GPRC
GLOBAL PLASTIC RECYCLING COUNCIL
GPRC is a scheme owner that sets guideline to, certify plastic recyclable products. The primary objective of the council is to build the utilization of reused plastic. Apart from doing this GPRC is also increasing awareness of recycling plastic.
WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR GPRC
All plastics are non-biodegradable and thus builds-up in the
environment, where it can cause harm. For example, approximately
8 million tons of waste plastic enter the Earth's oceans every
year, causing damage to the aquatic ecosystem and forming large
soil and water body garbage patches.
Pre-consumer recycled plastics are materials that were rejected before they
were ready for consumer usage. Manufacturing discards are being
reintroduced into the manufacturing process through
pre-consumer.
Plastic that was used to make an item and
then discarded, gathered, cleaned, and recycled is known as
post-consumer. Post-consumer plastic products close the loop by
diverting spent plastic away from landfills and toward recycling
facilities.
Stakeholder engagement
With the input of recyclers, suppliers, and brands and retailers globally the GPRS is managed.
Certification on Plastic Recycled Products
Chain of Custody
KEY POINTS
Plastic Recycles Awareness, Economic Impact
Responsible Production
Verifying Recycled Material
Key Points
Certification on Plastic Recycled Products
Plastic Recycles Awareness, Economic Impact
Chain of Custody
Responsible Production
Stakeholder engagement
With the input of recyclers, suppliers, and brands and retailers globally the GPRS is managed.
Verifying Recycled Material
OBJECTIVES
Assuring the reduction the production of virgin Plastic
Assuring the reduction of Plastic pollution in soil & water bodies.
Guarantee of Tracing Recycled Plastic materials.
Ensuring Recycled Plastic use in whole supply chain from collectors to end user.
Give brands and consumers a medium to help them make well informed decisions based on CoC.
Global plastic recycling history
How plastic recycling began
Plastic recycling has been promoted since the early 1970s, but it did not have a substantial influence on plastic waste until the late 1980s due to severe economic and technical hurdles. The Council for Solid Waste Solutions was founded in 1988 by the United States Society of Plastics Industry as a trade organization to promote the idea of plastic recycling to the general public. The organization persuaded American communities to start or expand plastic garbage collection systems, as well as lobbying states to require recycling symbols on plastic containers and products. In 1988, they introduced resin identification codes, which established a consistent system for identifying diverse polymer kinds at materials recovery plants, where plastic sorting was still mostly done by hand.
Global Plastic Recycling Trade
Increasing globalization in the 1990s permitted rich economies to export plastic garbage to developing and middle-income countries, where it could be processed and recycled more cheaply. This was part of a burgeoning worldwide garbage trade, with yearly plastic waste trade quickly increasing from 1993 onwards.
Problems
Effects on
Environment
Plastic waste is one of the major sources of chemical pollution. They include substances that can be chemically transmitted to organisms when consumed. Some of these compounds can accumulate in the body and are potentially harmful. Plastic bags also have an impact on crop growth by interfering with the photosynthesis process in agricultural fields.
Effects on
Animals
Animals are imprisoned in nets or large debris as a direct result of plastic pollution. It is a major cause of death for marine mammals, turtles, and birds. Ingestion is a second direct effect that affects the entire marine ecosystem's food chain.
Effects on
Human Beings
Plastics have the potential to be hazardous to human health due to the chemical additives employed in their manufacture. Exposure to hazardous chemicals released by plastic can result in cancer, birth deformities, weakened immune, and other health issues.
Effects on Atmosphere
Every year, plastic production emits billions of kilograms of CO2 into the environment. This contributes to climate change, which is the Reef's greatest vulnerability. Plastic pollution also carries disease long distances across the ocean, causing coral sickness where it lands.
Excess new Plastic Production
Without recycling the pre and post consumption plastic materials industries tend to make more new plastic materials in order to gain more profit. But eventually this is increasing the overall plastic wastage which is not recycled properly.