materials would increase the consumption of energy by over 50 per cent, resulting in an increase of more than 60 per cent in greenhouse-gas emissions. The facts show that modern packaging is saving significant resources. In Europe, less than three per cent of food produced is lost before it reaches the consumer. This compares with around 50 per cent of food loss in countries that don’t benefit from modern packaging. 1/2011

The real answer is that we need to improve the way we live with plastic. Today in Europe, almost 50 per cent of bottles are recycled, and some countries, such as Switzerland, recover the value of nearly all their plastic waste (over 90 per cent). Those plastics items that aren’t recycled back into useful products can be used as a highcalorific fuel — which is a very sensible alternative to burning oil. It’s also a common misconception that making plastics is using up our oil reserves. Less than five per cent of oil is actually used to make plastic. And, through lighter, more durable products, reduced food wastage, etc., that small percentage is significantly reducing the rate at which we are using up fossil fuels. We need clever, resource-efficient materials like plastics to meet the increasing needs of our growing population. If plastics didn’t exist today, we’d need to invent them quickly to have any hope of sustainable development. But it’s certainly a very bad thing that there’s a lot of discarded plastic in our environment. Future generations may well look back and question our wisdom if we do start to restrict the use of a really useful, resource-efficient material, rather than learning to control the way we manage it. To stop using plastic packaging will not make our planet more sustainable. BS Intelligently managing our waste will.  PATRICIA VANGHELUWE is the director of consumer and envi-

ronmental affairs at PlasticsEurope, the pan-European trade association for plastics producers. www.plasticseurope.org You can hear more views on Business Spotlight Audio

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