Change and Scale

“We need ideas, we need innovation, we need investment!” It’s the constant call when conversations turn to mitigating the impacts of pollution and climate change. We look at a world where the problems are big and ever increasing. As much as the solutions may be to innovate new ways of operating, the major challenges remain the ability to scale ideas in a way that remains profitable.

An additional challenge is the speed at which commercial activity is evolving and the impact this is having. Take the issue of plastic production and pollution, for example.

One of the driving forces behind the Global Plastics Treaty was to reach a consensus on reducing the volumes of virgin plastic produced. This is needed in order to reduce the pressure on the environment and enable recycling to have more of an impact. (Because, let’s be honest, as much as recycling efforts scale, they simply can’t keep up.) The fossil fuel lobbyists said: NO! The talks went nowhere. No agreement, no workable outcomes, so what now?

The change that was needed – a reduction in plastic production – is not going to happen anytime soon. What’s the alternative? No doubt there will be renewed efforts at turning off the tap. In the meantime, recycling has no choice but to try scale, and fast.

Can AI make a difference?

If there’s one thing that AI technologies are known for, it’s speed and scale. When applied to mechanical sorting in MRF’s they’ve shown an impressive impact. Black plastics that were previously difficult to identify and sort through other types of imaging, are now effectively identified using AI. Speeding up processes through monitoring has enabled small efficiency gains that all add up.

Some believe that the only way to create an advantage is to use technology to speed up processes and make them more efficient. AI use cases could play a role in that. Then again, some of the best solutions are the simplest. Changing how companies and communities view resources can also accelerate solutions.

Redefining value

This realisation comes from a different perspective – recycling rates have plateaued because many people believe it’s not worth the effort to sort and separate materials. Investing in ways to make communities believe that it is, in fact, worthwhile has a major part to play in scaling recyclables.

One of the most important shifts in the industry is changing the rhetoric from waste management to resource management. It’s not just a sector that cleans up the mess, it’s a growing business sector that offers solutions for businesses to help make them more sustainable (economically and environmentally).

As the sector grows, we’ve seen it in the demand for sales and business development hires. These are key players in changing how people view and deal with waste materials. In delivering solutions, they’re building the resource sector and helping to accelerate impact.

These efforts are very much needed, because if the failed plastics treaty talks have shown us anything, legislation is not going to get companies to deal differently with materials. However, a strong business case for better use of materials might.

As the resource sector invests in technology to speed up and improve processes, it’s sales and business development professionals quietly presenting solutions to companies that’ll help scale recycling efforts.  Their skilled engagement and problem-solving capabilities play a vital role in getting businesses realise that there’s a more effective way to operate. A collective, collaborative effort between people and technology might just be able to achieve what global treaties can’t – changing how we view and use resources. Then scaling in recycling and resource management becomes the economic driver.