Plastic light versatile thermoplastics 80 % global plastics consumption - Arhive

This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant

PARIS: Because of their role in global pollution, plastics are hugely controversial.

But the resilient, supple, light and malleable materials play a key role in our lives and, according to experts, will remain crucial for a long time to come.

Here are a few things to know about the world of plastic.

1. The classic production process involves the distillation and refining of fuel or natural gas, breaking down hydrocarbons.Plastic light versatile thermoplastics 80 % global plastics consumption

Various raw materials make up the building blocks of the resulting plastic. Monomers build more complex molecules called polymers — the scientific name for plastics.

There are two families of polymers.

Thermoplastics, accounting for some 80 per cent of global plastics consumption, melt when they are heated and then harden when cooled.

Then there are thermosets, which do not soften after moulding.

Plastic light versatile thermoplastics 80 % global plastics consumption

(FILES) In this file photo taken on September 19, 2016 plastic utensils are seen in Washington, DC. — AFP PHOTO

2. Five polymers account for the majority — 71 per cent — of global plastics consumption.

First, there is polyethylene, found above all in single-use packaging, then polypropylene, used in car bumpers, dashboards and drinking straws.

Next up is polystyrene, used for packaging, insulation panels and yoghurt pots.

There is also polyvinyl chloride — better known as PVC — used in windows and drains — and then polyethylene terephthalate (PET), commonly used for synthetic fibres or bottles.

3. There is much innovation in conventional plastics, with new properties being added to maximise performance.

Lighter is better, and slimming the volume of plastic is a constant challenge, not least to reduce the amount of plastic clogging the oceans and to wage war on waste.

But lighter plastic also means lighter finished products, including in transport.

“The need for (greater) lightness in auto transport is a massive innovation factor,” Christophe Cabarry, founder and president of SpecialChem, an online platform connecting sellers and buyers of chemicals and materials, told AFP.

A few grams a year are being shaved down, even on products as mundane as plastic bottles.Plastic light versatile thermoplastics 80 % global plastics consumption

4. The wait is on for the breakthrough of bioplastics — plastics made using biodegradable materials or natural recyclable materials.Plastic light versatile thermoplastics 80 % global plastics consumption

“There is much innovation in the sector,” says Cabarry.

But of the 2.05 million tonnes of bioplastics produced worldwide last year less than half was actually biodegradable, according to European Bioplastics, an industry association.

The association put their market penetration at barely 0.75 percent in 2017, owing to bioplastic’s much higher costs.Plastic light versatile thermoplastics 80 % global plastics consumption

Plastic light versatile thermoplastics 80 % global plastics consumption

Plastic plates and cups are seen at a Pingo Doce supermarket in Lisbon, Portugal. — REUTERS pic

5. Europe managed to re-use around 31 per cent of 26 million tonnes of plastics waste in 2016.Plastic light versatile thermoplastics 80 % global plastics consumption

“Europe has initiated a transition from a linear towards a circular and resource efficient society”, says the PlasticsEurope association of manufacturers.

But the rate in the United States is much lower, at 10 per cent, and across the world, only 9 per cent of the nine billion tonnes of plastic produced to date has been recycled, a recent UN report said.Plastic light versatile thermoplastics 80 % global plastics consumption

Some 12 million tonnes per year, mostly in the form of single-use packaging, are dumped into the world’s oceans, creating an ecological nightmare, according to Greenpeace. — AFP

Related Topics