Think Plastic Brazil spoke with Susanna Bjorklund, speaker at the World Plastic Connection Summit addressing the topic of Design and Innovations – Towards a More Sustainable World. Check out the chat below.
What would be the key words in trends for the processed plastics market in 2023/2024?
Sustainability is the most important thing for any market! It is not a trend but a crucial ingredient in any design.
We should put an effort to have the whole lifecycle of a product crystal clear in our mind, and to create new ways of offering products, reusing, renting, upcycling, recycling, joining forces with unexpected companies from different fields. Offering services is the future. Being transparent and educating consumers is crucial. Less but better. Not forgetting design and aesthetics, as nobody wants to purchase ugly products.
In 2022 you were in Brazil presenting market trends. Which ones were co-proved and which ones do you believe were not accepted?
Data shows that consumers are year by year paying more attention towards sustainability and are more willing to choose a sustainable option if there are desirable choices and the price range is ok.
But all this is happening slower than many people might have thought. The world we live in is complex and systemic.
We have faced really challenging past years and they are not over, with the consequences of Ukrainian war still going on. The energy crisis and inflation, rising interests have left people with less money to spend and to make green choices.
Less but better is still in the core. This means educating and encouraging both companies and consumers to shift into a different mindset. Encouraging rather than blaming might work better.
However I am still optimistic. We can make a change, a lot of innovations and encouraging phenomena take place all the time. They just have to be communicated better.
How do colors influence trends in processed plastics around the world – are studies like Color Trend important for industries?
Colors of course influence the market everywhere. Markets are different and it is good to remember that tastes change slower than trends. Industries follow color trends, some more, some less. I personally think, that colors might be on the way becoming murkier, when you think recycled plastics for instance, colors change when they blend. A lot of companies are also experimenting with plant based dyes, there the shades are generally not so bright either.
