Sustainable Business

Radar 2/7 waste plastic would first have to be dry cleaned to remove any residual material and be separated out according to polymer type before entering the reprocessing stream. Dow was also confident that the performance of the new polymer mix would be comparable to current solutions. "First signs are that [the marine waste plastic] has very little impact on material quality, it certainly can be reprocessed and we hope the tonnages will be huge," he revealed. Dow added that at the bottles' end of use, the complex polymer mix would be able to be broken down again and recycled. In terms of collecting the marine waste material, both Ecover and Closed Loop Recycling are working in tandem with the Waste Free Oceans initiative which aims to reduce floating debris on Europe's coastlines. To begin with, Malmberg confirmed that the North Sea would be trawled for material, but added this might widen to Belgian and French waters depending on volumes generated. Boats will be kitted to collect between two and eight tonnes of waste per trawl for cleaning and recycling. Dow said the initiative carried a fantastic consumer message in light of estimates that 10% of the world's plastic waste finds its way into the sea. "These sort of initiatives from major brands are crucial in getting that sustainability message to consumers. Ecover is taking such a futuristic view on packaging, showing commitment to designing on-shelf product with recycling in mind." Business continuity Prepare for CSR 'mega-trends' call Companies must not only build greater transparency into their sustainable business models, but develop an explicit social purpose if they are to prosper in the future, new research has revealed. Four 'mega-trends' have been identified that businesses need to embrace or risk facing reputational collapse "within minutes" – these trends reflect rising The report warns of "reputational collapse" concerns over resource scarcity, operational transparency, social values and the ideology of emerging world economies in countries such as India and China. The study by CSR consultancy Corporate Citizenship has mapped out what organisations need to do to future-proof their businesses over the next 10 to 20 years in light of rising population growth, new digital platforms, shifting global power and declining trust in corporations. If these 'mega-trends' were to accelerate and become mainstream, this could have serious repercussions for businesses unless they start preparing for such scenarios, it argues. In terms of resource scarcity, companies

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