Le plastique - Entrée en matière

Sustainable Manufacture

Plastics use only 4% of the world’s oil as feedstock compared to 86% used for heating and transport. Most of this is recoverable via energy recovery: Plastics only ‘borrow’ energy during their life time and they give it back in the form of heat, which can then be converted to electricity.

The energy to manufacture plastics from raw materials compares favourably with metal ore smelting and glass manufacture, and it uses clean technology minimising emissions. Conversion energy (energy consumed during the processing of plastic resin into useful products) is also low compared to metal and glass processing. Why? Because lower process temperatures are required.

Most manufacturers process their own scrap material in-house so that a large quantity of plastics manufacturing scrap never enters the waste stream. Plastics thus present an example of eco-efficiency.

Minimisation of Resources

The plastics industry’s record on light weighting is excellent. As new technologies and new designs are developed, less and less material is needed for the same effect and purpose.

For example:
In 1970 the average plastics yoghurt pot weighed 11.8g, but in 1990 only 5g was needed to package the same amount. Similarly, a plastics detergent bottle weighed 300g, and by 1985 this had been reduced to just 100g. For film the use of less and less material for the same use has been very dramatic - from 180µm 15 years ago to 80µm thick material now. Sacks have halved in thickness (from 300 µm to 165 µm) and carrier bags are now 15 µm thick (from 45 µm 10 years ago). The average weight of stretch wrap for pallet wrap is now 350 g replacing the 1400g of shrink wrap used ten years ago.

Thanks to the light weight of plastics, transport costs and emissions are reduced. For example, when yoghurts are packed in glass pots, 36% of the weight is packaging. When they are packed in plastics, packaging accounts only for 3.5%. 3 trucks are needed to transport yoghurt packed in glass, only 2 for plastic pots. Overall 10 million litres extra petrol or diesel would be needed and 22 million kilo of CO2 extra would be emitted if all plastics packaging was to be replaced by alternatives.

Plastics present an excellent example of resource efficiency.

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Plastics in use by market sectors and some examples of energy savings

The light weight of plastics means they are used for aircraft crockery and drinks bottles and this light weight saves fuel consumption. Plastics in cars are a tremendous example of resource efficiency.

Automotive - The use of anti-corrosion plastics coatings extends vehicle life. Obviously the use of lighter materials will reduce fuel consumption and thus emissions. Increased safety is also one of the major benefits.

Plastics provide major environmental benefits throughout the lifetime of a car. Component integration, low weight, low energy moulding processes, long life and reduced maintenance needs all contribute positively to emissions, particularly CO2, since less fuel is needed. Whilst from 1974-1988 there was a growth in plastics from 3% to 11% of total weight of a car there was a commensurate 14% decrease in petrol consumption over the same period.

In the average car 200-300 kilo of conventional material has been replaced by 100 kilo of plastic. The consequence is a fuel consumption reduced by 750 litres over average lifespan of a vehicle. The percentage of the total weight has stayed fairly static because the overall weight of cars has increased: more demands for added safety features and consumer comfort. Without the use of plastics this weight increase would have been substantially higher. The use of plastics GRP panels in Swiss trains has led to a 25% reduction in weight.

 
Construction - The use of EPS, PU or melamine formaldehyde foam insulation saves energy. 1 kilo of oil used to make EPS will save the equivalent of 75 kg oil for heating over 25 years.

PVC-U windows save on manufacturing costs, and also on maintenance and replacement.

Plastics pipes use less energy to produce than concrete or iron and since lightweight they save on transport costs and emissions in the building industry. 

E&E - Plastics helped facilitate the information technology revolution with all its implications for business efficiency in the EU, and, as a technological leap forward, its potential positive consequences for standards of living and the opportunity to provide for the more effective targeting and use of resources.

Plastics are used in electrical applications because they are insulates, both thermal and electrical: eg refrigerator insulation saves on running costs.

 

 

End of life plastics

Where suitable arising (large, clean and of one type), plastics recycling leads to resource conservation. In 2007, 9 countries (representing 29% of the population in EU27+NO/CH) recovered more than 80% of their used plastics.

In the 27 EU Member States (plus Norway and Switzerland), recovery of plastics reached 50% - up 1% on 2006 – mainly due to strong growth in recycling. This was achieved in a year with good growth in demand - 3% - to a total of 52.5 million tonnes across EU27+NO/CH, again exceeding GDP growth.

The decoupling in EU27+NO/CH of the growth in used plastics and the volume of plastics waste going to disposal continued, as used plastics going to disposal remained stable at 12.4 million tonnes/year.