different types of plastic – is there also “okay” plastic?
Plastic, also known colloquially as synthetic material , is a synthetically produced solid material that is usually obtained from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. Why do we humans rely so much on plastic? No other material is as versatile and versatile , which is valued in many areas of our lives, such as medicine.
The problem, however, is that it is a foreign body to our ecosystem because it is not naturally degradable , which has led us into a real plastic crisis . In 2019 alone, 350 million tons of plastic were produced worldwide, which is 3,500 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
PET, PP, PE – what types of plastic are there?
In total, there are over 200 types of plastic . The material can be divided into three groups, which mainly have to do with its physical formability and properties such as breaking strength or heat resistance:
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Thermoplastics become soft when heated and hard when cooled and can therefore often be melted down and reshaped through proper recycling, e.g. into PET bottles.
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Duroplasts are heat-resistant and very stable; you can find them, for example, in the form of firefighters' helmets.
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Elastomers are elastic and are used, for example, in car tires or rubber rings.
In addition to the material properties, plastic can also be divided into three groups in terms of their application:
1. Standard plastics
Standard plastics are plastics that are very cheap to produce and are therefore widely used in our everyday lives, in the form of packaging such as yogurt pots, for example. They account for 80% of global plastic production, which is equivalent to 2800 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower.
This type of plastic includes polyethylene (PE) . Due to its resistance to acids, alkalis, oils and fats, it is the most produced plastic in the world and can be found in everyday life as plastic bags, yogurt cups or shampoo bottles.
It is used as a lesser evil to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) , which should be avoided because of its plasticizers .
Polypropylene (PP) is very resistant to grease and moisture and is one of the most widely used plastics in food packaging, for example for dairy products and bottle caps.
2. Engineering Plastics
These plastics are, as the name suggests, used for technical applications and account for 20% of global plastic production. They are harder, more break-resistant and more resistant to cold and heat than standard plastics, which is also reflected in their generally higher prices.
Polycarbonate (PC) is very difficult to break and is found in consumers' products such as drinking bottles, microwave dishes and kitchen appliances.
Due to its barrier against oxygen and moisture, polyamide (PA) is mainly used in the packaging sector, in the form of films or sausage casings.
The most well-known plastic is polyethylene terephthalate (PET) , which we come into contact with in the form of disposable bottles or in the form of textile fibers in sportswear. If PET bottles are not recycled properly, they decompose into microplastics.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has an extremely high surface tension, meaning that hardly any material can stick to it. Even aggressive acids cannot harm PTFE. This plastic can also withstand a constant temperature of -200°C to 250°C.
So what is the problem with plastic?
The durability of plastics has led to plastic becoming a major challenge for humans, animals and the environment . For example, a PET bottle takes over 450 years to decompose. And even then, it is not completely broken down, but is deposited in the form of microplastics in our rivers, soil and oceans - microplastics have even been detected in snow .
What is particularly problematic is that we do not yet know exactly what long-term consequences this will have for the creatures affected - in the maritime area alone, it has been proven that 54 species of life become entangled in or ingest plastic parts, and 387 species travel through the oceans with the plastic streams. Plastic waste therefore affects our ecosystem and changes it massively.
Our recycling system also brings us less than one might think - so far only about 9% of the plastic ever produced has been recycled. The current recycling rate globally is 14%. Otherwise, 40% ends up in landfills, 14% in incinerators, 32% in our environment, the oceans and other bodies of water, or is burned uncontrollably.
Is there also “good” plastic?
As we find our way out of the plastic crisis, we need to focus on solutions. With our soulbottles made of glass or stainless steel, we have already been able to avoid more than 6,000 tons of plastic. But are there also plastics that can be used in other areas and will have less impact on people and the environment in the future? Bioplastics are always being discussed as an alternative to purely synthetic plastic.
This includes polylactic acid (PLA) , which is mostly made from corn, sugar cane or beet starch and is biodegradable . Unfortunately, this material has limited use, as conventional PLA can only withstand temperatures of up to 60°C.
However, high-quality bioplastics, such as PHA , which microbes produce in nature, have similar properties to conventional plastics. These are also biodegradable and represent a great opportunity that we as a society must take advantage of.
Research and development of bioplastics is already in full swing worldwide. We are excited to see how this will develop further.
Conclusion: The problem with plastic is complex and not easy to solve. However, we must now rethink and adapt our habits. By using it consciously, we can work together to overcome the plastic crisis and create a sustainable future for future generations.
