Plastic is one of the most ubiquitous materials in the world, so commonplace in fact that you might not even understand how many of the objects you use on a daily basis are made of or contain plastics. Single-use cups, plates, cutlery, and water bottles are the most obvious examples, but plastic can also be found in clothes, means of transport, buildings, appliances, furniture pieces, the essential gadgets you need every day, such as your computer, smartphone, and TV, as well as countless other objects and features that can be found both inside your home and in public spaces.
The discovery and introduction of plastic have helped a great deal, especially when it comes to hygiene. Surgical equipment, aseptic medical packaging, blister packs for pills, drips, cleaner drinking water supplies, plastic insulation, sealants, and a range of other building products are all possible because of plastics. But there are some drawbacks as well, the most important of which is that it takes plastic literally forever to break down (much more than even the longest human lifespans), and when it does, it becomes microplastics, incredibly small elements that end up inside your body and lead to inflammation and chronic disease.
Plastic use
Sustainability has steadily become more important for people from all over the world who are becoming aware of the necessity for change in order to ensure that a clean and eco-friendly future is possible. However, banishing plastics altogether and not allowing them to be used ever again isn’t something that appears possible in the current system. The healthcare sector would not only become unable to carry out its regular operations and tasks, but standard procedures would also become very unsafe for the patients.
The communications and marketing sectors would be badly impacted as well, and your local supermarket’s supply chain would be in disarray. Since most food retailers are optimised to sell packaged produce, they would require very serious overhauling. Perishable goods, which include most fruits and vegetables, would have a very hard time on the journey from the farm to the supermarket. Plastic extends the shelf life of products, but others point out that selling fresh produce loose could reduce food waste as people would buy only as much as they need.
Using structural foam moulding is one of the best ways to keep plastic production sustainable, as the process keeps material use at a minimum, which doesn’t just save time and money but will also optimise investments and make for more sustainable procedures overall. Changing the ways in which plastic is created can have a considerable positive impact and help the industries and sectors that cannot survive without plastics.
The alternatives
Bio-based plastics, meaning plastic materials made out of plants, can seem like the solution since they are not made out of fossil fuels, but there’s a caveat: they are not necessarily biodegradable. Similar additives need to be used so that the plastics can serve their function and complete the purpose for which they were created, meaning that the properties of both the standard plastics and of the bio-based alternative end up being roughly the same. Therefore, integrating this material into compost means that microplastics will continue to enter the food system.
Working with an injection moulding company that can help you reduce waste and develop products and items that are customised to your needs is still the preferable option as a result. Switching to an eco-friendly solution such as glass, which is known for being endlessly recyclable, can seem like a good idea, but glass is way heavier, and its overall impact may end up being higher than that of plastic. Transporting jars and bottles over long distances means higher emissions as a result of their weight. Vehicles that do not contain any plastic will also make them heavier and turn them into gas guzzlers.
Eliminating plastic packaging is a great start, but plastic would still have to be used during the production phase in the food industry. Plastic tubing puts milk in bottles, and plastic mulch is very common among farmers as it keeps weeds at bay and conserves water. Disposing of this mulch can be quite problematic, though, since although it can be recycled, the use of agrochemicals means that the plastic is contaminated and can often not be repurposed. In fact, agriculture would have to change completely, as supply chains would have to become far shorter than they currently are, and the idea of having variety in your diet would become almost impossible to achieve as a result of a switch to community-supported agriculture.
Circular economy
The concept of a circular economy refers to manufacturing and consumption patterns that involve repairing, refurbishing, recycling, sharing, reusing, and extending the life of products as much as possible. Apparel is one of the areas that needs this the most, since during the last couple of decades fashion has become increasingly faster. The term “fast fashion” no longer fits the current marketplace and has been replaced by ultra-fast fashion. Synthetic fibres currently account for almost 70% of all production and are known for releasing microplastic when they’re washed, especially when garments are new.
Footwear is in a similar boat, with nearly 23 billion pairs manufactured last year. Using items for longer would help tremendously, but change also needs to happen within society so that ads are not so aggressive, trends don’t change as fast anymore, and the impact of social media is decreased. Since removing plastics altogether is unfeasible for our world at the moment, it becomes plain to see that switching to better management strategies is a must. Including plastics in a circular economy might seem like an oxymoron, but it needs to be done.
The first and most important thing would be to ban all plastic items that are not completely necessary. The second is to find ways to make at least the majority of the plastics used fully recyclable and reusable, while the third refers to the commitment to keeping plastics circulating in society so that they don’t end up overfilling the landfills again.
Moving on to create a more sustainable future isn’t easy, but it is necessary for everyone living on Earth right now, as well as for future generations.