The Life of Plastic

There is a lot of emphasis right now on the use of plastic and the harm its production and disposal cause to the environment. But is this justified and if so, how should we react? As Industrial Product Designers we feel a responsibility to influence the development of products to have a positive impact. That said, many factors are at play and there is not always a simple solution.

Understanding the impact of your plastic product.

So where to start? To improve the situation, we must first understand the issue. The current focus is around the waste streams and the carbon emissions generated. The waste streams are generated from sources such as household waste or waste generated from industrial processing of plastic polymers. Vast amounts of waste are produced by consumers globally and this is increasing with global population growth and an increase in consumerisation driven by countries with emerging market economies that are becoming more affluent.

However, considering waste alone does not give a full picture of the full impact of products containing plastic polymers. The linear model of Take, Make, Waste is outdated, with the concept of a circular economy now widely being adopted. What is the circular economy? The circular economy is a strategically sustainable approach to economic growth, that encompasses economic growth, society and the environment. As the name suggests energy, material and resources should be used sustainably, cycling these elements whilst simultaneously creating growth without adversely impacting society and the environment. One form of measuring the environmental impact of a plastic product throughout its entire lifecycle is to calculate the carbon emissions, known as product carbon footprinting (PCF). It is only when the complete impact has been considered can you begin to understand how to develop your product to be truly more sustainable.

Benefits of plastic products

PCF will enable a better understanding of the impact of using plastic versus the benefits. Only 4% of crude oil used globally is used in the production of plastics. One example of the benefits of using plastic is the reduction of food waste, which according to the British Plastics Federation is 2% in the UK compared with 40-50% in the developing world where significantly less packaging is used. It is known that on average ten times more energy is used to produce the goods packaged than the packaging itself.

Another benefit is how plastic can be used to reduce weight in all forms of transportation, which in turns reduces the fuel burned and therefore the level of harmful emissions. The Airbus A380 aircraft is built partly from carbon-reinforced plastics which helps reduce the fuel burn rate to something similar to an average family car. Plastics can save energy and are intrinsically recyclable, plus there are various energy recovery options such as waste incineration.

How to act responsibly when selecting a plastic polymer

To maximise the benefits of plastic strong intrinsic properties and to operate within the circular economy model it is important to select the correct polymer. This is not necessarily a simple process. As designers or decision-makers within an organisation, we need to think about what we are trying to achieve, which is wholly dependent on the product type, application and sometimes the responsibility of the end-user. We have created a flowchart to communicate the choices when it comes to selecting a plastic polymer and how it’s important to be clear on the main objectives you’re trying to achieve.

Download our plastic lifecycle guide to selecting sustainable polymers

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Action is important

The reality is that no business can say they are truly sustainable, but we believe it’s important to take action however big or small. There is no silver bullet, but instead, multiple strategies need to be formed, implemented, evaluated and improved. Making conscious design decisions about the way a product is developed and the plastic selected will have a positive impact. There is some great content online to inform businesses about making sustainable choices. A good place to start is to visit the UN website and read about their “17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world.” Then maybe review your business against 1 or more of these goals to see how it performs and what strategies you could put in place to contribute.

At Phase Two we are advocates for creating a positive impact both socially and environmentally. Check out our positive impact page to learn more about the initiatives we have implemented.