The elephant in the room is running free – the consumption. Norwegian plastic consumption has tripled since 1958, and in the last 20 years alone, plastic consumption has increased by 50%. Put in perspective: According to Folkeopplysningen, we now use 100,000 tons of plastic a year, where as much as 80,000 tons end up being burned. Had we burned all the plastic we consumed in the year 2000, this would have been equivalent to 66,000 tons. In other words: If we had managed to keep plastic consumption at the level we had in 2000, we could have burned 14,000 tons less plastic – completely without waste sorting.

In September 2020, Bærum municipality challenged the market to find new solutions to reduce waste from packaging in the construction industry in a planning and design competition.

With support from Handelens Miljøfond, Looping launches an innovative product replacing single use plastic packaging in the wood industry. Durable recycled plastic will replace the disposable packaging on elements and prefabricated products. Entra, Løvenskiold Handel, Ramirent and Bergene Holm are some of the participants who want to cut plastic in their own value chain.

Klimakur is an opportunity to stimulate sustainable change but should also address the specific solutions that can make it profitable for companies to invest in circular solutions.