Oct. 18, 2017NEWS RELEASE
7 Facts About Plastics and the Environment
that May Surprise You
TORONTO (Oct. 18, 2017) –We all know that plastics are part of our everyday lives, from air bags and seat belts that help save the lives of our loved ones… to zipper bags that help keep our kids’ lunches fresh.
But even though we rely on them every day, sometimes plastics can surprise us. Especially when it comes to one of today’s top priorities: our environment and what kind of planet we will leave our children and their children.
Here are seven notable facts about plastics and the environment that many are often surprised to learn…
1) Every day, plastics help us dramatically lower environmental impacts
Anew study[1]adds to the growing body of research on how plastics help us reduce our environmental footprint… by reducing material use, energy use, waste, and carbon emissions.This latest studyfinds that the environmental cost of using plastics in consumer products and packaging is nearlyfour times lessthan the cost of using other materials. The study says that replacing plastics with alternatives that perform the same function would increase environmental costs from $139 billion to $533 billion annually. Why the lower environmental cost for plastics? Because plastics help us do more with less material. For example…
2) Plastic packaging helps dramatically reduce both packaging waste and food waste
We all want to do more with less. Strong, lightweight plastics enable ourpackagingto do more with less. Similar to the study above, manylife cycle studieshave found that plastic packaging deliversmorefood with significantlylesswaste, energy use, and global warming potential than alternatives. And by extending the shelf life of healthful, nutritious foods, a little bit of plastic packaging can prevent a whole lot of food waste, ahuge environmental problem.
3) Plastics make up 50% of today’s cars, which helps significantly improve fuel efficiency
Lighter cars = less fuel use. To help our environment by improvingfuel efficiency, carmakers are increasingly turning tostrong yet lightweight plastics, includingcarbon fiber-reinforced plastics. Auto experts estimate that modern cars are comprised of 50 percent plastics by volume, yet only ten percent by weight.
Did you know that just a ten percent reduction in vehicle weight can increase fuel efficiency six to eight percent over the life of today’s cars? (And these lightweight plastics already play an integral role in manyauto safety features: seat belts, air bags, interior cushioning, crumple zones, bumpers, safety glass, and so on.)
4) Plastic building and insulation products save an enormous amount of energy
A significant percentage of Canada’s energy is used to power our homes and buildings—mainly for heating and cooling—so increasing home energy efficiency can help significantly reduce our energy use. Plasticbuilding products—from foam insulation to caulks/sealants to PEX pipes—help homeowners savebigon energy use. Alife cycle studyfound that the use ofplastic building materialssaved trillions of Btu energy per year over alternatives.The small amount of energy inherent in plastics saves a huge amount of energy over time.
5) We’re recycling more plastics than ever before
Plastics recycling has grown each year since we began measuring in the 1990s, and today we haveaccess to recycling programsfor a growing number of plastics, including bottles, caps, containers, lids, and bags/wraps (see below). According to arecent Post-Consumer Plastics Recycling study, North Americans recycled more than 322 million kilograms of post-consumer plastic packaging in 2015! And we can expect torecycle even more plasticsin the years ahead.
6) There are more than 18,000 places in North America to recycle plastic wraps
And your curbside recycling bin typically isn’t one of them. Instead, plastic wraps can be taken to recycling bins in front of more than18,000 North American grocery and retail stores, along with other plastic “film” packaging such as grocery bags, bread bags, food storage bags (even the sealable ones), shipping pillows, dry-cleaning bags, overwraps for beverage cases,and more. Just make sure they’re clean and dry.
7) Plastics makers are working to keep plastics out of our oceans
Everybody agrees that plastics don’t belong in our oceans—yet marine litter remains a stubborn problem.Plastics makers across the globe are workingtogether and partnering with governments, scientists, and others to find workable solutions to keep plastics out of our oceans. To date plastics makers have announced more than 260 projects to address marine litter, but there’s much more to be done. We all can do our part by working to prevent litter and byrecycling everythingwe can.
Surprised by some or all of these? You’re not alone.
The key lesson here: by doing more with less, by helping reduce food and packaging waste, by supporting our cars’ fuel-efficiency diet, by using just a little bit of energy to save a whole lot… by doing all these things, plastics help us reduce our environmental footprint. Every day. For ourselves. Our kids. And their kids…
For more facts about plastics that may surprise you, check out:Wait…That’s Plastic?
[1] “Plastics and Sustainability: A Valuation of Environmental Benefits, Costs, and Opportunities for Continuous Improvement,” Trucost, 2016.
Today's intelligent plastics are vital to the modern world. These materials enhance our lifestyles, our economy and the environment. For more information visit
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For More Information:
Darlene Gray
Canadian Plastics Industry Association
905.678.7748 ext. 239