Single-use plastics and discovering the true value of things | Emmanuel Auberger | TEDxHECParis

Recycling gets a lot of hype, but does it really work? Packaging expert Emmanuel Auberger explores why recycling hasn't led to less pollution and how reduce and reuse may be the best way to combat waste. Emmanuel, formerly the CEO of Verallia, wants to revolutionize consumer shopping habits and bring back returnable packaging. Having studied at HEC Paris between 1991 and 1994, Emmanuel has had a successful career of over twenty years with the likes of Renault and Saint-Gobain. He is an expert on packaging and has extensively studied the dangers of plastic contamination in food. An avid traveler, ten years into his career, Emmanuel took a year-long sabbatical to backpack around the world for nine months with his wife.

Outraged by the environmental impact of single-use and over-packaging, Emmanuel started experimenting with ways to reduce his family's waste with the support of his children. His eco-consciousness led him to this journey to bring back the milkman’s bottle!

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

The problem of single-use plastic

has reached the headlines
everywhere in the world in 2018.

We have all seen these campaigns
and images from WWF.

We have all experienced
open-air landfills of plastic.

Plastic packaging poses
environmental issues and health concerns

that need to be addressed.

NGOs part of Break Free From Plastic
have identified who to blame.

These corporations pass on the blame.

They claim to have always
supported recycling

and that lack of education
is the problem.

I think we are all to blame
for our single-use plastic addiction.

Brands are offering what consumers want:

more convenience, cheaper prices,

no bother of future consequences.

Pushed by all this sudden attention,

the plastic industry is coming up
with its alternative.

First, let's recycle more.

Do you think that your plastic package
that you put in the right bin

will be recycled?

I'm so sorry to tell you that,
unlike glass, metals, or paper,

just 5% of plastic has a second life,

that is to say, is recycled
to make another usable material,

and even a smaller percentage
to actually remake a plastic package

in a closed loop.

The reason?

Plastic is not easy to recycle,

and it is not economically viable,

because plastic is very cheap.

The only package that has some potential
to become another bottle

is this type of transparent PET.

Today, they claim it can contain
50% recycled material,

and they target 100% by 2025.

Okay?

Great.

But what took so long
for this industry to start moving?

And who will pay
the extra cost of the bottle?

The plastic industry is also coming up
with another great idea:

Let's make plastic
bio-sourced and compostable.

They're offering
this type of dish and cup.

When you read the small
print of this dish,

you find out it's 94% cellulose

and 6% mysterious plastic components.

This cup is made of a plastic
called PLA, out of corn starch.

You think, "Great idea.

I can throw away my packaging
with the rest of my biowaste."

Watch out.

This is only viable
for industrial compost.

It will not decompose
in your garden compost or in the landfill.

"Well," you think,

"at least this package,
put in the right bin,

will be recycled or composted."

Watch out.

PLA contaminates
the plastic recycling system,

and recyclers absolutely do not want
to see it among other types of plastic.

Okay, at least this plastic
is not made of fossil fuel.

Watch out again.

Many environmental organizations
consider this as worse.

If we need agricultural
resources for packaging,

this is only going
to accelerate deforestation.

So you get the point.

This is not such a good idea
at this time, and for containers.

Maybe in the future.

And for bags and films,
compostable plastic is a viable option.

Whatever the current limits,
all innovations are welcome.

Waste management
refers to the three "Rs":

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Because plastic is a powerful industry,

and recycling a booming
business opportunity,

a lot of private and public money
is put into developing recycling.

The two other "Rs" of waste management,

Reduce and Reuse,

attract far less attention and money.

So let's explore reduce.

There are many great
initiatives to talk about.

I just selected three for tonight.

The city of Capannori, in Tuscany,
pioneered 20 years ago

a large education program
for its citizens to reduce their waste,

with amazing results:

38% less waste in just 10 years

and recycling over 80% of it.

Inspired by this success,

hundreds of cities
in the world are following.

Another good example of reduce:

Biocoop, the largest
bio food chain in France,

decided in 2016
to stop selling bottled water

because it is, and I quote,
"an ecological aberration."

They rightly consider that in France,
water from the tap is safe enough

or easy to filter.

Biocoop pushes further
and very recently announced

that they will open the first
zero-waste supermarket in Paris.

Some activists are even ready to fight.

They launch "plastic attacks,"

leaving all unnecessary packaging
in the supermarkets,

raising awareness among shoppers,

and pushing stores
and suppliers towards reduce.

Reduce is by definition almost free,
so do your own little plastic attacks.

Choose the least packaged products.

Buy big capacities,

non-single-serve units
of yogurt, for instance.

Choose the slightly damaged box of pasta
that most consumers won't take.

Our obsession with zero defects
and single-serve

also has a huge environmental impact.

Now, Reuse,

a real step towards a circular economy.

When I talk about reusable packaging,
mainly returnable glass bottles,

everybody remembers using them
and how great it was,

from the elders who remember the milkman

to the travelers who have seen countries

that still reuse glass bottles
on a big scale.

Also, new initiatives are on their way -

supermarkets with plastic-free aisles:

Loop, the first online supermarket
with exclusively returnable packaging.

And yes, it's a start,

only in a few places,

and we have to be careful;

packaging reuse only makes sense
in a local circular economy scheme.

But even with imperfections
at the beginning,

we need to support these innovations.

Very recently, the city
of Berkeley in California -

another nice campus -

voted a ban on all disposable
food and beverage containers.

Very clearly, this is the end
of the disposable cup,

replaced by a glass
and a stainless-steel straw.

Your Big Mac will come
on a reusable plate.

And yes, even McDonald's spoke
in support of the Berkeley initiative.

During this eight-minute talk,

over eight million bottles of plastic
have been used in the world.

85% of them will not be collected
and will take 400 years to disappear.

We must put the right balance
between the three Rs.

Recycling of plastic
has clear limitations.

Reduce and reuse are
far more promising solutions.

Governments need to regulate plastic.

The WWF has recently published
a series of recommendations,

in particular, that plastic prices
must include the real cost

for the society to manage its end of life.

And this true price of plastic
is very important

if we want other options to emerge.

As consumers,

we all need to be ready
to trade off some convenience and price

for our health and our environment.

Are you ready?

(Cheering)

Thank you.

(Applause)