Packaging Solutions
Today, 18 March, marks Global Recycling Day 2020, and to support the initiative, Pro Carton, the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard manufacturers, is introducing a new superhero to get young people interested and involved in recycling.
As part of a consumer awareness campaign to highlight the eco friendly benefits of paper based carton packaging, Ricki Recycle is the first of five characters, known as the Carton Campaigners, to be fully introduced to the public and help children to understand the virtues of being environmentally friendly.
Global Recycling Day is dedicated to encouraging consumers around the world to recognise and celebrate the importance recycling plays in preserving precious primary resources and securing a healthier future for the planet. And the Global Recycling Foundation decided this year’s theme would be #RecyclingHeroes.
Recycling is a central part of the collective move towards a circular economy – each year the ‘Seventh’ Resource’ (recyclables) save over 700 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, which is projected to increase to one billion tonnes by 2030. With 85% of paper and cartonboard packaging in Europe being recycled, the story of how Ricki Recycle came to be is now available in video format to show the world that increasing our recycling rates is an important and viable solution to the climate emergency.
Tony Hitchin, general manager of Pro Carton, said: ‘Greta Thunberg has inspired a generation and the time is right to introduce Ricki Recycle! Pro Carton is proud to support the Global Recycling Foundation, and bring the importance of recycling and preserving our planet to the forefront of people’s minds. Whether it is businesses striving to be more sustainable, respected voices like David Attenborough or relentless campaigners like our own Ricki Recycle, we must celebrate the heroes that help raise the profile of recycling.’
Ricki Recycle is one of five heroes that make up Pro Carton’s Carton Campaigners. The organisation believes that for a circular economy to be achievable, the widely known 3Rs of Recycling – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – must be updated to include ‘Renew’ – use renewable resources - and ‘Replace’ – replace non-sustainable materials with cartonboard and other environmentally friendly options. To help Pro Carton in its mission to spread the word, The Carton Campaigners were created to give each crucial action its very own superhero. Together, the famous five represent a clear set of guidelines in which brands and consumers can take responsibility for their consumption habits and reduce the levels of packaging going to landfill.
