Whether you are aware of
it or not, plastics play an important part in your life. Plastics' versatility
allow it to be used in everything from car parts to doll parts, from soft drink
bottles to the refrigerators they are stored in. From the car you drive to work
in to the television you watch when you get home, plastics help make your life
easier and better. So how is it that plastics have become so widely used? How
did plastics become the material of choice for so many varied applications?
The simple answer is that
plastics are the material that can provide the things consumers want and need.
Plastics have the unique capability to be manufactured to meet very specific
functional needs for consumers. So maybe there's another question that's
relevant: What do I want? Regardless of how you answer this question, plastics
can probably satisfy your needs.
If a product is made of
plastic, there's a reason. And chances are the reason has everything to do with
helping you, the consumer, get what you want: Health. Safety. Performance.
Value. Plastics help make these things possible.
Shopping
Just consider the changes
we've seen in the grocery store in recent years. Plastic wrap helps keep meat
fresh while protecting it from the poking and prodding fingers of your fellow
shoppers. Plastic bottles mean you can actually lift an economy-size bottle of
juice. And should you accidentally drop that bottle, it's shatter-resistant. In
each case, plastics help make your life easier, healthier and safer.
Grocery Cart Vs.
Dent-Resistant Body Panel
Plastics also help you get
maximum value from some of the big-ticket items you buy. Plastics help make
portable phones and computers that really are portable. They help make major
appliances - such as refrigerators or dishwashers - resist corrosion, last
longer and operate more efficiently. Plastic
car fenders and body panels resist dings, so you can cruise the supermarket parking lot with confidence.
Packaging
Modern packaging -- such
as heat-sealed plastic pouches and wraps -- helps keep food fresh and free of
contamination. That means the resources that went into producing the food aren't
wasted. It's the same thing once you get the food home -- plastic wraps and
resealable containers keep your leftovers protected. In fact, packaging experts
have estimated that each pound of plastic packaging can reduce food waste by up
to 1.7 pounds.
Plastics can also help you
bring home more product with less packaging. For example, just 2 pounds of
plastic can deliver 1,000 ounces -- roughly 8 gallons -- of a beverage such as
juice, soda or water. You'd need 3 pounds of aluminium to bring home the same
amount, 8 pounds of steel or 27 pounds of glass. Not only do plastic bags
require less total energy to produce than paper bags, they conserve fuel in
shipping. Plastics make packaging more efficient, which ultimately conserves
resources.
Light weighting
Plastics engineers are
always working to do even more with less material. Since 1977, the 2-liter
plastic soft drink bottle has gone from weighing 68 grams to just 51 grams
today, representing a 25 percent reduction per bottle. That saves more than 206
million pounds of packaging each year. The 1-gallon plastic milk jug has
undergone an even greater reduction, weighing 30 percent less than what it did
20 years ago. How many of us can say that?
Doing more with less helps
conserve resources in another way. It helps save energy. In fact, plastics can
play a significant role in energy conservation. Just look at the decision you're
asked to make at the grocery store check-out: "Paper or plastic?"
Not only do plastic bags
require less total energy to produce than paper bags, they conserve fuel in
shipping. It takes seven trucks to carry the same number of paper bags as fits
in one truckload of plastic bags.
Plastics in Home
Construction
Plastics also help to
conserve energy in your home. Vinyl siding and windows help cut energy
consumption and lower your heating and cooling bills. Furthermore, the U.S.
Department of Energy estimates that use of plastic foam insulation in homes and
buildings each year will ultimately save close to 60 million barrels of oil
versus other kinds of insulation.
The same principles apply
in appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Plastic parts and
insulation have helped to improve their energy efficiency by 30 to 50 percent
since the early 1970s. Again, this energy savings helps reduce your electric and
cooling bills. And appliances run more quietly than earlier designs that used
other materials.
