Tackling a tidal wave of plastic pollution

By Professor Atanu Chaudhuri, January 2024

Professor Atanu Chaudhuri, Professor in Technology and Operations Management, on the SMEs finding smarter ways to solve the problem of plastic waste.

Plastic waste is one of the primary sources of pollution and biodiversity loss. The cleaning of rivers, oceans and cities of plastic waste has been attempted by many countries with varying degrees of success.

The problem is such that, in February 2022 when world leaders gathered in Nairobi for the United Nations (UN) Environment Assembly, the main topic of conversation was tackling plastic pollution. The result of this meeting was a commitment to develop and commit to an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution by 2024 – covering plastic production, design and disposal.

According to the UN, more than 430 million tons of plastic are produced each year – two thirds of which is intended for just a single use. Much of this ends up being discarded in general waste, littered into our natural habitats and, increasingly, oceans. A recent blog on the UN website, sharing data from the Ocean Conservancy, estimates that eleven million metric tonnes of plastic enters our oceans every year, on top of approximately 200 million tonnes already flowing though marine environments.

Indeed, the blog continues, if our world carries on with the current rate of plastic production, by 2050 there'll be more plastic than fish in the ocean.

It’s clear there’s a significant need for change if we’re to sustain our world for generations to come. But the plastic problem is a tricky one. Cheap to produce, durable and endlessly versatile, plastic has become as much a staple of human life as clothing, eating and drinking (and, of course, plastic has become essential in each of these functions!). We can’t remove plastic from the world entirely. Instead, we need to find smarter, more responsible and, most importantly, actionable ways to reuse what we have and avoid it ending up in our woodlands and waterways.

SMEs leading the way

Despite commitments being made by world leaders and international collectives to tackle this issue, the ‘hows’ and ‘whens’ are near impossible to answer. Regardless of new laws, multinational pledges, and targets, there’s no one solution to eradicating plastic pollution. Collaboration is required. Furthermore, we shouldn’t only be looking to a higher power to show us the way.

Research I’ve conducted in partnership with colleagues Nachiappan Subramanian (University of Sussex Business School) and Manoj Dora (Anglia Ruskin University, previously Brunel University) has shown that, rather than governments or multinational organisations making the most vital strides toward a cleaner world, increasingly, it’s the agility and capability of SMEs that are providing the most effective vehicles for change.

SMEs often have an advantage over larger corporations or multinational bodies when it comes to breaking new ground. More idealistic leaders are hands-on, less affected by red tape and, often, more willing to take a chance on something new. Their ability to embrace new ideas, adopt new technologies and take risks can pave the way for effectively combating plastic pollution.

Of course, it helps that many are also set up with the sole purpose of driving sustainability, rather than adding sustainability into their existing operations.

Our research sought to better understand how start-ups working to remove and recycle used plastic from the world’s oceans made best use of technologies to make an impact, in an effort to share this best practice with others.

Despite the difficulties that exist in simply recycling plastic waste (currently 9% is recycled globally), if sorted and graded successfully, much of it can have a second life – or third or fourth – reducing or even removing the need for producing new plastic.

This consistent process of reusing, recycling and reducing use forms part of what’s known as circular economy – it offers the best hope for reducing the need for new plastic production. It’s here our research identified that SMEs have the opportunity to make the biggest impact.

A technical advantage

Through interviews with circular economy-based SMEs operating within plastic recycling (Plastic Bank, Waste2Wear, Benthos Buttons in collaboration with Fishy Filaments, and Filamentive), our research identified and defined the capabilities and resources they displayed in a successful circular economy setting.

From utilising new and emerging technologies such as 3D printing to produce innovative new products from recycled materials, to harnessing blockchain in order to gain a competitive advantage from circular economy-based business models, SMEs are proving that there’s a way to make profit, satisfy customers and save the planet.

Crucially, we observed that SMEs utilising circular economy initiatives to great success held qualities such as adaptability and a desire for exploration at their heart.

Firms need to be able to swiftly understand, embrace and exploit the capabilities of these technologies – a difficult skill for a CEO to harness, especially with a large, multinational brand to protect and multiple stakeholders to satisfy. But for managers seeking to switch to circular economy-based business model, it’s a necessary learning curve to master.

Working to identify the skills and knowledge gaps within their teams – and within themselves – to be able to utilise new technologies effectively, and seeking further training is vital. Our interviews showed that the technologies are difficult to implement unless adequate attention is paid to supporting staff capability and demonstrating the technologies’ value to them.

It also involves significant investment. Such technologies don’t come cheap, after all. The good news is that we’ve seen from multiple other research projects that these efforts pay off in the long run. Companies can indeed profit from investing in technology and sustainability.

The bad news is that, sooner or later, both these new technologies and a credible focus to contributing to wider sustainability efforts will go from being a ‘nice to have’ to a mandatory requirement for all organisations – large or small. Those who don’t make the effort now to put their best foot forward will, undoubtedly, be left behind.

And if that’s not enough motivation for managers, consider also that the very world is at stake.