Plastic Packaging & Sustainability

By Lenna Stockwell


While many people worry about plastics and their effect on the environment, it might be interesting to know that many plastics manufacturers are also highly concerned about the environment and have take steps to create products that are as sustainable as possible.

In general, the term for the creation of plastic packaging is thermoforming. It all begins with a sheet made of plastic. This is heated to a certain temperature and molded into whatever shape is need for the packaging. The materials in the plastic vary depending on what the client needs.

The thermoplastics industry has different terms regarding the types of plastic products that are created. A bio-based product, for example, is composed of biological products, forestry materials or renewable agriculture materials such as plant, animal and marine sources. Another common term is a biomass product, and this is sourced from plants that are renewable, such as grasses, algae or trees.

Biodegradable plastic is a type of plastic that can decompose when certain organisms such as bacteria are added to it. There are many different types of biodegradable plastic. Some are made with starch derivatives; others are produced using cellulose esters, polyanhydrides or polyvinyl alcohol. Bioplastics is a term that is used to describe plastic that is either biodegradable or created with bio-based materials.

Compostable plastic is another type you might here about, and you might think it is the same as biodegradable, but there are key differences. Biodegradable materials break down but do not become compost. A compostable plastic eventually, after about six months, will degrade to the point where there is no toxic residue left behind. Aside from using more sustainable materials, companies also work to reduce waste. One way to do this is use as much surface area of a thermoplastic sheet as possible, while trimming off only a small amount.

Reusing is an important component of the recycle, reuse and renew mantra, and plastics companies also create packaging and products using post-consumer or pre-consumer materials. These items with recycled content include items used by the public, such as a water bottle or pre-consumer plastics, such as the trimmed-off material from the factory.




About the Author:



0 komentar on Plastic Packaging & Sustainability :

Posting Komentar