Paper Manufacturing Exemplifies The Definition Of Circularity BY KATHI ROWZIE In today’s industrial marketplace, the concept of a circu- lar economy is finally inching beyond theoretical ideals
Designing Systems (CONT’D FROM PAGE 28)
Finished Good Storage Finished goods may be stacked on the floor, on racks, or in an automated storage and retrieval system. Unless virtually all your product is direct-loaded, provision for ad- equate finished goods storage is essential. Determine the space requirements based on volume and length of time that material is stored, and how units are stored. Avoiding handling damage is essential, but so is the ability to locate and retrieve it. Much time may be eaten up searching for and retrieving buried and/or lost material, which can also delay truck departures. Further- more, if not located in time, a second delivery may be re- quired, or material may end up being scrapped. Richard Etra is a 47-year veteran of the corrugated indus- try with experience in all aspects of box plant operations.
to real-world applications that will make our planet healthier and more sustainable. But becoming truly cir- cular doesn’t come easy or cheap. It’s a challenge that requires intent, investment and innovation. The pa- per industry figured this out decades ago, and it has been at the leading
Kathi Rowzie
edge of circularity ever since. In fact, paper manufacturing exemplifies the very defi- nition of circularity – industrial processes and economic
activities that are 1) restorative or regener- ative by design, 2) enable resources used to maintain their highest value for as long as possible, and 3) aim to eliminate waste through the superior design of materials, products and systems. Most alternatives don’t even come close. Take plastics, for example. Plastic packaging is made from a va- riety of plastic resins. These include poly- ethylene terephthalate (PET) soft drink and water bottles, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) milk and water jugs, film prod- ucts (including bags and sacks) made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and other containers and packaging (including clam- shells, trays, caps, lids, egg cartons, loose fill, produce baskets, coatings and closures) made up of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), poly- styrene (PS), polypropylene (PP) and other resins (U.S. Environmental Protection Agen- cy). All of these resins are derived from non-renewable fossil fuels, namely natural gas, feedstocks derived from natural gas processing, and feedstocks derived from crude oil refining (U.S. Energy Information Administration). Single-use plastics also are incredibly energy-intensive to produce. In fact, plastic production accounts for more than three percent of total U.S. energy consumption and generates large amounts of carbon pol- lution (U.S. Department of Energy). Plastics are a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. solid waste stream and, critical to any discussion of circularity, very little of it gets recycled (U.S. EPA). Drawing on the most recent EPA data available and last CONTINUED ON PAGE 32
30 July 25, 2022
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