Sustainability

This is my first post (out of two) on Processes and Things We Need To Think About in the workshop during our clock making process. This first blog is based on Sustainability. Please enjoy!

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AN OVERVIEW ON PLASTIC AND SUSTAINABILITY: 

In order for a product or material to be truly described as sustainable it must be environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. These aspects have become known as the Three Pillars of Sustainability. Plastics make a positive contribution to all three pillars of sustainability.

Plastics make an immense contribution to the environmental sustainability through their energy saving potential and intrinsic recyclability and energy recovery options. Economically plastics form an important part of the UK economy and are a major export product. Socially the plastics industry is a major and inclusive employer with an attention to training and education.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY:

Plastics have a very good environmental profile.  Only 4% of the world’s oil production is used for plastics and much less energy is used to produce it compared to other materials.  Plastics are durable yet lightweight and thus save weight in cars, aircraft, packaging and pipework.

When plastics have completed their use phase, whether as a car bumper or a bottle, they can either be recycled or if this is not economic or environmentally beneficial the calorific value of the plastic can be recovered through energy from waste incineration to provide a much source of home-grown power. As a consequence plastics can be viewed as ‘borrowing’ the oil.

• Plastics provide unparalleled benefits as a packaging material. This is because plastics are lightweight, resource efficient and offer excellent barrier properties. Due to these properties packaging items in plastics significantly reduce waste and saves energy.

• Plastics have a huge role to play in sustainable construction, whether it be PVC windows, plastic foam insulation or plastic water pipes. 

• Plastics have a number of inherent properties which make them an ideal material for modern
transport systems. Plastics are lightweight, corrosion free and easily moulded into complex  shapes without the need for assembly or fastening systems.

• Plastics recycling takes place on a significant scale in the UK and there is considerable research conducted to discover the most efficient ways to recycle. Raw materials have a high value and are a precious resource, so to conserve both money and the environment the industry makes every effort to recover as much as possible.

ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY:

Plastics make a major contribution to the UK economy and a healthy manufacturing sector is vital to a sustainable economy.


Plastics contribution to the UK economy:

• Circa 7400 plastics companies in UK.
• The industry turnover is approximately £17 billion.
• Plastics are a much need source of export revenue with circa £4.5 billion in exports.
• For many plastics products, especially construction related products, the whole supply chain is situated within the UK.

Plastics also have a role to play at a micro-economic level:

• Plastics products are very cost effective to produce and provide the ability to make single moulded components in complex shapes. This significantly reduces costs associated with assembly and the use of fixtures.

Plastics also have a role to play at a micro-economic level:

• Plastics products are very cost effective to produce and provide the ability to make single moulded components in complex shapes. This significantly reduces costs associated with assembly and the use of fixtures.

There are also many other Economic benefits, but for now I will only stick to these (some of the most important).

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY:

Completing the final pillar of sustainability, plastics are also socially sustainable;

• The UK plastics industry is socially inclusive and offers a wide range of worthwhile careers with considerable room for career development, progression and training. The industry is very attentive to training and this is led by Cogent (the Sector Skills Council) and Polymer Training in Telford.

• Plastics companies are geographically widely distributed across the UK and provide jobs to some 180,000 people.

• The plastics industry has a superb industry health and safety record as demonstrated by BPF accident survey statistics.

• Plastics make a major contribution to safety, the used plastics in cars, for example, reduces weight and allows for the addition of safety features such as airbags. Furthermore, plastic foams such as EPS and EPP provide the necessary shock absorbency to be used in life saving devices such a bicycle helmets.

Essential medical applications include:

• Blood bags
• Fluid bags
• Heart and Lung bypass sets
• Blood transfusion sets
• Blood vessels in artificial kidneys
• Surgical gloves
• Catheters
• Endotracheal tubing 

Plastics are essential in modern day healthcare. Plastics products are used in surgery, healthcare products, pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems and medical packaging.

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Thank you very much for taking the time to read about Plastic and its sustainability in the world. My final blog under these extra topics will be the Vacuum Forming Process. Stay posted!