Torrent Group is lending its support to the Plastics Europe #ChangingPlasticsforGood campaign which aims to make people more aware of the benefits to be found in increasing our use of plastic.
At Torrent, we are aware of the advantages of using plastic and we believe that its invention and development marks an enormous step forward for humanity. We are also aware that everything currently related to the use of polymers and expanded polystyrene is often mistakenly associated with industrial production practises that are irresponsible for and harmful to our planet.
That is why we have joined the #ChangingPlasticsforGoodcampaign, an initiative launched by the Plastics Europe association, and supported in Spain by its subsidiary organization, ANAIP (Spanish Industrial Plastics Association), of which we are a member.
#ChangingPlasticsforGood, a Plastics Europe campaign for sustainable production
As stated, #ChangingPlasticsforGood is a Plastics Europe campaign whose objective, based on a strategy of communicating the values, principles and advantages of plastic, is to counteract the negative image that has gained precedence in today’s society about the material.
This campaign works across and uses all the links that are part of plastic’s industrial chain, such as producers of packaging and containers as well as any other industry that includes the use of polymers in its production processes, as is the case with Torrent Group: we are plastic stoppers producers.
In this sense, many of our non-refillable stoppers are made with some type of plastic (bioplastic, compostable or biodegradable plastic), within the framework of our commitment towards sustainable industrial production. At Torrent, the sustainability of our production is a priority, to the point of being internationalised in the Company Mission and validated by our international certifications in ISO 9001 (Quality Management) and 14001 (Environmental Management), which attest to our way of carrying out production.
Torrent supports #ChangingPlasticsforGood because we are convinced that the use of plastic is not the problem, although we do agree that there should be regulations for its use. Just like our colleagues at ANAIP and Plastics Europe, we believe this material contains a large range of benefits and that true progress can be made by increasing people’s awareness about a proper channelling of waste for plastic.
The circular economy concept has never been better applied: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.
Some facts about plastic in Spain
The economic and social importance of plastic is patently obvious through an analysis of the statistics. Here are some figures, just for a grasp of the importance of the topic we are discussing.
- The plastic industry in Spain alone (without counting companies that use it exclusively for some production lines, like Torrent) currently waste for generates 31 million Euros.
- That is 21% of the entire national manufacturing industry, and represents 2.7% of Spanish GDP!
- This involves over 3000 companies throughout Spain. It represents over 10,000 direct jobs (or 250,000 indirect jobs).
But it is also highly relevant from an ecological point of view, and this is usually something that goes unnoticed due to a lack of or poor information provided to the consumer . We must take into account that only between 4 and 6% of the consumption of oil and gas in Europe is used for plastic production.
This can be contrasted with the marvellous role played by the material in regards to improving the quality of our lives. It is impossible to think of the world today without plastic: we find it in packaging, clothing, buildings, cars, agriculture, mobile phones, not to mention high-performance medical equipment. We support the #ChangingPlasticsforGood initiative.
For a greater and better use of plastics
Thanks to plastic, today we can preserve food better and generate less waste (due to the ability to re-use this material), In addition, it contributes to our health and safety through its use in these contexts. It is clear that its use must continue, always through compliance with relevant laws and regulations at a national, European and international level and the responsible use of the material.
At Torrent Group we renew our commitment to the use of plastic as a material that is indispensable for the manufacture of our non-refillable stoppers. The quality of this material is linked to the quality of our products, which is why we support the sustainable production and consumption of plastic and are joining the #ChangingPlasticsforGood campaign.