Summary
Plastic is arguably one of the world's greatest inventions. Its' qualities allow it to be used in everything from food packaging to clothes and cars. But discarded plastic clogs up our rivers and oceans threatening marine life creating a consumer backlash. So what can the industry do to restore its reputation and how? Evan Davis and guests discuss.
GUESTS
Lubna Edwards, Global Sustainability Director, Klockner Pentaplast
Roger Baynham, Managing Director, Philip Tyler Polymers and Chair of the Recycling Group, British Plastics Federation
Adrian Griffiths, CEO and Founder, Recycling Technologies.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, I'm Evan Davis and this is the bottom line from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:08.9 | And in this edition, we're discussing plastics, why they're ubiquitous in modern life, |
| 0:14.6 | and what needs to be done to lessen their environmental impact. |
| 0:18.2 | Few products have shaped the modern world more than plastics. It's incredible how |
| 0:22.2 | they've worked their way into so many areas of life, having only existed in the most |
| 0:26.5 | rudimentary form at the beginning of the 20th century. Now they are a source of enormous concern. |
| 0:32.8 | The amount of plastic finding its way into the marine environment has created a public backlash against plastic. |
| 0:39.2 | So today we'll look at why it is so ubiquitous and how we can deal with the problem it creates. |
| 0:45.3 | Sometimes plastic's strengths are also the source of its weaknesses. |
| 0:49.7 | I have three guests who work in or with or around plastics and who'll give us some of the broader context on their use and abuse. |
| 0:57.0 | So let's briefly meet them now. |
| 0:59.2 | Lubner Edwards is Global Sustainability Director at Klockner, Pentoplast. |
| 1:04.2 | Formerly, Lyn Pack, what does the company do? |
| 1:07.2 | Hi, Evan. |
| 1:07.9 | So we are a manufacturer of plastic packaging for food and also for farmer and medical devices. |
| 1:17.2 | Right, and it was called Linpack. You were taken over by the Germans. When did all that happen? |
| 1:23.1 | It happened last summer. |
| 1:24.9 | How big is the company? |
| 1:26.2 | So Clotner Pentoplast, KP for short, is a global |
| 1:29.5 | organisation. We've got 32 plants operating in 18 countries, 6,400 employees. Yeah, we're quite a large |
| 1:37.4 | organisation. In the UK, we have three sites, a couple of offices, and we employ 600 employees. |
| 1:45.2 | Okay. |
... |
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