POLYPROBLEM report: The Circularity Code

CONCLUSION UNCERTAINTY WITH A SILVER LINING Digital solutions aimed at consumers essentially take two different approaches. One is to inform and raise awareness, while the other aims at enabling participation and using and strengthening the power of consumer demand. The difference between the two is fundamental. Encouraging consumers to handle packaging correctly contributes to higher rates of recycling. The apps that involve consumers in influencing the supply side, namely waste prevention, are at the top of the waste hierarchy. On the other hand, both dimensions currently lack any known cross-solution evaluation that can provide information about actual impact. What exactly does one million pieces of scanned plastic packaging mean in terms of actually recycled reusable materials, and can this information be used to measure any long-term rethinking among consumers? We also need to critically examine the practice of using in-kind rewards, as it may inadvertently increase consumption as an undesirable side effect. While it seems indisputable that empowered consumers will have an essential role to play in a future circular society, any informed decision-making no longer seems conceivable in any area of life without digital infrastructure. ReplacePlastic Objective: Communicate consumer demand for plastic-free and reusable product packaging design & increase producer responsibility Function: ─ Providing information on proper waste separation ─ when scanning product barcodes ─ Passing on requests for plastic-free and reusable packaging alternatives ─ Collectively transmitting requests to manufacturers Country: Year: Number of users: Target group: Germany 2018 50.000 individuals Type and quantity of material: 2 million scanned packages Cooperation partners/sponsors: Deutsche Postcode Lotterie Scrapp Objective: Ensuring clean material flows through proper disposal of packaging Function: ─ Providing information on the proper disposal of packaging when scanning product codes Country: Year: Number of users: Target group: UK, USA 2021 400M individuals Type and quantity of material: 34 million scanned packages Cooperation partners/sponsors: Microsoft, Packaging Europe, British Airways, University of New Hampshire, The Economist 23

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