Circular Solution

Plastic as a valuable resource

Plastic is a durable, safe, and lightweight resource whose versatility and malleability have allowed the creation of a myriad of products essential in our everyday life: from packaging (for the preservation of food, for example) to electronic components.

While the mismanagement of plastic waste on a global level has altered our vision of this exceptional resource, it is incontestable that plastics have been playing an important role in our society, because of their ability to provide safer and easier living conditions.

But the failure to adequately handle end-of-life plastic products has led to major environmental and social impacts.

So, it is crucial that institutions act now, as the future of the plastic economy quite literally resides in our ability to implement a circular economy for plastics to address the issue of plastic pollution and re-elevate public opinion on the incredible properties of plastic. Collecting and recycling plastic can be part of the solution to plastic pollution.

#tide's plastic solution

#tide gives value to plastic waste by putting it back into the material circle.

#tide believes in the power of circular economy for plastics to tackle and solve one of the most important challenges of our time: plastic pollution. Keeping plastics in circulation instead of allowing them to become waste is an essential part of this transition. Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled globally. At the same time, more than 14 million tonnes of plastic enter aquatic ecosystems every year. These figures show how far we still have to go – and why collecting, recycling and keeping plastic in the material cycle matters.

That's why #tide developed a solution to reduce plastic pollution that is based on circular principles. Through the collection and recycling of ocean-bound plastic into a premium raw material, which can be used by brands to create new products, #tide® puts plastic waste back into the material cycle to reduce the amount of mismanaged plastic waste in at-risk coastal areas. We are convinced : We must protect ecosystems, not pollute them.

#tide's global network

At #tide, we have developed a global supply chain to help reduce plastic pollution. We collect and recycle plastic that could have ended up in the ocean in several countries, for instance Thailand and Malaysia (Southeast Asia).

To meet our customers' needs, we we work with several hubs for further processing and distribution of the material, from Bangkok to Switzerland, Hong Kong and the USA. Where feasible, we process and distribute our material close to its source or destination to reduce unnecessary transportation.

Our future goal is to expand our collaborative efforts to the best partners possible to ensure the quality and efficiency of our initiatives, and to be able to provide a solution in all the locations where the problem is particularly salient.

We are convinced that the transition towards a circular plastic economy for plastics is only viable if we act together as one big community to respond to a problem of such global significance.

About ocean-bound plastic

Did you know that an estimated 80% of marine plastic debris comes from land-based sources rather than ocean-based activities such as fishing and shipping?

This is what happens: Plastic trash piles up in uncontrolled landfills.
Trash is blown from the streets or landfills and heavy rains provoke landslides.

Rainwater and wind carry plastic into streams, rivers and through drains that lead to the ocean.
Once plastic is in our oceans, it can cause serious harm to marine ecosystems and is much more difficult to recover.

Even uninhabited islands become dumping grounds for plastic when the waste gets washed up on the coast.

That’s why we need to tackle plastic pollution before waste reaches the ocean. This means collecting and properly managing plastic in at-risk coastal areas, while also recovering waste from rivers, coastlines and other aquatic environments.

On this basis, ocean-bound plastic (OBP) can be defined as waste that is likely to end up in the ocean. The concept was further defined in a publication by Jenna Jembeck et al. as “abandoned plastic waste” located within 50 km of coastlines in areas where waste management systems are inadequate or inefficient.

#tide® is part of the recognized Ocean Bound Plastic Certification Program. Independent auditors – in our case from the internationally active certification body Control Union – annually audit #tide®’s collection and recycling activities and issue the OBP certificate upon successful completion of the audit. The OBP Certification Program defines mismanaged plastic waste considered Ocean Bound Plastic as follows:

• located within a 50 kilometers distance of the coastline,

• within 200 meters from rivers and in rivers,

• and within 200 meters of the shoreline.

The plastic waste collected by #tide® and its partners in Thailand and Malaysia comes from ocean-bound sources. We do not process any virgin plastics.

About circular economy

A circular economy is a model that aims to rethink how products and materials are designed, used and managed.

The three principles of this economic model are: eliminate, circulate, regenerate.

For plastics, a circular economy means eliminating unnecessary plastic where possible, designing products and packaging for reuse and recycling, and keeping materials in circulation for as long as possible. By reusing and recycling existing materials, the need for virgin plastics can be reduced.

Implementing circular economy principles for plastics on a global scale can play an important role in addressing plastic pollution and reducing the consumption of virgin resources.

Learn more about the concept of circularity economy with this video produced by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

The importance of policy

A shift in industry trends and customer demand alone will not be enough to drive the transition towards a circular economy for plastics. Well-designed legislation can create a framework that encourages circular design, reuse and recycling.

Policy for circular economy

The Green New Deal and the European Green Deal, both of which shed light on the urgency to implement solutions to combat climate change in an efficient and socially fair way, provide an important policy framework for the shift from a linear to a circular economy.

In Europe, this transition is increasingly reflected in concrete legislation. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), for example, introduces new requirements for packaging, including recyclability, reuse and recycled content. ⁠Learn more about the PPWR and what it means for recycled plastics.

Businesses, policymakers, consumers and other stakeholders all have a role to play in advancing this transition.