The capitalist industry has been exploiting raw materials in unsustainable amounts for centuries. Only recently, a handful of responsible companies have started questioning the life of the source materials used to manufacture their products. What happens to these materials after the useful life of their products? Society is beginning to redesign and reimagine the materials used in products and structures and how they can be reduced, reused, and recycled.
This article covers how new technologies and techniques can reverse climate change with a focus on plastic.
Is it possible to go shopping without buying plastic? Sure, but it could be considered a challenge. Indeed, we are surrounded by plastic everywhere, from clothing to computers, furniture to football fields. And it is normal; it has remarkable properties that make it one of the most valuable materials discovered. So it's a shame that plastic, as we know it, begins as fossil fuels and -the vast majority- ends at dumps or seas. In fact, 5-6% of the world's oil production becomes feedstock for plastic manufacturing.
Since 2015, 350 million tons of plastic have been produced annually. And this number is only expected to quadruple by 2050. This is because fossil fuel companies like Shell or BP see the plastic as a lifeguard for the renewables era. So it is also an opportunity to further expand their business. For this reason, these companies are investing millions in plastic-producing factories.
Bioplastic comes to the rescue! It turns out that the polymers that breed plastic are everywhere in nature. Experts estimate that 90% of current plastic could be derived from plants or algae. Such bio-based plastics are also often biodegradable, meaning their life could start on the ground and return to it after use. In general, these bioplastics also generate lower carbon emissions than their fuel-based counterparts.
Bioplastic emerged as an alternative to ivory billiards balls in the 19th century. They were in the form of a material named celluloid, which comes from cellulose (the most abundant organic material on Earth) in cotton. The discovery turned out to be less than ideal for billiards balls. Nonetheless, celluloid could be used for many other products: from toothbrushes to cars. Moreover, celluloid inspired the creation of petroleum-based plastic, the main form of plastic nowadays.
Currently, scientists are exploring new bio alternatives to plastic. But, beware, some types of bioplastic we use today, like those based on polyethylene (PE), are not biodegradable. One example of these is shopping bags made from sugarcane or corn. However, bio-plastics made from PHA or PLA are also bio-degradable (PLA only under high temperatures - not in the sea or home compost bins). These are the types of plastic found in disposable cups, for example.
Globally, only 5% of plastics are successfully recycled. In contrast, a third of all plastics end up in ecosystems. If this trend continues, it is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans.
One of the main problems with bioplastics is that they can't be composed unless separated from "normal" plastic. This means that we should have a unique bin for bioplastics, separated from regular plastics. And to properly separate both types of plastic, we should be able to distinguish them first... not always an easy task. Furthermore, mixing both bio and conventional plastics, conventional plastic becomes unstable and unusable, so it can't be recycled. Bioplastic is meant to go to the dump without appropriate separation and processing.
In addition, bioplastics are not economically viable (in the capitalist sense) compared to fossil fuel-based plastic because of the lack of economies of scale. This is especially true when combined with low oil prices.
So, how can we establish bioplastics as the standard plastic form? First, we should claim our institutions for bio-preferred programs and targeted plastic bans. In addition, as discussed before, creating proper recycling programs is a must to ensure bioplastic is not dumped but biodegraded. Finally, you can move your money out of the fossil fuel industry to allow for fairer economic viability. This can be accomplished by ensuring your bank is not investing in fossil fuels. Using this tool (https://bank.green), you can investigate how your bank contributes to climate change.
Plastic is just one of the many contributors to global warming. In future posts, we will continue to discuss alternatives to other materials such as cement, or refrigerators, which can be even more pollutants than plastic. If you do not want to miss these posts, make sure to subscribe to the Solarpunk Words newsletter!
Sources
Capitalism is killing the planet – it's time to stop buying into our own destruction (The Guardian)
Fossil fuel companies are counting on plastics to save them (Grist)
https://www.european-bioplastics.org/bioplastics/
Hawken, P., 2017. Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed To Reverse Global Warming. pp.168-169.