Plastics - which feature among the most researched materials in the world - are integral to sustainable development. Thinner, lighter and more robust than most traditional materials thanks to continuous technological innovation, they help reduce energy use - and therefore greenhouse gas emissions - because they are lightweight in production, transport and use typically only 6% of the weight of its concrete equivalent.
It’s not only in the construction market that plastics play a vital role. In Western Europe, the automotive sector uses 1.7 million tonnes of plastics a year, requiring the equivalent of 3.25 million tonnes of oil to make. However, it is estimated that 12 million tonnes of oil are saved each year through fuel efficiencies from lightweight plastic vehicle components - leading to a subsequent reduction in CO2 emissions of 30 million tonnes per year. In addition at the end of the plastic’s life, the energy equivalent of 1.9 million tonnes of oil is available for recovery using an optimum combination of recovery techniques.
The use of plastics also means a reduction in quarrying activities, which are used for traditional materials such as clay or concrete, and the carbon footprint from transporting them.
“From the view of the total life cycle, plastics can be considered as one of the most energy-efficient materials.”
(source: “The Contribution of Plastic Products to Resource Efficiency”, Final Report, Gesellschaft fuer Umfassende Analysen/Corporation for Comprehensive Analyses, Vienna, January 2005).
Plastics and the Environment at a Glance:
- Lower density weight than traditional materials, so lower transport and installation costs
- Lower modulus than traditional materials means flexibility and reduced risk of breakage and pollution
- Strong and lightweight
- Pipe installations have reduced leakage compared with traditional materials because of longer pipe lengths and high-integrity joints
- Proven second life - recyclable
- No corrosion
- Chemically resistant