Shawn Welch, VP and general manager of Hi-Cone Worldwide — a supplier of multipackaging systems and advocate of sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging alternatives —talks about the post-pandemic circular economy for plastics, data from Hi-Cone’s 2021 “State of Plastic Recycling” report and consumer recycling trends in the beverage packaging industry.

Collaboration is Vital For a Sustainable Future

In this episode we are joined by Shawn Welch, VP and general manager of Hi-Cone Worldwide — a supplier of multipackaging systems and advocate of sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging alternatives — to talk about the circular economy for plastics, data from Hi-Cone’s 2021 “State of Plastic Recycling” Report, and consumer recycling trends in the beverage packaging industry.

“Once COVID hit, it seemed to be a stop to the elimination of what is known as troubled substances and more about collaboration all around — what's healthy, what's convenient and what serves the purpose. We saw an increase in the single use plastic use for medical reasons, of course, for sanitary reasons — consumers like to make sure that they can wipe down their products and dispose of them properly.

“And there was not a lot of reuse. Of course, there's a lot of waste that comes with that. We've seen the increase in the waste streams and it just really emphasizes and highlights the need to have a really robust, simple, inclusive way to recycle products at the end of its life,” says Welch.