With this concluding segment of our series, we turn our attentions to polymers in particular.
The 2020s have wrought changes in all segments of society, industry, and daily life. The field of plastics and polymers appears as affected as any. In this Part 3 of “Plastics: What Lies Ahead?” we share a roundup of eye-opening directions, departures, and developments in the world of plastics, polymers, resins, and their like.
As we have noted in the two previous articles, politics have been paramount in the changes we are seeing. The push for biodegradable plastics, recyclable plastics, and re-usable plastics (as opposed to single-use plastics) has altered the landscape.
Polymers and Today’s Shifting Winds
And the news that emerges from that pre-ponderance of the market is generally slight, if only because petroleum-based plastics are slogging through their worst days ever, in terms of public opinion. It’s worth saying, though, that even the petrochemical industry is hard at work with developments and innovations to minimize or even, in some cases, eliminate their perceived negatives.
But bio-based alternatives are all the rage today, and that’s what has dominated our series. Further, that’s what dominates our coverage in this article as well. We only share the “other side” here to keep things in perspective. It’s not just conventional plastics that have suffered in image—it is all oil and gas commodities altogether: fuel, fertilizers, and a whole range of applications.
Polymers Can Be Biodegradable
But public opinion favors renewable, recyclable, biodegradable, and sustainable alternatives, and the 2020s have exploded with them.
Corporations seem bent on outstripping one another in new product entries and endeavors. Even such a company as Republic Services is getting into the act. Republic Services, Inc., specializes in waste removal specialist. Not exactly a business one connects with environmentalism.
Know Your Plastics
As Republic observes, demand keeps growing for recycled plastic to use in consumer packaging. So consumers need to ensure that plastic bottles, jugs, and containers make their way into the recycling bin.
Today in the United States, only about 30 percent of single-use plastic bottles and jugs are recycled. While recycling rates are low, demand is high for this recycled plastic. Many consumer brands have pledged to use more recycled content in their packaging. Some states are even requiring it.
Myth Busters
Republic shared its top 5 plastics recycling myths, which we repeat here:
Myth: Plastic doesn’t really get recycled. Fact: Plastic bottles, jugs, containers and tubs are widely accepted for recycling in communities across the country, and there is strong demand for these materials.
Myth: Anything plastic can go in your recycling bin. Fact: Know what to throw. Generally, plastic bottles with necks or handles, or plastic containers and tubs are recyclable in your curbside container.
Myth: Plastic grocery bags can be recycled curbside. Fact: Plastic bags require special handling to be recycled and should not go in your curbside container. Return them to collection bins at the grocery or big-box store.
Myth: You should bag your recyclables. Fact: Recyclables should never be bagged. Place them loose in your recycling bin. Plastic bags can wrap around and jam equipment at recycling facilities, causing delays or damage.
Myth: Anything with a recycling symbol should go in your recycling bin. Fact: The “chasing arrows” symbol generally identifies the type of plastic used in a container. Or it indicates that an item contains recycled content. But it does not mean that an item is recyclable.
It’s Called a Polymer Center
Republic Services advances plastics recycling and circularity through development of the nation’s first integrated plastics recycling facility. Republic’s first Polymer Center intends to process plastics from recycling facilities across the West. They will also produce high-quality recycled plastic for use in consumer packaging. The center will open in 2023 in Las Vegas, with plans for two to three additional sites for national coverage to follow. For more information, visit RepublicServices.com/PolymerCenter.
For more recycling tips, visit RecyclingSimplified.com.
Polymers and Other Plastics Improve Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles (EVs) keep gaining market share, and plastics supply much of the reason why.
Rapid adoption of electric vehicles across the globe accounts for one of the change. So does increasing use of polymers in interiors of EVs. And increasing focus on manufacturing lightweight electric vehicles also will drive market growth.
According to the latest report by Reports and Data, the global electric vehicle (car) polymers market size was $6.9 billion in 2020 and should reach $418 billion in 2028. That would mean that the niche registers a Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 67 percent during the forecast period, 2021-2028.
Polymers Save Dollars
The technology of electric vehicles depends on high efficiency and good strength-to-weight ratio, a trends that favors increased use of lightweight materials. Polymers provide long-term performance and efficiency gains and have proven to improve fuel efficiency by 5 percent. Rapid advancement in polymer science have further broadened their application scope in automotive applications.
Polymers find wide use in sensor shields, brackets, insulation, EV charging stations, as well as in battery separators and coatings. Increasing use of polymers means reduce noise, vibration, and harshness level. They boost efficiency and performance of electric vehicles. They supply key benefits that will drive market revenue growth over the forecast period.
Plastics Recycling Has High Upside
Plastics recycling, as an industry, holds potential of some $50 billion in revenues. If, indeed, the business sector embraces the niche in coming years. According to analysis by Markets & Markets, chemical companies will adopt initiatives across the value chain to improve quality of recycled plastics. And they will address sorting challenges. Governments are fast leaning towards environmental sustainability.
Different economies have different recycling rates. Currently the rates range between 20-30 percent globally, although higher in developed economies. Markets & Markets’ research and analysis focused on high growth and niche markets. These should supply some 80 percent of the revenues of companies in the plastic recycling ecosystem over the next 5-10 years.
A Polymers Breakthrough
An organization known as Green Science Alliance has worked hard to replace petrochemical derived products with nature biomass derived chemical products. Most recently, Dr. Ryohei Mori of Green Science developed a biodegradable coating material based on PLA (Poly Lactic Acid). The process yields a product with 100 percent natural biomass.
The special grade of PLA used in this coating material (see photo) is environmentally friendly and nature derived. Other additives in this product come from nature derived materials. Also producers can coat or paint this PLA. Green Science Alliance plans to apply color to make PLA based ink and paint.
Polymers: PLA Usage to Nearly Double in Five Years
Indeed, PLA will go places. According to a new market research report by Markets & Markets, the trade in PLA is projected to grow markedly. From a volume of $1 billion (as of 2021), the niche should climb to $1.9 billion by the year 2026.
PLA, a linear, aliphatic polyester synthesized from lactic acid monomers, biodegrades. PLA has characteristics similar to polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), or polystyrene (PS). This compostable material comprises the most-used type of biodegradable plastic derived from renewable resources. That includes corn starch, tapioca roots, chips, starch, or sugarcane.
Packaging comprises the largest end-use industry for PLA, with a high CAGR of 13 percent during the forecast period. The need for sustainable solutions spans several industry verticals, including food and beverages and e-commerce.
Getting in Step with “the Robbie”
Another polymer grabs another headline.
In March, the company known as Braskem announced its involvement in a new shoe line. This line employs a polyolefin produced by this company that leads the industry in that sector (polyolefin, not shoes). Teaming with the Native Shoes company, the group launched the all-new Robbie footwear. The Robbie features Braskem’s renewable and carbon negative “I’m Green (TM)” bio-based EVA polymer.
Braskem’s Renato Yoshino remarked that “Native Shoes is helping lead the movement to meet the growing consumer demand for more environmentally conscious footwear and taking fashion to the next level of sustainability. Braskem delights to work with like-minded partners around new sustainably focused products.” Braskem’s “I’m green” bio-based EVA comes from sugarcane. For more information on The Robbie visit Native Shoe online at www.nativeshoes.com/robbie-collection.
It seems the heavier the world gets, the more it needs lightness. That’s why Native Shoes exists. Founded in 2009, Native Shoes fuses innovation, creativity, and curiosity to create a lighter, happier world. They innovate bio-based materials and animal-free design. They also recycle well-loved shoes via the Native Shoes Remix™ Project. Native Shoes’ purpose? To make it easy for all to Live Lightly, every step of the way.
Plastics: Change is the Constant
To live lightly—that motto could well sum up what so many in the plastics world are striving to do. We covered a lot of innovative ground in this series. Our summation: the world of plastics, polymers, resins, and other materials now know the greatest epoch of change this industry has ever seen.
The word “plastic” itself means moldable, changeable, shapeable. Never have these materials been put through so much scrutiny, study, and scientific rigor. It’s a special time in this world, and someday we may all look back on the 2020s as the most eventful years of our trade.
Thank you for following along in this series. And thank you for being involved an industry we all know and value.
In case you missed them, make sure to read parts 1 & 2 of this series:
Part 1: The Plastics Transformation
Part 2: Shifting Winds: Plastics Face Big Changes
Part 1: The Plastics Transformation
Part 2: Shifting Winds: Plastics Face Big Changes
