In 2018, China had had enough. It accounted for half of the world's plastic exports and, tired of being the "planet's dumping ground," banned them from entering. The EU, which exported three million tons to China, was forced to get its act together, and organizations that had been fighting for a waste-free society for years saw how the Chinese ban accelerated the implementation of circular economy policies. Finally, Europe was learning that the way to be resilient is through self-sufficiency.
Seven years later, that learning is more vivid than ever. The shift of European democracies toward the far right, the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and the announcement of Trump's protectionist policies lead us toward an uncertain future. But they also compel Europe to assume even greater leadership in sustainability, and doing so requires implementing zero-waste policies and regulations. That is, where products released onto the market do not become waste, but rather a valuable resource to be preserved and continue to circulate within the system. A zero-waste society is more resilient because it depends less on external resources and, in the face of a crisis, minimizes economic and environmental impacts.
Imagine a society where advertising for ultra-high-end brands is prohibited. fast fashion, just as tobacco products were banned. A society in which supermarkets sell products in bulk, and those that aren't are served in containers that, once cleaned, are returned so the same retailers can reuse them. A society in which, when we need something temporarily, like a drill or a tent, we can borrow it just like we do books when we go to the library. A society in which everyday products, like menstrual products, containers, or baby bottles, are free of toxins.
The road to get there is long, but we will get there. This week, more than 500 people from here, across Europe, and the United Nations gathered in Barcelona to share knowledge and experiences related to waste prevention. Representatives of public administrations, businesses, and civil society organizations found in the second edition of the Residu Zero Festival the nerve center for collaborative work to advance and consolidate a waste- and toxic-free production and consumption model. We discussed the challenges in the textile industry, legal and standardization proposals to ensure that everyday products are free of toxic loads, and packaging reuse systems.
The most exciting panel at the Festival was the one on the future implementation in Spain of the Deposit, Return, and Refund System (DRRS), present in several European countries, where recovery rates of 90% are achieved. It consists of leaving a monetary deposit when purchasing, for example, a soft drink, which is recovered when the container is returned. I say "more morbidly" because, for the first time, Rezero sat down publicly with Ecoembes to discuss a SDDR (Recycling and Recycling Reduction System), which will soon become a reality. SDDR is forced upon us by the fact that Spain has not met the packaging recovery targets set by Europe. Although it comes late, it is a collective success for environmental organizations that have spent years countering Ecoembes' rhetoric with data and demonstrations of alternatives that facilitate the efficient reuse and recycling of beverage containers. With the implementation of the SDDR (Recycling and Recycling Reduction System), our municipalities will no longer assume a responsibility and an economic cost that did not correspond to them: that of managing packaging that increases year after year and has an increasingly complex composition. Now, according to the principle of extended responsibility, manufacturers will have to set up their own recovery system and assume the cost of managing their products when they become waste. However, the SDDR will be limited to single-use packaging and exclude reusables, such as glass. The big question is: why? We don't have the answer. What we do know is that without prevention, there will be no future.
