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. Looping was selected as one of 5 suppliers that qualified to find new solutions to reduce waste from packaging. The criteria in the competition were degree of innovation, cost efficiency, flexibility, feasibility, area of ​​use and expected environmental effects. Out of a total of five incredibly qualified participants, Looping won the competition.

With support from Handelens Miljøfond, Looping launched in 2021 an innovative product replacing single-use plastic packaging in the wood industry. Durable, reusable covers will replace the disposable packaging on elements and prefabricated products used today. Entra, Løvenskiold Handel, Ramirent and Bergene Holm are some of the participants who want to cut plastic in their own value chain. Through woodcover, Looping is set to help clients reduce 150 tons of single-use plastic. The cover is today in use at Bergene Holm's factory by Larvik, Norway.

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. We find it worrisome that circular economy barely is mentioned throughout the 1196 pages of the report, an economic system that can reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 63% by 2050 using low-carbon strategies and resource efficiency. However, circular economy is mentioned in connection with food waste and waste, but it is at least a gross underestimation of what this economic system entails in terms of opportunities for Norwegian industry and business. According to figures from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the EU alone can save 600 billion USD annually after 2025 if industrial companies are able to restructure their linear business models into circular ones. Additionally, a change of that scope could create more than two million new jobs.