Legacy is a wonderful word. It is deep, evocative and long-lasting. And it acquires a far greater meaning and purpose when it stays sincerely focused on today while responsibly marches towards tomorrow. Take for example the organisation I work with. Our legacy perfectly captures our shared history and our future in India. While we celebrate our global organisation's 100th birthday (and it is 85 years since our Indian business was first formed), we are all set to march forward as we change our name (to Huhtamaki India Limited). But we have neither forgotten our Indian heritage nor Nordic heritage, and we look forward to a bright future here in India.
Challenges
Today, humanity faces many common challenges. By 2050 the world's population will surpass nine billion, with an estimated 1.6 billion in India. To feed everyone food production will need to increase by 70 percent. By 2030, 40 percent of Indians will live in urban environments resulting in increased demand for packaged food. But as we know, the food ecosystem already has a significant impact on the world around us with 25 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions coming from food systems and one-third of food produced lost or wasted. If food loss and waste was a country it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions. Simply put this is where well-designed packaging can help for example by preserving food in an edible condition for longer. It is why we are committed to protecting food, people and the planet. We ensure that our packaging enables food availability everywhere and allows food to be transported both affordably and at low carbon emissions.
Food safety
And we should not forget that food safety remains a key concern, indeed microbial contamination of food products is still the main cause of foodborne illnesses. Nearly 600 million people globally fall sick and 420,000 die each year because of foodborne diseases. That results in the loss of 33 million healthy life years. Our packaging can improve food safety by alleviating bacterial contamination. But, just as with all innovations, there are challenges to be dealt with. Each year over eight million tonnes of plastic packaging escapes into the oceans and recycling rates across the globe remain pitifully low. And there is the paradox. On the one hand society wants to see fewer materials used, less packaging waste and less litter. On the other hand, it wants safer products, less food waste and a longer shelf life.
More smart and sustainable
I would argue that this discussion is a distraction. The debate shouldn't be about more or less packaging. It should be about how we make packaging smarter and more sustainable; packaging that considers the environmental, social and governance aspects of sustainability. As an organization, we support the UN Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals and have an ambitious 2030 sustainability agenda. For example, within 10 years we will be carbon neutral in our production, using 100 percent renewable electricity across our global operations. In India, we have already made a good start, installing solar PV systems in a number of our sites e.g. Daman, Guwahati and Silvassa. In addition to sustainability, innovation is at the heart of our 2030 strategy and we have committed to having 100 percent of our products designed to be recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2030. Again, in India we are making good progress through our Blueloop innovation platform.
Working together
But we recognise that no-one can address the challenges of sustainability alone. Business, policymakers and consumers must work together to shape a sustainable future. To achieve this, we believe we must build a shared and common understanding of sustainable development that considers the environmental, social and economic balance. It is this shared understanding that will underpin fact-based conversations that drive evidence-led decision-making and avoid unintended and damaging consequences.
We are already collaborating with others to improve resource efficiency and address the gaps in the circular economy, for example around recycling systems. We are working with our customers through schemes which collect used plastic packaging for recycling or conversion to electricity, which itself acts as an enabler for business activity and creates jobs, improving well-being across India.
Being grateful
We have also gone further. Just weeks ago, as part of its centenary commitments, the Huhtamaki Group donated INR 52 million to fund a project that aims to stop the flow of plastic into the Indian Ocean from the Mithi River in Mumbai. The Mithi River Project is a global partnership between the United Nations Technology Innovation Labs (UNTIL), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, RiverRecycle and Earth5R. The project uses emerging technologies to collect plastic waste and seeks ways to valorize it by turning it into valuable fuels, chemicals, bio energy and fertilisers.
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