Plastics,the "material of choice" is also the "material of possible"... 

Their intelligent application has made much of modern life possible.  Synonymous with innovation and invention, plastics have revolutionized almost every aspect of our lives – from how we grow our food, heat our homes, communicate with each other, to the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the kinds of packaged foods we purchase, and how we receive medical care.

For instance:

• Plastics are used to safely package and transport most of our food and drink
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• To make air and sea travel safer (for more...)
• We use plastic pipes to carry our drinking water safely and efficiently, and to get rid of sewerage (for more …)
• Many of the toys our children play with are made of plastics
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• Plastics also help in fire safety (for more …)
• In our cars, lightweight plastics protect us and enhance our comfort while adding considerably to fuel savings (for more …)
• Plastics in Construction... 30 per cent of all plastics produced each year are used in the civil engineering and building industries
• Plastics in Medicine have prolonged, improved and saved lives.

Intelligent plastics are highly engineered solutions

“Intelligent” plastics surround us; they make our lives easier; they protect those who protect us; they keep us from harm; they conserve our resources. They have even enabled space exploration. Lycra®, Kevlar®, Nomex®, Dacron®, Teflon®, Lexan®, Gortex® ... are just a few examples of the intelligent plastics that have made modern life possible.

Useful links: Canadian Plastics Association - "Intelligent Plastics" website.

Plastics in packaging

All packaging materials intended for food contact must fulfil strict legal requirements at national and international levels. Plastics meet these requirements; they are firmly established as indispensable packaging materials. Over half of all plastic packaging are used in this sector. Their unparalleled versatility shows in a multitude of ways, e.g. as packaging films for fresh meats, bottles for beverages, edible oils and sauces, or fruit yoghurt cups and margarine tubs – with singular ease.

The commercial success of plastics as a packaging product is due to a combination of their flexibility (from film to rigid applications), strength, lightness, stability, impermeability and easy sterilisation. Plastics food packaging does not affect the taste and quality of the foodstuffs it is used to protect. In fact, the barrier properties of plastics ensure that food keeps its natural taste while protecting it from external contamination.

• Safe and hygienic
  Plastics are also ideal for use in packaging medicines, because they protect against contamination and help prevent the spread of germs during manufacture, distribution and display. Tamper-proof closures provide added protection and security.
  
• Cutting transport energy
  Lightweight packaging means lighter loads or fewer lorries needed to ship the same amount of product, helping to reduce transportation energy, decrease emissions and lower shipping costs. Lightweight packaging also helps to reduce the amount of waste generated or the amount of a material that needs to be recycled after a package is used.

• The UK Household Plastics Packaging Collection Survey 2009, commissioned by Recoup and sponsored by Reckitt Benckiser, shows an encouraging increase in the bottle recycling rate, with almost 40% of plastic bottles now being collected for recycling.

  More local authorities are also reported to be collecting non-bottle plastics for recycling.

  In 2008 approximately 238,000 tonnes of plastics packaging were collected for recycling. From this total, 216,000 tonnes was specifically reported as plastic bottles, an encouraging 19% increase on previous data.

  A further 22,000 tonnes was attributed to non-bottle plastic packaging collections.

  “This year’s report is aimed at being a ‘one stop’ resource for all those involved in UK plastics packaging collection, sorting and reprocessing,” said Edward Butt, vice-president of sustainability at Reckitt Benckiser.

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Plastics in water pipes

Plastic pipes have an impressive record for carrying drinking water, waste water and chemicals. Water utility managers and engineering firms choose plastics because of their corrosion resistance, longevity and durability. These pipes do not corrode or decompose with the passage of time. They are light weight, easier to install than other piping systems, faster to install as well as being more cost effective than other piping systems. They can be used for both above and below ground applications. Durability and weather resistance means they are ideal for long-life applications like building and construction, which keeps maintenance to a minimum. Exterior or underground cables and pipes can last over 50 years.

In terms of installation, versatility, performance, reliability, maintenance needs and environmental impact, more and more evidence is accumulating to show that plastic pipe solutions now have the edge over other materials.

Source: Teppfa

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Plastics and children’s products

From bicycle helmets and flotation devices to kneecaps and other protective sporting gear, plastics help keep children safe everyday. Plastic devices can help reduce the risks of accidental injuries.

For close to 50 years, the world's toymakers have been using plastics to make some of the best known and most popular toys and children's products. That’s because plastics are one of the most thoroughly tested, well-researched materials on the market today. Moreover, plastics have been carefully and continually examined by the world's leading governmental health authorities. Those groups continue to give plastics their approval for even the most demanding and health-sensitive children's products. A good safety record isn't the only reason the toy industry uses plastics. Its exceptional durability makes it a smart choice for products that must withstand extremely demanding use conditions. Its ability to be formulated in almost infinite ways means that it can be used for both flexible and rigid applications. But the most important reason lies with the ultimate consumers: parents and their children. Plastics give them safe, affordable, durable toys and allow manufacturers to bring them exciting new products quickly and economically.

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Plastics in fire safety

We find flame retardant plastics in many daily life products: In construction and in electrical or electronic equipment, in motorcars, buses and trains. Flame retardants have important functions. They clearly reduce the fire risk and fire spreading, enabling longer escape times. In this manner they protect humans, property and the environment.

For flame retardants, the obvious focus is on aspects of use. However, sometimes concerns are voiced against the use of flame retardants. It is always necessary to weigh benefits against risks. This conflict also becomes evident in the divergent positions of consumer organizations in Europe and the USA, respectively.

Plastics in cars

Plastics are the material of choice in a number of developments in the automotive sector as they allow for energy absorption, weight reduction and design freedom. Plastics greatly contribute to safety and protect passengers in many ways. Think of safety features such as shock absorption for bumpers, suppression of explosion risks in fuel tanks,seat belts, airbags and other life saving accessories such as durable plastic safety seats to protect our youngest passengers.

Furthermore, it is estimated that on average modern day car plastics components help to reduce the fuel consumption by 750 litres over a life span of 150,000km. This means that the consumer not only reduces the fuel cost but also reduces CO2 emissions. All this is achieved without compromising either safety or performance since, although plastics are lightweight, one of their main benefits is strength.

At the end of a vehicle’s working life, plastics components can be recycled or the energy can be recovered through incineration. Plastic's versatility aids the automotive industry in meeting ever more stringent requirements in terms of economical performance, safety, comfort and environmental considerations.

Did you know…

Plastics make up a larger percentage of each car with each year – in fact 8,5 percent of most cars is made of various plastics!

Why? 

Because plastics are strong, versatile, lightweight and flexible, and can handle increasingly high temperatures. 

Every time we put our trust in a nylon seatbelt, or a thermoplastic polyolefin airbag to protect our families, we should actually be exclaiming “Aren’t plastics absolutely fantastic?” After all, imagine an airbag made from timber or stainless steel – it would have a pretty different outcome.

Another fact to consider: today’s cars use less than 1 percent of their fuel energy to move the driver.  Only 13 pecent of the fuel energy reaches the wheels and just 6 percent accelerates the vehicle – 95 percent of the weight it pushes is its own, not the driver’s.    Lightweighting in the manufacture of cars is becoming more and more important. 

In manufacture, recycling, transport, spare part logistics and everything else, PLASTIC is providing a GREENER solution.  

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Plastics in Air and Sea Travel

The requirements of aerospace require maximum design flexibility and minimal weight. Plastics can be formulated to meet a wide variety of specifications and are ideal for components incorporating smooth curves.

Engineers at Bristol University in the U.K. have created plastic technologies that could one-day lead to the development of airplanes that can literally fix themselves while they are still in the air.

Interestingly, the British engineers were inspired by human biology; their plastic technology emulates the healing process in living organisms.

The self-healing plastics have micro tubes of epoxy resin embedded inside fiber-reinforced polymers. When a plane stretches and cracks, the resin in these tiny tubes oozes out, hardens, and patches the crack.

Because most of the wear and tear on airplanes is too small to be perceptible to the human eye, the Bristol engineers also dyed the resin with an ultraviolet pigment. To determine if or where the plane has healed itself, mechanical crews simply turn on the black lights, find the patches and perform a more permanent fix.

THEY'RE plastic and fantastic - commercial boats built entirely of polyethylene

Plastic boats don't corrode or conduct electricity. They don't crack, dent or deteriorate. They don't need paint or anti-fouling. They're light, cheap and highly durable (no rust, no corrosion, no painting). Best of all, they're literally unsinkable.

``The material floats on its own, so in the event that something does go wrong the boat's going to float,'' says Australian company, Polyline’s managing director David Wilkie said. ``These are the biggest fabricated plastic boats in the world, but they're also the biggest conventional hulls, which are shock absorbent. Everything - from the handrails to the bollards, cabin shelving and console - is made of plastic.”

The only non-plastic items on the vessels are the glass windows and engines.

``We've got boats in the water that have been there for 10 years now and are still in the same condition as when we first built them. The possibilities with plastic are endless, especially for military use,'' Mr Wilkie said. ``They are noise-absorbent, almost invisible to radar and are not magnetic, so could be used for minesweepers.

Plastics in Construction

Did you know that although the construction industry is traditionally associated with heavy bulk materials, over 30 per cent of all plastics produced each year are used in the civil engineering and building industries?

Plastics are responsible for countless facets of the modern life enjoyed by many today. From health, nutrition, shelter and transportation to safety, communication, sports, leisure activities and innovations of industry - plastics deliver bountiful benefits throughout the world.

In this context, plastics offer many advantages over conventional materials, and can be combined with fibres to form composites which have enhanced properties, enabling them to be used as structural members and units.

A new era has evolved for composites and plastics in construction. This era is characterised by totally new approaches to the use of composites and plastics in homes, buildings, roads, bridges and other structures. Industry players are no longer limited to the approaches of the past, which were dictated by the properties of conventional construction materials, and can now exploit the advantages that composites have to offer: strength, lightweight, corrosion resistance, design flexibility, ease of production etc.

What is "Green Building"?

Sustainable or “green building” design and construction is the opportunity to use our resources more efficiently, while creating healthier and more energy-efficient homes. Although there is no magic formula, success comes in the form of leaving a lighter footprint on the environment through conservation of resources, while at the same time balancing energy-efficient, cost-effective, low-maintenance products for our construction needs. In other words, green building design involves finding the delicate balance between homebuilding and the sustainable environment.

Many people do not know rigid and blown foamed insulation is made of plastics or that the use of plastics in building and construction often uses less energy and creates less greenhouse gas per application than traditional materials. For a free fully documented, peer-reviewed and published “cradle-to-gate” life cycle inventory (LCI) of nine major plastic resins and two polyurethane precursors, click here. For additional LCI information on a particular product to compare environmental impacts, contact the specific product manufacturer.

Affordable, Safe, and Energy-efficient Housing Technology using Expanded Polystyrene is an integral part of construction in South Africa. Advantages include:

• Energy Efficiency
• Low Maintenance
• Quick and Easy to Build
• Cost Competitive
• “Green”

For more information on polystyrene, visit the website of EPSASA (Expanded Polystyrene Association of South Africa).

Facts on Plastics in Construction

Plastics in Medicine

In the past few decades, plastics have made health care simpler and less painful and made new techniques and prostheses possible. They have reduced contamination, relieved pain and cut medical costs. They have prolonged, improved and saved lives. .

Plastics are key components of modern prosthetic devices, providing comfort, flexibility, mobility and a life-like appearance.

Plastics permeate medicine. From the smallest tubing to the open MRI machine, plastics deliver when lives are on the line.

The United States has the lowest rate of cross-staph infection in the world as a result of its use of plastic medical disposables.

Plastics have helped reduce the weight of eyeglass frames and lenses, while improving their strength and shatter resistance. Plastics also provide vision-impaired consumers with another option: contact lenses.

Not too long ago, almost no medical packaging had tamper-evident seals. Today, nearly 100 percent of all pharmaceutical packaging does. In addition, child-resistant caps help keep medicines away from little hands

Artificial hips and knees use plastics to help provide smoothly working, trouble-free joints.

Surgical gloves made of soft pliable plastic help preserve the sterile environment of hospital operating rooms.

As the need for home health care continues to increase, plastics will play a major role in creating simple, portable and effective medical devices.

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