In Europe, takeaway food generates +20,000 tons of waste per year. Bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics are emerging in our daily lives as alternatives to conventional plastics, but they are just a patch that still generates thousands of waste. On average, each European generates almost 180 kg of packaging waste per year. Although recycling rates have increased in the EU, the amount of waste generated is growing faster than recycling operations: packaging waste increased by more than 20% over the last 10 years in the EU and is forecast to soar by another 19% until 2030, if no action is taken.
In 2020, industrial engineer Oriol Segarra, decided to create a project to reduce packaging waste and its impact and founded Bumerang, a circular economy company that uses technology, psychology and systems thinking to eliminate single use plastic in takeaway food and drinks through innovation in reuse systems.
In this talk, Oriol will talk about the importance of circular economy, designing products and processes that do not generate waste, and the opportunities in this field. He will also share the story of his startup, the challenges they faced along the way and his personal learnings as a founder.
