A new factory processes chip bags or salad containers into oil, which is then used to make new plastic. And there are more plans for chemical recycling in the Netherlands. But this is merely a drop in the ocean according to Circular Plastics expert Willemijn Peeters. “The amount of waste these petrochemical companies process is infinitesimal compared to their virgin plastic production,” says Willemijn Peeters, founder of Searious Business, a Dutch organization that helps prevent plastic pollution.

What happens to a dishwasher’s plastic components at the end of the appliance’s life? How can we recover these valuable materials and give them a new purpose? As part of its continuing goal to create sustainable, value-added customer solutions, Evonik has set out to find answers to these important questions. Searious Business helped them find solutions to this recycling challenge.

Plastic pollution is having a colossal impact on our oceanic ecosystems. Small Island Developing States (SIDS), in particular, experience a deluge of plastic waste either washing up on their beaches or from plastic they generate themselves. These vulnerable economies, primarily dependent on tourism and fishing, can be devastated by pollution. Since 2019, Searious Business has been working with the IUCN on their "Close the Plastic Tap" Program to mitigate plastic pollution on six Caribbean and Pacific islands. Several options and methodologies were shown to work well—but a holistic approach is needed—hence this Blueprint to guide the way.