www.futurenviro.es | Marzo-Abril March-April 2021 50 Gestión y Tratamiento de Residuos | Waste Management & Treatment generado impactos en el medio ambiente? Desde nuestro punto de vista, la misma prudencia y exigencia que se tienen con los vehículos, se debiese tener con los envases y otros productos. Existen cursos, certificaciones, sellos y eco-etiquetas basadas en guías teóricas o creados e impartidos por entidades que son juez y parte, mostrando una imagen sesgada de la realidad. Como ya hemos comentado, esto está llevando a algunas empresas a tomar medidas enormemente costosas y, en ocasiones erróneas, desde el punto de vista de la reciclabilidad real. Esta situación está llevando a empresas envasadoras a tener que “creer ciegamente” lo que el proveedor de envase le dice, sin tener un análisis crítico que le permita discernir entre lo real, la “oportunista venta” o el desconocimiento del flujo real del residuo de envase por parte del proveedor. ¿Si para demostrar las propiedades de un envase es necesario constatarlas mediante ensayos, por qué la reciclabilidad del envase no lo es? En ocasiones, nos encontramos fabricantes que creen que un envase es reciclable sólo porque el material que lo compone lo sea y esto es un gravísimo error que puede tener consecuencias nefastas para la sostenibilidad real. Conseguir estos valores implica pensar concienzudamente todos los elementos del envase y su desempeño durante los procesos de reciclado. No hay que olvidar que la reciclabilidad de un envase no es la suma de la reciclabilidad de sus componentes, sino que es producto de la interacción de estos componentes en el proceso de reciclado. No pretendemos generar desconfianza ni poner en entre dicho a nadie, pero hasta que haya una legislación clara que asegure que los envases puestos en el mercado son realmente reciclables, es necesario un conocimiento exhaustivo que sólo se puede adquirir cuando conoces los procesos aplicados en gran profundidad y en cada caso concreto y así poder tomar las decisiones adecuadas. Las empresas que han optado por evaluar y certificar la reciclabilidad de sus envases a través del Sello de Reciclabilidad, nos valoran muy positivamente, destacando el conocimiento que han adquirido sobre la reciclabilidad real y los hasta entonces desconocido procesos de reciclado de sus envases. Gracias a ello pueden tomar mejores decisiones en el diseño de sus futuras soluciones de envasado. Cuando una empresa decide que le certifiquemos la reciclabilidad de un envase obtiene un conocimiento, pero es importante transmitirlo a todos los agentes implicados en la toma It would be unforgivably imprudent to proclaim the recyclability rate of packaging or to offer a certificate of recyclability without actually testing the packaging throughout the collection, sorting and recycling process. Would we do the same with a motor vehicle? Would we allow a car to be driven solely on the basis of the data provided by the manufacturer? Is it not necessary for a car to undergo and pass physical Ministry of Transports tests to enable it to be driven on public roads? Why are we more permissive with packaging? Does unrecyclable packaging not represent an intolerable waste of materials whose extraction and handling have generated impacts on the environment? From our point of view, the same prudence and demands we exercise in the case of vehicles should also be applied to packaging and other products. There are courses, certifications, seals and eco-labels based on theoretical guides, or that are created and awarded by entities that proclaim themselves to be judge and jury, and many of these give a distorted image of reality. As we have already mentioned, this is leading some companies to take enormously costly and sometimes erroneous measures from the point of view of real recyclability. This situation is leading packaging companies to a position where they are forced “to blindly believe” what the packaging supplier tells them, without the benefit of a critical analysis that allows them to distinguish between what is real, what is an “opportunistic sale” or the supplier’s lack of real knowledge of the packaging waste stream. If it is necessary to prove the properties of packaging by testing it, why is it not necessary to prove its recyclability? At times, we meet manufacturers who believe that packaging is recyclable because the material of which it is made is recyclable, a very serious mistake that can have dire consequences for real sustainability. Achieving high recyclability means thinking carefully about all the elements of the packaging and its performance during the recycling process. It should not be forgotten that the recyclability of a piece of packaging is not the sum of the recyclability of its components, but rather the product of the interaction of these components in the recycling process. It is not our intention to create mistrust or to put anyone on the spot but until there is clear legislation to ensure that the packaging placed on the market is truly recyclable, comprehensive knowledge is needed and such knowledge can only be acquired when the processes applied are understood in great depth and for each specific case. Only then is it possible to make the right decisions. The companies that have chosen to evaluate and certify the recyclability of their packaging through the Recyclability Label value us very positively. They highlight the knowledge they have acquired about the real recyclability of their packaging and the recycling processes it undergoes, which they were previously unaware of. As a result, they are in a position to make better decisions in the design of future packaging solutions. When a company entrusts us with certifying the recyclability of a packaging, that company gains in knowledge, but it is important to pass this knowledge on to all stakeholders involved in packaging decision-making, and even to companies that might be considered as competitors. Our belief is that, on the road to real recyclability, there are no competitors, only allies. As organisations that fight against greenwashing and are concerned about the real situation, we have developed a course entitled CKRRP, Knowledge of Real Recyclability of Packaging.
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