How to be #Plastsmart

Climate action

Nov 29

Who: Bergen Chamber of Commerce & Industry

What: Reduce plastic waste

Where: Bergen

Project period: 2020-2022

Web: Bergen Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The #Plastsmart Partner concept is a network of businesses, educational, official and governmental organizations and institutions in Bergen cooperating in circular and more sensible and smart use of plastic.

Our goal: 

Avoid unnecessary use of plastic.
Prevent plastic waste from getting lost and entering our eco systems.
Create a system to improve waste handling and increase the use of recycled plastics in general production.

Plastic is strong and lasting, light weight and hygienic. This has caused an explosive growth in worldwide production and use.  But vast amounts of plastic trash go astray - on land and eventually in the world oceans. It harms wildlife overall and eventually breaks into micro and nano plastic. Having enough knowledge about the origins of plastic trash and how it effects our ecosystem is important to make a real change. This is why #Plastsmart played a crucial role in the establishing of the North Atlantic Microplastic Centre.

A lot of the plastic we now produce is completely unnecessary and produced for one-time use and can not be recycled nor used again. This is part of the global overconsumption of the world’s resources. We must succeed in creating new, circular loops where products gets reused, redesigned and recycled to a greater extent.

Through #Plastsmart partners, we are committed to taking responsibility together to create new systems using less plastic. By gathering knowledge, competence and resources we will be able to scale up our solutions. We collaborate with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences to innovate new business models for plastic loops. #Plastsmart has also established a project group for circular economy.

To put in effect changes that are useful, it is vital that official authorities and governmental offices participate. #Plastsmart has challenged local and regional authorities to create strategies for handling of plastic. We have also launched multiple plastic-cleanup events together with important stakeholders to increase attention about the problem, and spread the message about the #Plastsmart-method through conferences, speeches and media. 

Grieg Foundation is a #Plastsmart partner. The initiative is administered by Bergen Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Bergen, Norway.