What changed in the industry
On 16 September 1987, one of the most successful environmental agreements in history was adopted in Montreal: the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This international treaty established a coordinated response between governments, industry and the scientific community to progressively eliminate the production and consumption of chemicals responsible for the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer — the thin layer of gas located between 15 and 35 kilometres above the Earth's surface that protects the planet from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Today, the Montreal Protocol has universal participation, with all 198 United Nations Member States involved. Almost 99% of ozone-depleting substances — including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride and methyl bromide — have been phased out, and the Earth's protective ozone layer is on a path to recovery.
Implementation of the Protocol was coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which became an implementing agency of the treaty's Multilateral Fund in 1991. In Portugal, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) is the competent authority responsible for implementing legislation relating to ozone layer protection.
What the Montreal Protocol teaches us about industry
Almost four decades later, the legacy of the Montreal Protocol goes beyond the recovery of the ozone layer. It offers three structural lessons for any industry facing environmental and regulatory challenges:
Regulation → Innovation
When certain technologies are no longer considered acceptable for environmental reasons, industry is forced to find alternatives. This regulatory pressure, rather than being simply a cost, can act as a driver of innovation. As happened with foams, the phase-out of CFCs/HCFCs accelerated the development of more efficient blowing agents with a lower climate impact.
Knowledge → Decision-making
The Protocol illustrates how science identifies the problem (ozone layer depletion), regulation establishes the framework (phase-out targets), and industry transforms that framework into concrete solutions. Companies capable of anticipating regulatory and environmental changes are better prepared for future markets.
The Montreal Protocol established clear and predictable deadlines, allowing industry to plan investments and technological transitions in advance. This regulatory clarity reduced uncertainty and created the conditions for sustained innovation.
What does the plastics industry have to do with protecting the ozone layer?
The plastics industry currently faces a set of challenges that, although different from the ozone layer issue, follow the same underlying logic: what responsibility does an industry have when transforming materials into millions of everyday products?
The answer does not lie in simplifications such as "plastic destroys the environment". It lies in more structured questions:
Materials
- Material selection
- Recyclability
- Raw material sourcing
Production
- Energy efficiency
- Process optimisation
- Waste reduction
Product
- Durability
- Reusability
- Design for long-term use
Life cycle
- Recyclability
- End-of-life responsibility
These questions are not only environmental. They are also economic and competitive. Markets and consumers are increasingly attentive to these factors, and the ability to respond in a structured way is becoming a strategic differentiator.
At Kozziplast, this vision translates into concrete decisions about how we develop and manufacture our products.
- Production in Portugal: all production takes place in Portugal, allowing us to maintain direct control over manufacturing processes and quality.
- 48 years of experience in the plastics industry: since 1978, we have been developing and manufacturing household products using plastic injection moulding processes.
- Transition to electric machines: 85% of our hydraulic machines have been replaced by electric machines, contributing to more efficient, autonomous and precise production.
- Renewable energy: our production combines our own solar energy with energy from renewable sources, with around 50% energy autonomy through photovoltaic generation.
- Water management: we use a closed-loop water system and reuse rainwater for non-essential activities, reducing water resource consumption.
- ISO 9001 certification: our quality management process is certified according to ISO 9001, ensuring controlled and consistent processes.
- UN Global Compact: since 2024, Kozziplast has participated in the United Nations Global Compact, aligning its strategy with the Ten Principles and with 6 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identified as priorities through 2030.
For Kozziplast, sustainability also begins at the product design stage: creating products with a long service life rather than products designed to be quickly replaced.
This approach values durability and functional design, helping to reduce unnecessary replacements and extend the use of the resources incorporated into each product.
Sources
UNEP OzonAction:
https://www.unep.org/ozonaction/who-we-are
APA — Montreal Protocol (SDGs):
https://apambiente.pt/ar-e-ruido/protocolo-de-montreal-ods
Montreal Protocol Treaty — UN Treaty Collection:
https://treaties.un.org/pages/viewdetails.aspx?src=treaty&mtdsg_no=xxvii-2-a&chapter=27&clang=_en
Ozone Secretariat — Montreal Protocol:
https://ozone.unep.org/treaties/montreal-protocol
