Plastics Help to Dramatically Lower Environmental Footprints, says CPIA

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) has highlighted the significant environmental benefits offered by plastics.

CPIA quotes the results of a study conducted by Trucost in 2016, which had stated that use of plastics would help to reduce environmental costs by four times when compared with other alternatives. For instance, in packaging, plastics enable significant environmental benefits, including reductions in energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and waste. According to the study, replacement of plastics with other alternatives would boost the yearly environmental costs from $139 billion to $533 billion.

Plastics packaging are commonly used to wrap various categories of food. The plastics used in packaging solutions are lightweight. Furthermore, it prevents a whole lot of food waste by way of extending the shelf life of healthy and nutritious foods. US EPA estimates that more food becomes municipal solid waste in the country than any other single material. The lightweight yet strong plastics make them the ideal choice of packaging. Moreover, studies have proved that plastics help to minimize the environmental impact of the packaging.

The recent switch to lightweight automobiles has resulted in increased demand for plastics by automobile industry. As per studies, reduction of 10% in total vehicle weight can result in 6-8% more fuel efficiency over the life of the vehicle. Consequently, lightweight plastics including carbon fiber-reinforced plastics are witnessing increased demand from automakers. As per recent studies, nearly plastics account for nearly 50% by volume in modern cars. Plastics play prominent role in various safety features of automobiles including seat belts, airbags, interiors, safety glass etc.

CPIA notes that use of plastic building products leads to significant energy savings. They help to maximize durability and improve energy efficiency and performance. Apart from reduction in energy and maintenance costs, use of plastic building products could contribute to notable reduction in homeowner’s carbon footprint. A year-long study has found that plastic building materials lead to energy savings of 467.2 trillion Btu over alternative building materials.

By helping to reduce food and packaging waste, supporting efforts to produce fuel efficient cars and savings energy costs in buildings, plastics are in effect reducing our environment footprints for ourselves and for future generations, CPIA said.