Plastic – A Wonder Material

Formed millions of years ago from living organisms falling to the sea floor before being crushed into sediment and transformed by bacteria into hydrocarbons, such as crude oil, and then, finally, being processed, plastic is a true force of nature.

Although a recent discovery, plastics have single-handedly changed the game due to attributes that other materials lack even today. Its versatility to be shaped from a micro-thin film to a strong structural makes it one of a kind material. Moreover, the availability and use of plastic is easier because of the easy source of crude oil and its effect on making plastics cheaper than the alternatives.

Today, plastics are the most preferred choice as a wonder material. It is used in more than million industries in some way or the other.

Anything from packaging materials, kitchen tools to bathroom tools and toys to medical devices, everything is made up of polymers. The durability, strength and moldability of plastic have made the material stand out from its alternatives.

However, we all know the damage that waste and, specifically, plastic waste is having on the environment and our ecosystem. According the data, 8.3 billion tones of plastic has been created to date globally and only 10% is being recycled. Indian situation though is much better with close to 50% plastics being recycled.

Sustainable development encourages us to conserve and enhance our resource base, by gradually changing the ways in which we develop and use technologies. Every year, we see an increased outcry for sustainability and reduction of Carbon Footprints on social media, in world conferences and summits. While this has helped us understand the importance of a sustainable future, it has also led to several misconceptions about the use and recyclability of plastics.

While there is some truth to the fact that plastic is being manufactured and disposed in a manner which is not currently sustainable, I strongly believe that there is another path, a circular one.

If done properly it will give rise to an economy where we only manufacture environment friendly sustainable polymers which are easily recycled and reused in a variety of ways.

The fact that these PP and PE films are part of the wider polyolefin family means it can still be widely accepted in today’s recycling waste stream. In the coming years our goal should be to shift to packaging material films with PCR content which are chlorine free and have attributes which will reduce the plastic consumption and also help with easy recyclability. Some examples are thin High Performance films Transparent Barrier films, and Heat Resistant films coated films which do not hamper recycling process and support circular economy.

Moreover, reducing the use of inks in the laminates by 50% or higher, use of mono material laminate structure, minimizing the use of packaging material, Adopt lap seal structures and working as a cohesive team to effectively meet the EPR obligations are some of the ways in which the 3R principles can be achieved.

This will eventually help in repeatedly reusing the plastic being manufactured in a continuous lifecycle, thus creating a circular economy where 100% plastic manufactured is being recycled and reused. The goal is to not only recycle 100% plastics but also to manufacture polymers and polymer products which are 100% recyclable.

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