The use of plastic is massive around the whole world and it leaves huge environmental consequences. Since the world is using and generating plastic more and more every year, it is not only threatening our oceans and lands but also intensifying climate change.
Plastic production
The term plastic refers to materials made out of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, sulfur, chlorine, and nitrogen, among other components. The qualities of a produced or synthetic plastic are frequently designed to resemble those of natural materials. Plastics are made using two primary processes such as polymerisation and polycondensation. Monomers like ethylene and propylene are associated in a polymerisation reactor to establish long polymer chains. Every polymer, based on the types of monomers employed, has its unique set of characteristics, size, and form.
How does plastic contribute to climate change?
Plastic is designed to last for a very long time, making it a persistent pollution of the planet. According to scientific research, plastic is accountable for 4 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, making it a significant contributor to climate change. Plastic production worldwide, as conducted by Statista, reached about 368 million metric tons in 2019, with Europe generating 57.9 million metric tons of that total. By 2050, the worldwide rate of emissions from plastic manufacturing will reach 15% if present trends continue.
Oil-based chemicals like natural gas and petroleum are often used to produce nearly all plastic products. These chemicals are purified and converted into basic building blocks like ethylene and propylene which require a massive amount of fuel and energy for transportation. Throughout the processing and transportation of plastic resins, carbon dioxide and methane are released. The production of plastic raisins contributes to 61 per cent of the overall plastic greenhouse gas emissions. When these are turned into usable plastic items, an additional 30 per cent of emissions is released.
How to prevent a crisis from happening?
Climate change and plastic pollution are two serious environmental problems that need immediate action in order to reduce the impact they will leave on future generations. We can substantially minimize the effect of plastic by investing in other alternatives such as paper packaging, and reusable shopping bags, as well as educate ourselves about the brands we buy from. For example, brands such as Morrisons or Lidl offer environmentally-friendly packing to their customers. Lidl offers as the first UK brand to provide packaging made from ocean plastic collected from beaches. They are dedicated to addressing the issue of plastic waste and supporting the need to minimize it. Their goal is to have 20% less plastic on their packaging products and using more recycled plastic by 2025. Lidl has also replaced products such as plastic straws, cups, and plates with paper, wood, or biodegradable solutions.
The use of plastic is practically unavoidable for the average customer due to the lack of options and alternatives. Packaging solutions such as policies that require customers to use less plastic and recyclable food containers, can assist consumers in reducing their plastic usage. Kimbino is also a website that provides leaflets with discounted products of well-known brands including Lidl, Morrisons, Aldi, Makro, and more. Additionally, the leaflets are only in digital format in order to protect the environment while also displaying special deals and offers of a variety of products. This contributes to reducing waste, and as a result protecting the environment.
Burning trash is one “solution” that society has turned to due to the fact that the areas available to discard plastic have become increasingly limited. However, this approach emits harmful chemicals and spreads pollutants into the atmosphere as well as accounts for 38% of all carbon emissions from plastic pollution.
Encouraging the development of policies that hold plastic production companies accountable for the pollution generated by their products is also another way to help reduce waste and protect the environment. Everyday actions as well as the commitment to plastic elimination policies, will significantly contribute to the prevention of climate change consequences and the recovery of our environment.
