Carl Freer

Carl Freer - Carl J Freer - Carl Johan Freer

The Age of Plastic has dawned since a long time and we are all the more alert and aware of its presence and contribution in our lives and our very initiatives for development. One of the greatest invention of the modern times, plastic has gained huge popularity over time due to high flexibility and lightweightedness. Not only can plastic be incorporated in various aspects of the manufacturing industry like cars, clothes and mobile phones, but it can be made to offer a diverse kind of jobs.

Despite its durability and high potential, its indestructibility has rendered it an ‘environmentally harmful’ status. The fact that it is non-biodegradable has resulted in plastic becoming one of the most dominant threats to the natural environment. Carl Freer, a prominent philanthropist entrepreneur of the current century, expresses his concern regarding the matter and he highlights three initiatives that can tackle the problem effectively. The solutions are every bit creative, practical and significant to handle the problem without any loopholes.

The Rotterdam Plastic Road Project

Netherland’s Rotterdam City Council has come up with an initiative that has given a new direction to the concept of plastic recycling. They have decided on project that aims to make roads out of recycled plastic. If the endeavour turns out to be successful, they would be termed as the first country in the world to pave their roads with plastic!

According to The Guardian, the concept of roads paved with plastic can have a great positive impact on the environment as well as on the socio-economic conditions. Such roads will require less maintenance and they would be capable of bearing higher temperatures than those of roads paved with asphalt. Thus, carbon emissions that are a constant hazard in case of asphalt productions, can be minimized up to several degrees. According to the views of the city council, the Plastic Road development is seeing a steady growth and people are very positive about the developments. Since Rotterdam always takes great interest and shows enthusiasm in innovative ideas and concepts. They also have street labs where such innovations can be tested.

230 million recycled bottles within 2016 — An initiative by P&G
Carl Freer had mentioned in his earlier blog titled ‘For the sake of our forests: sustainable palm oil policies and zero deforestation pledges’ about how US giant Procter and Gamble has found their activities under the radar since it has been found out that their palm oil activities were causing serious damage to the trees and encouraging deforestation. Naturally, such a giant magnet, that is a household name today, being the owner of several products and labels, has turned to safer and more environmentally beneficial projects and practices.

On the 23rd of July, P&G declared that a bulk of their fabric care products would be packed and bottles in almost 50% recycled plastic. P&G is a member of the plant PET Technology Collaborative whose main concern is to focus on the R&D of certain renewable plastic polymers which have been sourced from plant-based materials.

Plan A 2020 of Marks and Spencer

Bioplastics, which is in use for quite some time now, is deemed as the safest plastics as they are sourced from plant sources. The reason behind the development of such plastics is their easy biodegradable nature. Therefore they are not like the regular plastics which undergo the phenomenon of photo degradation, resulting small bits and pieces of plastics mingling in the ocean waters and clogging the surface.

A notable event in this regard is the 10th European Bioplastics Conference which would be held in Berlin this year. The conference is held to celebrate the achievements of bioplastics in the world, along the last decade. The preliminary programme focuses on highlighting the UK retailer Marks & Spencer who will bring about the third phase of the sustainability programme, that is Plan A 2020 at the very event.

The event will comprise of as many as 100 commitments for reducing the environmental impact of M&S footprints, where bioplastics have a key role.

Though these are major three project that deserves mention, Carl Freer has been constantly research such new and environmentally beneficial projects that can make a difference in the industrial arena and make earth a better place to survive in. Mr. Freer also vehemently advocates the lesser and lesser use of plastic water bottles, ziplock bags, and takeaway contains and expresses serious concerns regarding the irrational disposal of these environmentally harmful products.