Earth Overload Day

Did you know that our planet has a kind of “annual budget of natural resources” available to meet the needs of everyone who inhabit it now? And that exceeding this budget means taking more from the Earth than it is capable of replacing, putting the planet in the “red”?

The bill does not close, and those who pay for it are future generations, who will have to deal with this deficit of resources.

Seeking to make the population aware of this problem and awaken action for its solution, Earth Overload Day was created, the date that marks the exact day of the year when we exceed the planet’s environmental limits, accounting for both the consumption of resources such as water and wood, as well as the emission of greenhouse gases.

Each year earlier

For different reasons, the demand for natural resources varies every year, but, with the current way of living and the growth of the population, the trend is that this day will arrive even earlier each year.

This alarming trend is evident when we look at the dates: in 2018, the planet went into the red on August 1. In 2019, we had the worst mark recorded so far: July 29. The calculation has been done since the 1960s, but it was in 1970 that the planet was found to be in debt for environmental resources for the first time. That year, the Day of Overload was December 30.

In 2020, delayed by the reduction of economic activities caused by the pandemic, the overload happened on August 22, but already in 2021 it equaled its worst record, July 29.

With the pandemic easing restrictive measures and the economy in full swing this year, Overload Day came earlier than ever before:

July 28, 2022.

How is the calculation done?

To determine the exact date of the overload, a calculation is made that takes annual data, so it varies.

The calculation, made by Global Footprint Network, divides the planet’s biocapacity by humanity’s carbon footprint and multiplies the result by the number of days in the year.

Biocapacity is the amount of resources the Earth can generate in a year, the ‘budget’ that we referred to at the beginning of the text. While the carbon footprint is the measurement of consumption of all kinds of natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions, in this case, of all humanity.

Taking current data into consideration, we would need 1.6 planet Earths to meet the demands of our lifestyle without “owing” natural resources to future generations. As we only have 1, it is our lifestyle and our consumption (and disposal) habits that will determine whether this account closes in the red or in the “green”.

Valgroup’s Purpose and Initiatives

Valgroup was founded as a plastic waste recycler, so sustainability is in our DNA.

Our purpose is to improve quality of life through the development of sustainable packaging solutions, optimizing resources and supporting the circular economy for plastics. Today we are the largest recycler in Latin America and one of the largest in the world.

By 2040, we are committed to being NET ZERO, neutralizing carbon emissions and recycling 100% of the equivalent volume we produce, effectively contributing to the circular economy by removing plastic waste from the environment.

To this end, we continually invest in expanding our recycling capacity and in the promotion of the circular economy. In 2022, we acquired a new Erema recycling line, currently the largest in the world, and a new PET bottle recycling operation, located in Poços de Caldas, Minas Minas Gerais.

Learn more about Valgroup’s environmental commitments and initiatives on our website and follow us on social networks for more content like this.

www.valgroupco.com/sustentabilidade/