Plastics
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Because the chemical structure of most plastics renders them durable, they are resistant to many natural degradation processes. Plastic is a very useful material for getting our products to consumers safely and efficiently. It’s often the lowest carbon footprint option compared to other materials. However, plastic is ending up in our environment. This has to stop.
What type of plastics are there?
Plastic is a polymer material that is made up of large molecules, which are created by synthesis (a reaction that creates a new substance) from natural raw materials. These can be divided into three types of plastics:
- Thermoplastics, synthetic polymers formed from linearly linked monomers; these are materials that are liquefied by exposure to pressure and/or heat and then pressed into a mold. Thermoplastics can be recycled several times.
- Thermosets, materials that will undergo or have undergone a chemical reaction (hardening) by the action of heat, catalyst, pressure, ultraviolet light. Thermosetting plastics, such as phenol-formaldehyde, cannot be remoulded.
- Elastomers, As a polymer, elastomers fall into a group of pliable polymeric, or plastic, material that includes artificial and natural rubber. They are good for molding, insulating, can withstand deformation and are formed easily into an assortment of rubbery shapes that are then hardened.
- Microplastics: Pollution and Health
- Decomposition of plastics: Pollution
- Recycling
- Single use plastics
What is plastic leakage?
Plastic leakage is the potential amount of macro- and microplastics that are not kept in a circular loop or properly managed at their end-of-life, and thus leak into the environment.
- Over 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year for use in a wide variety of applications.
- At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year, and plastic makes up 80% of all marine debris found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments.
- Marine species ingest or are entangled by plastic debris, which causes severe injuries and death.
- Plastic pollution threatens food safety and quality, human health, coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change.
- There is an urgent need to explore new and existing legally binding agreements to address marine plastic pollution
Plastic leakage is altering marine and terrestrial ecosystems, whilst also posing substantial risks to human livelihoods that depend on the integrity of such environments, such as tourism and fishing. In 2019 alone, 6.1 Mt of plastic waste leaked into rivers, lakes and the ocean. As the bulk of plastics reach the ocean through rivers via a slow process that can take years or even decades, 109 Mt of plastics are estimated to have accumulated in rivers globally by 2019, with 1.7 Mt flowing into the ocean in 2019. While inflow estimates are lower than earlier studies that do not account for the residence time of leaked plastics in rivers, the amount is still alarming. With increasing plastics use and waste, the stock of plastics accumulating in aquatic environments is projected to more than triple from 140 Mt in 2019 to 493 Mt in 2060.
Cleaning up the plastics from the ocean will become more and more difficult each year. The plastic particles will become tinier and almost impossible to detect and clean. Because it becomes more difficult to take plastic out of the ocean, it will also become more costly and it will also become a bigger threath to human health and our watersources.
Nurdles
What are nurdles?
Nurdles are also called preproduction plastic pallets. Nurdles are very small (about 5 mm) and are used for the production and manufacturing of plastics. They consist of plastics or other synthetic resins. Nurdles are microplastics and thermoplastics, which means they can always be recycled. For packaging and products that are being used in everyday life such as water bottles, containers and bags, nurdles are the building block such as water bottles, containers and bags.
Why are nurdles bad for the environment?
Nurdles are being found in nature since 1970. However, nurdles are being used for plastic product manufacturing for way longer. Nurdles are being polluted in nature and mostly the ocean via different ways, including 'accidental' spill in transport. Nurdles move quickly because they are lightweight and can easily be moved by wind or water. Nurdles are not easily cleaned from the ocean because they are very tiny and become even tinier the longer they are leaked into nature.
In May 2021 a ship called X-Press Pearl caught on fire and sank in the Indian Ocean. Even thought the ship had fossil fuels and harmful chemicals on board, the most significant harm (according to the UN) was caused by the 87 containers full of nurdles, which is about 1,680 tonnes of nurdles. Nurdles are so-called toxic sponges, which means that they attract chemical toxins and other pollutants onto their surface. The amount of chemical toxins and other pollutants is more concentrated than in the water of the ocean. Studies has shown that when a fish eats a nurdle (thinking it is food) that these toxins and pollutants come lose. Even the fish we eat can be toxic and it's bad for human and animal wellbeing. Nurdles also act as a raft for transporting harmful bacteria such as cholera and E coli. The problem is that Nurdles are not classified hazardous under the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) dangerous goods code for safe handling and storage. Even thought, it is proven to be harmful to the environment, a threat for human and animal wellbeing. Meaning that there are no restriction on how to transport nurdles and there is no prevention of another spillages happening. When nurdles are classified as hazardous they get strict conditions for shipping which could help prevent nurdle and plastic leakage.
Plastic leak project (PLP) by IUCN
It is important to tackle the plastic pollution because it threatens ocean health, the health of marine species, food safety and quality, human health, coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change. The Plastic leak project with a guideline to direct action where it will have the most impact when it comes to plastic pollution.
What is the carbon footprint of plastics?
Throughout their lifecycle, plastics have a significant carbon footprint and emit 3.4% of global Greenhouse gas emission. In 2019, plastics generated 1.8 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – 3.4% of global emissions – with 90% of these emissions coming from their production and conversion from fossil fuels. By 2060, emissions from the plastics lifecycle are set to more than double, reaching 4.3 billion tonnes of GHG emissions.
Furthermore, airborne microplastics have been found in remote regions, including the Arctic, where they may contribute to accelerated warming through absorbing light and decreasing the surface albedo of snow.
Plastic source
Bioplastic/renewable plastic
Bioplastic or sometimes called renewable plastic is a kind of plastic that that is made completely or partially of a renewable sources such as plants instead of fossil fuels that is a source that is mainly used in the plastic industry. Because this source is renewable, making bioplastic causes less GHG emission, which is better for the environment. However it does not mean that it can be biodegradable.
top 5 most commonly used bioplastic 1. Starch based : Bioplastic derived from corn starch 2. Cellulose based : Produced using cellulose esters and cellulose derivatives 3. Protein based : Produced using protein sources such as wheat gluten, casein and milk 4. Bio-derived Polyethylene: Polyethylene that has been produced from the fermentation of raw agricultural materials like sugarcane and corn 5. Aliphatic Polyesters: A collection of bio-based polyesters including PLA, PHB, PGA, among others.
- Bioplastic versus biodegradable plastics
Bioplastic and biodegradable plastics are two different things.
- Bioplastic are plastics made from a renewable source, but bioplastic cannot necessarily be biologically degraded. It is possible that a bioplastic acts the same as a fossil fuel/petroleum based plastic.
- Biodegradable plastic : A biodegradable plastic can be a bioplastic or a petroleum based plastic that can be biologically degraded. Biodegredable says nothinh about what it is made from but only if it is biologically degradable. Plastics can be both bio and biodegradable.
Petroleum based plastic/non-renewable plastic
Most sorts of plastic are made from the raw materials that are also being used to make fossil fuels. Most of the plastics are made from fossil fuels like oil and gas and go into a cracker that breaks fossil fuels into molecules that become the building block of polymers. For example, propane be comes in propylene and from propylene they make polypropylene and that is a plastic used for bottles.
Making fossil fuel raw material based plastic is a process that is very harmful for the environment and causes a lot of GHG emission. A lot of fossil fuels companies notice that fossil fuels become less popular because more and more people care about the environment and green energy is cheaper and thus more popular. The fossil fuel companies are switching from making fossil fuels to making plastics because it needs the same raw materials. More and more companies are making plastics and right now we have more plastic (companies) than we need and we have a lack of innovation in the fossil fuels and plastic industry to make these products sustainable.
Petroleum based plastics are non-renewable plastics because they use the raw materials for fossil fuels, which is a source which is not endless and therefore not renewable in the same amount of time that we consume the petroleum for plastics.
Macro versus micro versus nano plastic
What are Macro plastics?
Macroplastics are anything larger than 5 millimetres.
- Mesoplastics: 0,5 - 5 cm
- Macroplastics: 5 - 50 cm
- Megaplastics: >50 cm
What are Microplastics?
Plastic object that have a size between 1µm and 5 millimetres. They can consist of plastic fragments, flakes, fibres, or pre-production pellets (also known as nurdles)
What are Nanoplastics?
plastic objects with a size between 1 nm and 1 µm. Nanoplastics can be so incredibly small that are difficult to detect with a microscope.
Primary and secondary plastics
- Primary plastics: Plastics that are produced in the size that they were found.
- Secondary plastics: Plastics that have become that size because of degradation of a larger plastics object.
Bioavailability
What is bioavailability: The ability of a substance to be absorbed and/or used by an organism. The smaller the size of plastic, the higher the bioavailability, and when the bioavailability of plastic becomes higher it forms a greater the harm to human and animal life and ecosystems.
Degradability
Degradable
All plastics, even conventional petroleum-based plastics, are technically degradable. Given the right amount of time and environmental conditions, they will break into tiny fragments. However, such plastics will never fully return to their “natural” organic state, thus they remain a source of pollution, leaking chemicals and micro fragments into the environment.
Biodegradable
Plastics that are considered “biodegradable” can be broken down by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae into water, carbon dioxide, methane, biomass and inorganic compounds. As stated above, types of plastics that can completely be broken down within a few months are considered biodegradable.
Compostable
Compostable plastics can be broken down by microorganisms just like biodegradable plastics, but they will decompose into nutrient-rich biomass often in as little as three months, leaving behind no toxins or residue. Some compostable plastics can be composed naturally in home gardens while others may require the high temperatures of a specialized composting facility.
Biodegrading, composting or recycling by melting the plastic al release carbon dioxide. When enzymes of bacteria for example can break the polymer into monomers carbon dioxide always gets released. Meaning that if al the plastic in the world would biodegrade we still have a [Greenhouse gas] Emission problem.
- Less Plastic (grams used)
- Better Plastic
- Part virgin vs Part recycled plastics used
- Type of plastics?
- Part microplastics (Grams)
- recyclability of every component (packaging, durable, disposable)
- No plastic (replace with other materials)
Plastics can be used in any part of the product:
- Consumables (e.g. shampoo with microplastics)
- Disposables (e.g. diaper)
- Durables (e.g. toothbrush)
- Packaging
- Primary/Consumer packaging (e.g. blister)
- Shippers (e.g. cartons, displays, pallets)
Plastic soup refers to the huge accumulation of plastic waste that has been thrown away and has ended up in the ocean. As plastic does not degrade biologically, the plastic soup keeps growing in mass.
