UNITED STATES: New study shows environmental benefits of using plastics versus alternatives

The environmental cost of using plastics in consumer goods and packaging is nearly four times less than if plastics were replaced with alternative materials, according to a new study by Trucost, which the American Chemistry Council (ACC) commissioned.

The study, "Plastics and Sustainability: A Valuation of Environmental Benefits, Costs, and Opportunities for Continuous Improvement," is based on natural capital accounting methods, which measure and value environmental impacts—such as consumption of water and emissions to air, land and water—which are not typically factored into traditional accounting.

Trucost's latest study builds on earlier research by comparing the environmental costs of using plastics to alternative materials and identifying opportunities to help lower the environmental costs of using plastics in consumer goods and packaging.

"These significant results disrupt a common misperception around plastics," said the ACC. "Trucost found that replacing plastics in consumer goods and packaging with a mix of alternative materials that provide the same function, would increase environmental costs from USD 139-billion to USD 533-billion annually. That's because strong, lightweight plastics help us do more with less material, which provides environmental benefits throughout the lifecycle of plastic products and packaging."

The study also concluded that the environmental cost of alternative materials can be lower per ton of production but are greater in aggregate due to the much larger quantities of material needed to fulfill the same purposes as plastics.

In addition, the authors of the latest report recommend steps to help further reduce plastics' overall environmental costs, including increasing the use of lower-carbon electricity in plastics production, adopting lower-emission transport modes, developing even more efficient plastic packaging, and increasing recycling and energy conversion of post-use plastics to help curb ocean litter and conserve resources.

"Now is an exciting time for plastics and for sustainability," noted Steve Russell, vice president of plastics for the ACC. "Emerging economies around the world are creating opportunities for more people to have access to health and hygiene products, good nutrition and the things that help us get more out of life. Making smart choices about what we produce and how we produce it will benefit people and the planet," he added.

Source: Weekly “PetroChemical News”, Durham, NC, USA; 1 Aug 2016

(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)