A MILLION PLASTIC BOTTLES ARE BOUGHT EVERY DAY ALL OVER THE WORLD

Since the 1950s, the production of plastic has increased enormously and now 280 million tons of plastic are produced annually worldwide. New production methods, development of materials and constantly shifting consumer patterns are all factors that have an impact on the large volume of residual products that arise and have to be handled all over the world. 

By working together with our customers and the surrounding world, we can think in new ways and create value from something that would otherwise affect the environment negatively. If we look at the materials utilised for and in production from a circular perspective where we, our customers and society already have a plan for how the materials should be used and then reused or recycled, there is a lot to be gained. For just this reason, Stena Recycling has decided to be a sustainability sponsor of Volvo Ocean Race, where we will have an excellent arena to share our know-how and the existing opportunities for recycling.

I myself had the honour of speaking in Hong Kong at the Ocean Summit, a series of seminars held at several of Volvo Ocean Race’s stopovers, which include Hong Kong, Newport and Gothenburg. The seminars focus on the global crisis involving plastic pollution in our oceans and Stena Recycling chose to speak about how plastic, despite its bad reputation as waste, has good material properties that make possible a number of sustainable applications but must be handled in a responsible manner throughout its life cycle; not least during collection and recycling.

Thanks to a common view, we are now taking on the challenge of plastic recycling even more actively together with, among others, Volvo Cars and Volvo AB. Together we can create value both for us, our customers and above all our environment.

It starts here.

Christoffer Wahlborg

Key Account Manager, Stena Recycling