On today’s World Population Day, our planet is home to 7.7 billion people.
Earth’s population has exploded in the last 30 years alone. It passed the five billion mark on 11 July 1987, reached six billion in 1999, and the seven billionth inhabitant of the planet was born in 2011. In order to raise awareness of the challenges arising from this trend, in 1989 the UN declared 11 July World Population Day.
Providing for a population that is expected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 could well involve overcoming social, environmental and economic challenges.
From yoghurt pots and foam mattresses to aircraft seats, blood collection tubes and window profiles: as the world’s population grows, and with it the number of consumers, our products will play a part in the daily lives of more and more people around the globe in the future. As a global company with extensive operations, we at Greiner need to live up to our responsibilities by ensuring that these products are environmentally friendly and support the sustainable development of our planet. And this is absolutely imperative.
Every year, Earth Overshoot Day – the day on which people consume more natural resources than the Earth can regenerate in that year – is falling earlier and earlier.
When the date was first calculated in 1970, it occurred on 29 December, but in 2019, from an ecological perspective, society will already be living beyond its means on 29 July. The ambitious targets set out in our first sustainability report are an initial step in countering this development. Greiner aims to create a sustainable future for everyone, and we want to inspire others to move in the same direction.
What about you? When is your personal Earth Overshoot Day? To find out, visit https://www.footprintcalculator.org/.
