BMO - Plastics – take, make and dispose
Sacha El Khoury, Portfolio Manager in the BMO Global Equities team discusses how society takes, makes and disposes plastics and the impact on the environment.
Key takeaways:
- If we carry on as we are, it’s estimated that we’ll need 3 planets to support the way we live. That’s a stark warning that the dominant linear model of ‘take-make-dispose’ is deeply unsustainable.
- Plastic pollution is one of the clearest examples of the issues associated with the linear model – the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ is three times the size of France.
- We need to make a change and transition to a circular economy that’s sustainable over the long-term. As investors we have a big role to play and with people and governments pushing for change, we believe that sustainability and performance potential go hand in hand.
- Companies like Smurfit Kappa and Packaging Corp provide sustainable alternatives to plastic packaging. And along the way we’ll use our position as an asset manager to drive positive change through engagement.
Risk warnings
Views and opinions have been arrived at by BMO Global Asset Management and should not be considered to be a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any companies that may be mentioned.
The information, opinions, estimates or forecasts contained in this document were obtained from sources reasonably believed to be reliable and are subject to change at any time.
BMO Global Asset Management’s voting, engagement and public policy work is conducted independently of the wider BMO Financial Group. Positions taken by BMO Global Asset Management may not be representative of the views of the BMO Financial Group as a whole or of the other lines of business.
Author
Sacha El KhouryDirector, Portfolio Manager, Global Equities
BMO Global Asset Management
November 2021
Please note that these are the views of Sacha El Khoury of BMO Global Asset Management and should not be interpreted as the views of RL360.