Circular Economy
Overview
Only few beverage containers are collected post-consumption. How can we grow the recovery rate of plastic bottles, liquid cartons, cans and others? Can we recover 70 -90% of used beverage packaging by 2025? It is a task set by Drink Without Waste, an alliance of participants across the beverage value chain, resources management and NGOs. We recently met our first milestone: Government’s consultation on the Producer Responsibility Scheme for beverage packaging.
Learnings
- Drink Without Waste history, operations, milestones and our 4Rs
- Effectiveness of cross-party collaboration in influencing policy change
- You don’t have to agree on everything – the process matters
- Next step: Asking everyone else to join Drink Without Waste
Post Event Actions
- Self-assess your organization for contributing to Drink without Waste
- Improve your ESG performance by acting on the 4Rs: Reduce, Redesign, Recover, Recycle
- Explore the potential of working with waste reduction experts
Speakers
Paul Zimmerman
Chair
Drink Without Waste
Paul Zimmerman
Chair
Drink Without Waste
Paul Zimmerman is a Hong Kong environmentalist, politician and businessman. He is chairing the Single-Use Beverage Packaging Working Group, an alliance of some 50 stakeholders – from manufacturers to green groups – formed to reduce waste from beverage consumption. Its “Drink Without Waste” initiative seeks to recover 70%-90% of PET and liquid carton containers by 2025.
My Sustainability Goals for 2022:
- Agreement on a Producer Responsibility Scheme for beverage containers in Hong Kong
- Promote a circular economy where used packaging has a market value that incentivises recovery and re-use
- Grow the network of water and drink dispensers in support of people bringing their own bottle