Eco-friendly Plastic

Plastics. They are among the leading producers of hazardous waste. Most of those in use today are non-degradable or take 200-400 years to degrade. Recycling them is not that simple. And their use is widespread, especially as single-use packaging and throwaway containers.

So can plastics ever be 'environmentally acceptable?' It seems they can.

Experts point out the distinct advantages of plastics over other

Plastics are light, cheap and easy to make. They have an edge over other materials like aluminium. But are they environmentally acceptable? Some experts feel so.

materials such as aluminum, steel, glass and paper. They are cheap, easy to manufacture, low in labour requirements, and have excellent functionality. They are also praised in terms of their durability (in products such as car and machine parts, carpeting, toys, furniture, reusable tubs and containers, and refillable bottles); light weight (and so, less fuel used in transport); unbreakability (compared to glass), reusability as containers, in some cases; and, in their manufacture, being the least energy demanding of all conventional packaging materials (20-30 times less). Besides, they can be recycled and now, with PET catching on, even more conveniently so. It's only when plastics are subjected to unnecessary, indiscriminate use in the face of inadequate or completely absent waste management that they become a hazard.

It wasn't so much the good and bad of plastics that scientists discussed at a workshop on Plastics and the Environment (March 20-24, 2000, Sharjah) organised jointly by the International Centre for Science and High Technology, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (ICS/UNIDO) and the University of Sharjah. It was about how they should be handled and, interestingly, about a new breed of plastic materials referred to as environmentally degradable plastics (EDPs). EDPs are among the so-called environmentally 'acceptable' plastics. They can be petro-based (i.e. on petrochemicals) or bio-based (i.e. on agricultural or animal produce). A good deal of the debate revolved around which of the two is better and more environmentally sound in terms of the implications on energy, air and water pollution, pre and post-consumer waste, and land utilisation.

An EDP (environmentally degradable plastic) fork degrades naturally

Among the international community of scientists present at the Sharjah workshop was Prof. Emo Chiellini, Dept. of Chemistry & Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. Prof Chiellini has done extensive research on environmentally degradable plastics and shares responsibility for an ICS/UNIDO project aimed at raising awareness about these and other 'acceptable' ones. Friday speaks to him in an attempt to understand environmentally acceptable plastics and where plastics waste management is heading.

Most people talk of the negative impact of plastics on the environment. Are there any positive ones at all?

Prof. Chiellini... we are living in a 'plastics age'

Plastics started entering the daily life of human beings soon after the last World War. A tremendous growth in their production and consumption in all segments of human activity with extremely positive impacts on the quality of life has been observed in the last 40 years. Plastics are particularly appreciated for their lightness, durability, and versatility of processing and tooling while being low in energy consumption, thus minimising detrimental effects on the environment.

What are environmentally 'acceptable' plastics?
We are in the midst of the "plastics age" and we see these used in a wide range of human activity segments - from the low-cost/high-volume segment of packaging to the high-cost/low volume segment of high tech engineering thermoplastics (capable of softening when heated or hardening when cooled) and thermosetting (capable of becoming permanently rigid when heated). Within this range each set of applications is required to satisfy certain requirements in terms of cost and performance. The attribute of eco-compatibility (or acceptability) is associated with the specific function that a product is meant to satisfy.

For a plastic item meant to perform a durable function (e.g., municipal waste water pipes that should last a long time), eco-compatibility is equated with a satisfactory match between the life span and performance of the item.

These 'Magic Nuudles' (products of a Michigan firm) are actually multi-coloured cornstarch-based building blocks that look like Styrofoam but are completely safe and bio-degradable. Here, they have been 'wet 'n'set'to make a duck and palm

For a mono (or single) use container or packaging plastic item, eco-compatibility is bound to the versatility of the item and its disposal in a proper manner without causing a detrimental effect on the environment.

Eco-compatibility is, therefore, not identified with the plastic's degradability in a general sense, but rather in its amenability to waste disposal without the production of toxic components.

If a plastic item is to degrade once it becomes a post-consumer item, eco-compatibility is related to its capability of degrading to raw material or biomass by chemical or microbial routes without producing harmful byproducts.

What are environmentally degradable plastics (EDPs)?
EDPs degrade after disposal. Petrochemical EDPs are based on polymeric materials totally obtained from petrol (polyesters etc) and bio-plastics are derived from proteins of animal and vegetal origin as well as from polysaccharide (cellulose, starch, etc).

When can we expect to see degradable plastics commercially produced?
Degradable plastics are nowadays in the market and they are being used from biomedical applications to those in packaging, agriculture, toiletry and hygiene segments. Small and medium-size companies like Idroplast and Novamont in Italy, as well as big companies like Bayer, Basf, Kuraray, Showa-Denko, Eastman Chemical, Solvay, Union Carbide, Mitsubishi in different countries are involved in the production and commercialisation of EDPs, which are meeting the new wave of environmental preservation thinking. They will go into meeting the demands of those industries (packaging, fishery, catering, laundry, agriculture, cosmetics and pharmaceutical) where the collection (recovery) of post-consumer plastic items is very labour demanding and hence not economical.

How do you see plastic waste being managed in the coming years?
The worldwide production and consumption of plastic items is close to 200 million metric tons. This will double in the next couple of decades with the rise in living standards in emerging economies and those in transition. In the developed world, plastic waste management will be dictated by governmental mandates on materials recovery and scope for energy recovery from post-consumer items. The driving force will be the promotion of sustainable development and environmental protection. Landfilling space and relevant practices are to be reduced in all developed countries. A major share of plastic waste is packaging that can reach a volume 3-4 times its weight, with a negative impact on landfill space.

Composting of a thermoforming plastic cup

Norms and guidelines for rational waste management, with particular attention to plastic waste, are being issued in industrialised countries. The rational design for a harmonised solution to plastic waste comprises all possible options offered by modern technology. Disposed plastic items will be recovered as secondary raw material (for recycling), or as solid fuel, or for biorecycling through controlled composting technology, or spontaneous environmental degradation in soil or water mediums.

Why are environmental groups generally not in favour of environmentally degradable plastics? Why do they tend to favour recycling of commonly used plastics and, of course, their reduced production and usage?
That environmental groups oppose environmentally degradable plastics is not true. It depends upon 1) the level of education of the environmentalists and 2) the misconceptions created by the first generation of so called 'biodegradable plastics' that were based on polyethylene/starch blends. The starch component indeed degraded, whereas the polyethylene only fragmented and persisted.

The new generation of EDPs have to meet standards established for degradation under well-defined time frames and environmental conditions. The degradation of degradable plastics carried out under controlled conditions is a specific kind of recycling made through 'natural machinery' (microorganisms) instead of mechanical machinery or chemical tools. Smart and open-minded environmentalists should understand that often the mechanical or chemical recycling has a heavier environmental impact than biodegradation!

Armani... showing a concern for the environment

Green is in

Fashion houses are playing a key role in highlighting the ecological impacts of clothing

Recycled metal buttons. Organic dyes. Fleece made from recycled plastic bottles. Natural cotton that is not genetically engineered. Collections made from used fabrics such as tweed, silk and leather. Recycled knitwear from wool, hemp, denim and plastic bottles. These exemplify 'green' fibres, textiles and garments. The clothing industry has, over the last decade, been responding to a serious threat to the environment posed by textiles - from chemicals used in cotton cultivation to those used in fabric production to pollutants contained in most clothes detergents. So we hear of companies with names like 'Planet Vision,' 'Conscious Earthwear,' 'Green Fibres' and 'Preen.' And, more recently, 'green' has captured the interest of, what is regarded as, the ultimate consumerist sector - the designer clothing industry. Notice this message - 'New in Town' (Tabloid, Gulf News 3 May 2000) - "Armani continues to pursue all that is ecological in the new techno fabrics of cotton and linen…"

Organic cotton and hemp, linen that is not dyed, polyesters from 100 per cent recycled plastic (e.g., PET water bottles) as well as new materials are gaining ground in the fashion industry of today. Patagonia, the California-based clothes manufacturer and Switzerland-based Globus are among the forerunners of these relatively 'clean and green' fabrics and their production processes. Giorgio Armani has their range of "eco-compatible clothing of the future." Gap and Nike are following suit. And C&A, located in the Netherlands, has similar plans.

Do we regard cotton as a natural and, hence, an eco-friendly fabric? What we don't realise is that although cotton is grown on just three per cent of the world's cultivated lands, it accounts for as much as 15 per cent of global pesticide use and 7.5 percent of artificial fertilisers. The damaging implications for soil, water, living organisms and human health are obvious. Organically grown cotton, which the enviro-conscious fashion houses have commenced using, would certainly help reduce a burden on the environment.

A new breed of artificial fibres is also making inroads into haute couture.

Armani... "eco-compatible clothing of the future"

Apart from polyester made out of recycled plastic, there is Tencel, a newly developed fabric that dries faster and keeps its shape longer than natural ones. It is made from wood pulp entwined with artificial fibres using a solvent spinning technique, with virtually all of the solvent recycled during the process.

Armani's latest men's jeans collection features trousers and shirts in 'ecological polyester and viscose' made from recycled and resin-coated plastic. There are also 'eco-wash' garments that use fabrics dyed with indigo and/or non-fast (bleeding) dyes subjected to special washing treatments to maintain their appearance and original colour. Armani's 'eco-wash' range is certified by 'ecotex standard 100,' the strictest among European standards used to lable textiles whose manufacturing processes (including laundry operations) are ecologically sound. And, of course, there are organic cotton shirts using fibres from biologically cultivated cotton sans any chemical input.

Next, there is hemp, referred to as 'industrial strength linen.' Hemp clothes are very durable and the plant needs no chemical inputs to grow. Its fibres can also be used for fashion accessories such as belts, wallets and bags.

Some companies have successfully made the progression to sustainable materials and production processes, while boosting sales and profits. Patagonia, for example, switched completely to organic cotton in 1996, after an extensive life-cycle analysis of its raw materials brought to light the environmental degradation inflicted by conventionally cultivated cotton - the pesticide and chemical fertiliser usage and their effects on water tables, land wildlife and human health. It was also the first company to start using recycled plastic, melted down and spun into fibres, for making lingerie It also took the lead in doing away with damaging finishing dyes such as formaldehyde. Patagonia continues to find and develop high-performance, low-input materials. Besides, it has sustained its profits and is reputed to give a percentage of these to environmental groups.

By demonstrating their concern for the environment with the adoption of cleaner materials and processes, prominent fashion houses are not only appearing socially responsible to consumers, they are also playing a role in highlighting the ecological impacts of clothing throughout its lifecycle. This is something that the general public is, by and large, ignorant about.

WHAT ON EARTH CAN WE DO?

Still more about being a less paper establishment:

Switch to online reports and forms and email. Companies overseas that use the Internet instead of paper for purchase orders, invoices etc. have been known to save $ 1 to $ 5 per page by eliminating paper and reducing labour costs and time.

Eco-friendly Plastic

June 2000

WHAT ON EARTH CAN WE DO?