Why Recycled Plastics Deserve a Seat at the Sustainability Table

Bucket Mate is made from a minimum of 70% recycled plastic.

I’ve noticed that many sustainable retail spaces focus heavily on “plastic-free” products, and I completely understand why. Reducing unnecessary plastic, especially single-use items, has been hugely important in shifting consumer behaviour and awareness.

But from a systems and materials perspective, I think this framing can sometimes be too narrow.

Some products actually perform worse without plastics (i.e., higher carbon footprints, heavier transport, reduce durability, or limited usability). And importantly, treating ALL plastics as bad can unintentionally undermine one of the most critical levers we have which is creating demand for recycled materials.

Recycled plastics aren’t the problem. They’re part of the solution to the plastic waste we’ve already created. Without viable end markets, recycling infrastructure can’t scale, and circularity stalls.

This isn’t about dismissing plastic-free efforts. To me, symbolic actions like plastic-free swaps are an important starting point, but not the end goal. The real goal is system-level sustainability which requires fit-for-purpose, lowest system impact and circular outcomes…even when that material happens to be plastic.