Can plastics manufacturing be environmentally friendly?
Between 2010 and 2019, the volume of plastic produced across the world increased by 100 million metric tons. Indeed, the variety of material characteristics, low cost and ease of plastic production has led the material to be used in a range of ways across many industries. From shopping bags to protective caps and electronic equipment, plastics have become one of the most widely used materials in the world.
Despite the advantages plastics can bring to consumers and manufacturers, the creation, use and disposal of the material has had a huge impact on the environment. From threatening marine life to changing soil composition and entering the human food chain, the dangers this material poses to the world’s health is widely recognised by consumers, governments, and the plastics industry itself.
So how are plastics manufacturers looking to improve the sustainability of their operations and is it possible to achieve environmentally friendly production?
This article explores:
What is plastics manufacturing?
Plastics manufacturing is the process of turning raw plastic materials into parts that can be used by other manufacturers or final products to be purchased by consumers. The conversion of raw materials into a product is known as primary processing, whereas the refinement or further use of these parts to create consumer goods is known as secondary processing.
Depending on the part’s design and material characteristics required, there are a huge range of manufacturing processes which can be used. These include:
- Dip moulding
- Injection moulding
- Blow moulding
- Thermoforming
- Extrusion
Alongside a variety of processes are a huge selection of plastics. This means manufacturers can easily find a plastic that offers the material characteristics they need to make their products or parts.
Typically, these plastics are separated into two main types: thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics.
Thermoplastics have a relatively low melting point and can be remoulded after they’ve been set into a final product or form.
In contrast, thermosetting plastics have a higher heat resistance and cannot be melted once they’ve been cured into their final shape.
To balance the requirements of the product or part with the type of polymers and manufacturing process necessary will be down to the expertise that plastics manufacturers offer to their customers.
What are the impacts of plastics on the environment?
The widespread use of plastics by consumers and manufacturers means that huge amounts of this material are created, moulded and disposed of every day. These processes have a significant impact on the environment, from pieces of plastic being consumed by wildlife to the toxins released into soil. However, there are three main sustainability challenges that plastics manufacturers are looking to tackle.
Petroleum usage
The majority of polymer materials are created using unsustainable sources. Indeed, 98% of single-use plastic products are created using fossil fuels. This means a significant proportion of the world’s fuel is used to create plastics, meaning polymers put significant demand and strain on the earth’s resources.
Plus, the use of fossil fuels means plastics significantly impact the environment at both ends of their life cycle. Creating the raw plastic resins releases significant greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and when the plastics break down and decompose, fuel chemicals and toxins are released into the environment. This has a significant impact on human health, soil composition and marine life.
High energy consumption
Almost every sector of business and industry makes use of plastics in their products. This is the case across the globe. To create the parts and goods that these sectors require, a range of manufacturing processes need to take place. To drive the machinery and operation of these collective processes, huge amounts of energy are consumed.
Although some of this energy includes electricity, which can be sustainably sourced, part of this energy is driven by gas, oil and hydraulics, which are unsustainable and produce high levels of greenhouse gases.
End-of-life waste
When mass plastic production first began, all of the plastic waste and end-of-life products ended up in landfill. With most plastics taking thousands of years to decompose and decay, this waste started to overflow into seas, oceans and wildlife’s natural habitats as well as releasing microplastics and toxins into the environment.
Although many governments and countries now have sustainable processes to deal with plastic waste and end-of-life products, National Geographic estimates that 91% of the world’s plastic isn’t recycled. As a result, plastics manufacturers, industry associations and governments are prioritising environmentally friendly ways to deal with plastic waste.
How is the sector tackling this environmental impact?
Having recognised the impact that plastics are having on human health and the natural environment, more consumers, governments and activist groups than ever are challenging plastics manufacturers to make their operations and processes more sustainable.
From sourcing more environmentally friendly plastics to making manufacturing more energy efficient and processing waste or end-of-life products with minimal impact, there are many ways the sector is working hard to become more sustainable.
Developing sustainable plastics
Previously, polymer technologies were developed to create plastics that had beneficial material or performance characteristics. Now, these researchers and their budgets are being directed into creating plastics that are less impactful on the environment. They’re doing this by addressing some of the sustainability challenges of modern plastics, including:
- Reducing the use of fossil fuel in polymer materials while still maintaining the beneficial material characteristics. This has been one of the main challenges for plastics developers over the past 30 years as, although many sustainable sources can be used to create plastics, it’s not until now that materials which are as usable and versatile as the fossil fuel-based alternatives have been developed. These are called bioplastics and are made from sustainable materials such as sugar cane, corn starch, vegetable fats and oils or microorganisms.
- Minimising the damage pieces of plastic can cause to the environment and the amount of space plastics take up in landfill. Known as compostable plastics, these materials break down much faster than traditional polymer materials, usually over a few months. Broken down by living microorganisms in a similar way to other organic matter, they take up less space in landfill and don’t disintegrate into microplastics that can harm soils or wildlife.
- Preventing dangerous chemicals or toxins from entering the natural world, including soils, across rural areas and in water courses. Rather than being comprised of materials that are potentially damaging, biodegradable plastics are broken down by organisms into natural elements such as carbon dioxide and water. This makes them carbon neutral and mean they don’t cause risk to human and animal health.
Optimising manufacturing processes
Whether a manufacturer is creating a complex product or mass-producing simple components, the processes they use often require large amounts of energy to run. This doesn’t just lead to huge energy costs for these businesses but mean their operations produce lots of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases.
Even manufacturers with electricity-driven processes see their sustainability impacted, especially in countries where power is produced using fossil fuels. However, there are a few ways that plastics manufacturers are working to improve their energy efficiency:
- Switching off machinery when not in use: idling machinery consumes huge amounts of energy, particularly if it is left for long periods of time or overnight. This doesn’t just have impact on energy efficiency, but means manufacturers are spending money on electricity that isn’t being used in production. Automating machinery to turn off when it’s idle or not in use can help to minimise the amount of electricity use and improve an operation’s energy efficiency.
- Moving away from legacy machinery: even if it is well-maintained, machines will stop to operate efficiently after a certain period. Some machinery might even be powered by unsustainable energy such as oil or hydraulic systems. By switching from hydraulic to electric machinery, some manufacturers are experiencing an increase in energy efficiency of up to 80%. This doesn’t just help manufacturers be more sustainable but save money too.
- Optimising operational efficiency: with smarter machinery, sensors and internet of things (IoT) systems, manufacturers have greater visibility over their operations than ever before. By using this data, they can quickly identify any inefficiencies in their processes and fix them, reducing their energy usage and making operations more sustainable.
- Using predictive maintenance: keeping machinery running at its optimum level will ensure no excess energy is wasted. Predictive maintenance will ensure that manufacturers can maximise their machinery’s performance and energy usage as well as reducing the risk of downtime.
- Focusing on wider energy usage: shopfloor operations aren’t the only place where manufacturers can save energy. Offices, toilets and staff kitchens are all places where energy can be saved, whether it’s by switching to LED lighting, closing office doors to keep rooms warm and putting heating systems on a thermostat-based system.
Preventing plastic waste
Whether it is at the end of a product’s life or during the manufacturing process, reducing the amount of plastic waste will make it less likely to end up in landfill or damage the natural environment. To do this, many manufacturers are switching from a linear economy to a circular economy.
There are three main ways that plastics manufacturers are working to minimise the amount of material waste they produce as part of a circular economy:
- Reducing: tracing all of the plastic materials that enter a manufacturing plant and taking action to ensure only the amount that’s required is used during the process will help to reduce the number of raw materials that are wasted.
- Reusing: recircling excess plastic back into their processes is the main way plastics manufacturers reuse their raw material polymers. This means raw materials aren’t thrown away unnecessarily, maximising materials spend and minimising environmental impact.
- Recycling: whether it’s running an end-of-life recycling scheme with customers or ensuring any waste materials are disposed of sustainably, recycling is the final way manufacturers can look to reintroduce plastic into the circular economy.
Is injection moulding sustainable?
Injection moulding is one of the most common primary plastic manufacturing processes. Using specialist machinery, the process takes raw thermoplastic material, heats, and moulds it into the desired part or product shape. Its efficiency and relatively low cost make injection moulding a popular plastic manufacturing process. It also means it’s relatively sustainable compared to other types of processing.
However, there are some advantages and disadvantages that customers need to be aware of when looking to source sustainable plastic products and parts.
Advantages of injection moulding
- The injection moulding process uses a mould that can form even complex designs into their final shape easily. If the right moulds, plastics and controls are put in place, minimal waste will be created during injection moulding processes.
- With most modern injection moulding machines being powered by electricity, they’re relatively energy and carbon efficient, particularly if electricity is sourced sustainably. This is only enhanced when injection moulding machines are integrated with Industry 4.0 and predictive maintenance technology.
- Collecting and recircling any excess plastic back into the process, tracing all raw materials and recycling any polymer that can’t be used are all steps that responsible injection moulders can easily take to minimise their environmental impact.
Disadvantages of injection moulding
- If the polymer used is made from fossil fuels, produced in machines that aren’t entirely energy efficient and distributed using petrol vehicles to customers, then the carbon footprint of injection moulded products can be high. Though many manufacturers are now starting to introduce more sustainable plastics into their processes.
- The cost-effectiveness and speed of the injection moulding process means it’s used to produce a lot of single-use or disposable products. This means injection moulded parts that reach the end of their life can very rapidly take up space in landfill sites. However, some manufacturers are introducing end-of-life processes that will encourage their customers to recycle their products rather than dispose of them unsustainably.
- Injection moulders that use legacy machinery, don’t perform regular and effective maintenance, or run lights-out operations will have high levels of electricity consumption. Industry leaders are now integrating technologies into their injection moulding operations to ensure they’re operating as energy efficiently as possible.
Can plastics manufacturing be environmentally friendly?
Although there’s a long way to go for plastics manufacturers to become entirely environmentally friendly, progress is being made by certain businesses, such as Essentra Components, to make their operations more sustainable. This isn’t just important to help them meet the requirements of environmental regulations but future-proof and benefit their business.
There are three main areas where plastics manufacturers are working to become more environmentally friendly:
- energy efficiency
- plastic waste
- sustainable plastics
Prioritising energy efficiency
Wasting electricity doesn’t just impact on a businesses’ carbon neutrality and emissions levels, but on their organisational costs too. As a result, many manufacturers are looking to optimise energy usage across both their production processes and wider business.
Through innovative projects such as machine replacement schemes, installing LED lighting and increasing site insulation, Essentra Components is looking to do just that. Plus, it has set ambitious emissions targets including a 25% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2025 and making any direct operations carbon neutral by 2040.
Minimising plastic waste
Moving to a circular economy model and optimizing operations is enabling plastic manufacturers to reduce the amount of raw material that is going to landfill. By taking this approach, maintaining material traceability and continuously innovating on production lines, Essentra Components is aiming to reduce total waste production down to 20% earn Zero Waste To Landfill certification across all sites by 2030.
Sourcing sustainable plastics
Although sustainable plastics are currently expensive and not widely used, many industry-leading manufacturers are investing in new innovations that will make these materials more accessible to their customers. Having committed to sourcing 20% of packaging and polymer raw materials sustainably by 2025, Essentra Components is one of the organisations looking forward to the future of the plastics industry.
In short, by focusing on operational optimisation, setting ambitious targets and investing in new innovations, leading manufacturers such as Essentra Components are working to make the plastics industry more environmentally friendly.