Plastic waste is going to increase at a tremendous rate in the upcoming several years. But the common people have started recognizing this as a real threat and have started taking actions against it.

This material has its own advantages, but it comes with several disadvantages as well. Plastic isn’t biodegradable, so it stays in the ecosystem for several years, damaging the earth. It relies on oil for its yield, so it also has a negative impact on carbon discharge and the increase in plastic production in last few decades means that we are literally surrounded by this material.

1. Acknowledging the challenges – Recycling isn’t as easy as it seems. Most food packaging, one of the biggest sources of plastics, cannot be reused by the food sector and as it puts danger to the customers. And plastics also degrade with each recycle and it also can’t be replaced with paper and glass.

2. Look for solutions – There are several ways through which recycling can be increased, usage of bioplastic can be encouraged; changes in plastic composition could be made to make it more biodegradable, and taxes, subsidies and incentives could all be important. Different plans and solutions could be made for different countries. Organizations and clients need to be more open minded: as technology evolves, more solutions will be made.

People have started looking for more domestic products. Businesses are also looking to gain trust and focus more on sustainability issues. Startups can take advantage of this opportunity and come up with solutions as it will gain them more customers.

 Reduce prices and waste

Sustainability can also be used to cut prices in long run. Most sustainability related issues like lower carbon discharge, renewable energy, eco-friendly products; waste management – require resources in the short run. But the operational risks due to non-sustainable resources – and the social license to operate due to the awareness in clients and focus on sustainable development – the cost doesn’t seem huge in the long run.

Startups need to take advantage of this aspect, but it cannot be an afterthought rather they should design their whole business around sustainable development. The only way to be effective is if they’ll integrate the whole idea of sustainable development and understand its core values.