NextWave Plastics, a consortium of multinational technology and consumer brands who are taking measurable strides to keep plastic in the economy and out of the ocean, has added three new members to its ranks.
The three - international consumer technology company Logitech and leading ocean-bound plastic suppliers Prevented Ocean Plastic and #tide ocean material - have become the latest to join the initiative. Members of the consortium, who include such companies as HP and Ikea, aim to demonstrate the commercial viability and advantages of integrating ocean-bound plastic into their supply chains,
NextWave Plastics was established almost five years ago and has since been joined by a growing number of member companies across a range of industries who are collaborating to reach their shared goal of diverting a minimum of 25,000 metric tons of plastic from entering the ocean by the end of 2025.
In 2021 alone, NextWave member companies collectively prevented 959 metric tons of plastic, equivalent to more than 100 million plastic water bottles, from entering the ocean and gave it new life in over 337 premium products ranging from packaging trays to debit cards.
For Logitech, the aims of the consortium fit well with the company’s own commitments.
“Plastic debris constitutes one of the most serious threats to ocean health,” said Prakash Arunkundrum, global head of operations and sustainability at Logitech. “At Logitech, we are committed to continuing to expand our efforts to eliminate single-use plastic and we are increasingly using post-consumer recycled plastic as our preferred material at scale as we design for sustainability across our portfolio.”
In addition to its pledge to avoid single-use plastic packaging whenever possible, Logitech was the first consumer electronics company to make the commitment to provide detailed carbon impact labelling on product packaging across their entire portfolio, with its first carbon labeled products hitting shelves in April 2021.They have open-sourced the methodology, measurement process, and even the label itself for others in the industry to use so that consumers can make informed purchase decisions.
In order to be able to meet its 2025 targets, NextWave Plastics has worked to develop the first global network of ocean-bound plastic suppliers. Today that network spans 21 countries and 25 suppliers offering members a variety of ocean-bound plastics including material sourced from abandoned fishing gear and packaging. With the addition of Prevented Ocean Plastic and #tide ocean material this global network has been further expanded towards greater traceability and more holistic community sustainability.
“There is talk that at least €160bn will need to be invested in making Europe’s plastics systems more circular and carbon-neutral by 2050 if long-term environmental commitments are to be met. In truth we can’t wait for governments and big corporations to take action when there is so much that can be done today,” said Raffi Schieir, Director of Prevented Ocean Plastic. “By collecting and preventing ocean plastic there is a huge opportunity for ocean bound plastic to build infrastructure, create jobs on at-risk coastlines and drive up the value of plastic.”
Tide Ocean SA is a Swiss company with offshoots in Southeast Asia that has developed upcycling methods for marine plastics with the Swiss Institute for Materials Engineering and Plastics Processing. Its upcycled ocean-bound plastic material ranges from filament used for 3D printing, granules for electronic products to yarn suitable for apparel, bags, shoes, home & office interiors. #tide ocean material is certified ocean-bound plastic and fully traceable using block-chain tracking technology. Every shipment comes with a digital material passport, providing in-depth data about provenance, volumes, quality, processing steps and journey of the material.