Virgin raw material is anything extracted directly from nature without processing

Examples of virgin raw materials are timber, coal, natural gas, and metal ores. Using recycled material, instead of taking more products from nature, is often cheaper, better for the environment and uses less energy.

The world is using many more virgin materials than it can replenish. It is recycling only a small percentage of raw materials used in the economy or in societies. More than 90% of the products we extract from the planet goes to waste.

Packaging materials are one of the main users of raw virgin materials. Packaging pollutes the air and soil, and makes up about half of marine litter.

What is a post-consumer material?

Once a virgin material is used, it can often be recycled. All beverage cans and other aluminium containers are recyclable. The same goes for glass containers. After a virgin material’s first use, the product is known as a post-consumer material. Re-using these materials to make other products, instead of using more virgin raw materials made from natural resources, helps reduce pollution, conserve finite resources and save energy.

The popular economic model of take-make-use is not sustainable. We are extracting virgin raw materials at a pace that is too fast, and we are already having problems extracting some critical raw materials. At the same time, the amount of waste keeps growing. Global waste generation is expected to increase by 70% by 2050

The solution is to make a fundamental shift in the way we think, behave and consume. Recycling will not be enough.

The circular economy is one of the best solutions. In a circular economy, we eliminate the over-extraction of raw materials by using secondary raw materials, which are salvaged from an existing product. Products are designed so that at the end of their lives, they are upgraded, repaired or put back into the manufacturing process. These new products need to be more durable and resilient.

What is the sharing economy?

The sharing economy is based on the idea of owning less and sharing more. Consumers share, rent or swap products and services, instead of buying something from large companies.