Do you are feeling a little bit misplaced when other folks consult with sure environmental sustainability subjects and aren’t positive the place to begin with regards to finding out extra? Sustainability 101 is a weblog sequence that you’ll flip to for details about other environmental phrases that can arise at paintings, right through discussions with pals, or even at your annual vacation amassing.

This weblog was once written through Nicole Kenney, Program Supervisor, Sustainable Packaging, and Drew Phan, Packaging Engineer.

As a part of trendy lifestyles, many of the merchandise we purchase are available in plastic packaging. Whilst you purchase one thing with plastic packaging, you’re almost definitely no longer conscious about what form of plastic it’s. There may be recycled plastic, which is when recycled bits of plastic are reprocessed into plastic merchandise. And there could also be virgin plastic, sometimes called virgin plastic polymers, which in line with a 2022 file, method “newly manufactured resin comprised of petrochemical or biomass feedstock used because the uncooked subject material for the manufacture of plastic merchandise and which hasn’t ever been used or processed earlier than.”

Necessarily, virgin plastics are made of up to now unused fabrics, because of this they may be able to take a larger toll at the surroundings.

Because the Nineteen Fifties, plastic has overrun the packaging trade through offering affordable and lightweight coverage for merchandise. Plastic packaging is extensively to be had within the type of standard foams, luggage, and clamshell trays. Over the a long time, this has resulted in an international building up of plastic air pollution, since those fabrics aren’t all the time controlled as it should be at finish of use. Even if plastics are present in all main municipal cast waste classes, in america the packing containers and packaging class had probably the most plastic tonnage at over 14.5 million heaps in 2018 by myself (EPA Supply #1). This is similar to the burden of over 300,000 grey whales. The sheer quantity of waste has resulted in rising consciousness across the have an effect on of packaging and greater buyer call for for sustainable possible choices.

On the similar time, a product has little to no price if it arrives broken. Cisco’s Packaging Engineering department thinks holistically with regards to designing Cisco’s packaging with sustainability in thoughts. We’re rethinking product packaging and are sourcing choice fabrics to plastic. Our technique comprises getting rid of plastic luggage in our packaging anyplace conceivable.  For example, we’ve got got rid of plastic packaging from our energy cords, leading to a discount of over 10 million luggage every year. Paintings is underway to use the similar efforts throughout further element classes.

Design for Recyclability

The place we can not utterly take away plastic packaging, we should make a choice possible choices with a smaller environmental footprint.  This implies choosing recyclable fabrics which are simply separated and extensively authorized in curbside recycling streams. As soon as those fabrics are recovered, they may be able to be damaged down and re-processed into the feedstock for the following spherical of packaging.

For example, our plastic thermoform cushions are manufactured from the similar high-density polyethylene subject material as milk jugs and may also be authorized in the similar plastic curbside recycling move.* Consistent with the U.S. Environmental Coverage Company (EPA), HDPE (Top Density Polyethylene) is likely one of the maximum continuously recycled plastics in america (EPA supply #1).

In terms of plastic luggage in our accent kits, efforts are underway to make use of fiber-based paper envelopes and corrugated sleeves which are recyclable. Paper is lately the most productive choice as a result of it’s the maximum recycled subject material in america (EPA supply #2).

Select Recycled Fabrics

Recycled fabrics are other from recyclable fabrics in that recycled packaging has a share of subject material inputs that experience already been damaged down and reprocessed after use. By means of incorporating extra recycled content material into our packaging, we preserve treasured assets and scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions in comparison to production virgin fabrics. Opting for recycled fabrics additionally promotes recycling through expanding the call for for recycled fabrics.

We’re focusing our power on recyclable and recycled plastics as a result of, sadly, biodegradable and compostable plastics aren’t neatly suited to be used within the electronics trade.

Biodegradable and bio-based are phrases used loosely to explain plastics constructed from plant assets. The most important worry for those fabrics is that it isn’t all the time transparent how lengthy it’s going to take for those plastics to damage down. Since they’re regularly no longer qualified compostable, they may be able to probably leech toxins into the soil. (SPC supply #3)

In the case of compostable packaging, the U.S. Federal Industry Fee (FTC) Inexperienced Guides provide an explanation for that this packaging should be qualified with “competent and dependable clinical proof that every one fabrics within the product or package deal will damage down into — or change into a part of — usable compost safely and in about the similar time because the fabrics with which it’s composted” (FTC supply #4). That is excellent for natural waste like meals scraps, grass clippings and backyard waste. However lately, the shorter shelf lifetime of compostable packaging makes it higher suited to meals packaging than the electronics trade.

A round technique

 We’re evolving to a extra round style during which we scale back the assets we eat and the waste we generate. With this method, we attempt to prioritize fabrics with recycled content material; design merchandise for useful resource potency; and facilitate restore, remanufacturing, and recycling to increase product lifestyles. That’s why we’ve got a objective for 100% of recent Cisco merchandise and packaging to include Round Design Rules through fiscal 12 months 2025.** The usage of recycled fabrics is an instance of certainly one of our ideas.

By means of pursuing our objective to include Round Design Rules, we will be able to use much less virgin subject material, and eat much less subject material total. Lowering our packaging carbon footprint will pressure development in opposition to Cisco’s packaging objectives (Supply #5).

As we take the essential steps to embed Round Design Rules into our packaging portfolio, it is very important keep in mind that each selection has tradeoffs — there is not any one-size suits all resolution. Reaching circularity is an iterative procedure — what’s perfect for these days might not be what’s perfect for the next day. But when we stay agile and attempt for good fortune, we will be able to proceed to transport in a good course in opposition to a round financial system.

Observe our Packaging Engineering workforce’s adventure as we proceed to conform our round packaging portfolio (Supply #6).

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* Take a look at your native municipality for more information.

** In fiscal 12 months 2022, we had performed a cushy release of a brand new scoring software that evaluates circularity in merchandise and packaging. We used the cushy release to judge 13% of recent merchandise and packaging, and located that 33% of them effectively met our round design standards. That is similar to 4% of overall new merchandise and packaging launched in fiscal 12 months 2022 assembly round design standards. In early fiscal 2023, the scoring software was once officially introduced throughout all trade devices, and we predict the universe of recent merchandise and packaging evaluated to extend in fiscal 2023.

SOURCES:

1. Plastics: Subject matter-Particular Knowledge | US EPA
2. Paper and Paperboard: Subject matter-Particular Knowledge | US EPA
3. Public_SPC-Place-Statement_Biodegradable-Packaging.pdf (sustainablepackaging.org)
4. Environmental Claims: Abstract of the Inexperienced Guides | Federal Industry Fee (ftc.gov)
5. Environmental Targets – Cisco ESG Hub
6. Cisco Sustainable Packaging – Cisco

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