Menu

Search

  |   Business

Menu

  |   Business

Search

Plastic bottles “as dangerous as climate change”

One million plastic bottles are sold around the world every minute. That’s equivalent to 20,000 every second and the number keeps getting higher. For those in the plastics industry, this might sound like fantastic news – growing demand and increased sales means more revenue and profit. But according to the latest research, the cost to the planet could be incalculable.

A problem that won’t go away

The comparison with climate change might sound alarmist, but it is based on scientific fact from some of the world’s most respected researchers. The most frightening aspect to the crisis is that it is one that is only just beginning.

Although plastic was invented in the late 1800s, serious production and widespread use began in around 1950. In that relatively short time, we have manufactured approximately 9.2 billion tons of it. Unlike paper or cardboard, plastic will not biodegrade and return to nature – or if it does, it will take at least 500 years to do so. Yet of all the plastic ever made, around two thirds has been simply discarded, to end up in either landfill or the world’s oceans.

It might not be biodegradable, but it does break down into microplastics – small particles of plastic that are less than one fifth of an inch across. These are having a devastating effect on marine life and there are more than 7,000 species known to have been affected. From here, the problem goes still further. Marine species of all types eat the microplastics, and they then proceed into the human food chain – the effects of which are as yet completely unknown.

Little wonder, then, that the head of the United Nations Environment Assembly warned of an impending Ocean Armageddon at a summit in Nairobi last year.

The solutions are at our fingertips

Comparisons with climate change might, therefore, be appropriate, but they can also be dangerous. The problem with climate change is that it is such a fundamentally complex problem to address. To begin with, there are those who deny it even exists, and even if everyone agrees that it does, there is the fact that taking action demands a wholesale reassessment of the way mankind goes about creating its energy.

Compare this with the billions of bottles in the ocean. Nobody is denying they are there, and any 10-year-old could come up with an action plan that would practically eliminate the risk of us adding to the problem. The obvious solution comes in two parts, so let’s look at each in a little more detail.

Reduce plastic bottle usage

By far the most common type of plastic bottle is that used to contain water. In the western world, we are rapidly starting to get the idea that bottled water is a bad idea for a whole lot of reasons. The environmental impact is one – each plastic bottle uses more water in its manufacture than it ultimately contains – and price is another. Consumers are rapidly switching to household water filters instead as they are more cost effective, environmentally sound and arguably, better for health, too.

This is because in most cases, bottled water is nothing more or less than tap water that has been filtered. By purchasing a filter instead, householders know the type of filtration that has been performed and exactly what contaminants have been removed. They can also rest assured that there is no risk of BPA leaching from the bottle into the water.

The biggest challenge, however, is not to persuade the western world. The purchase of bottled water is skyrocketing in Asia, and particularly in China, which accounted for almost a quarter of global consumption in 2016. Here, increased urbanization has combined with changing attitudes and a desire to lead a more westernized lifestyle. Bottled water suppliers have latched on to this and are marketing bottled water on the go as part of this.

Recycle

In the US or the UK, the plastic bottle recycling facilities are a familiar sight, and consumers are adept at using them. In the tiger economies, however, there are both cultural and infrastructure challenges to recycling. Facilities exist to recycle plastic bottles, but the vast majority get thrown away, typically into rivers and water courses, from there, finding their way into the world’s oceans.

The other problem with recycling is that the major manufacturers have little interest in using recycled plastic (RPet). Companies like Nestle and Coca Cola use less than seven percent RPet in their bottles for cosmetic reasons – the bottles could be made from 100 percent RPet, but would not have the same clear, shiny finish.

It’s time to take action

As we stand on the brink of an environmental disaster, we have the power to do something about it. The real question is whether governments, manufacturers and the general population will stand up and take action now, or whether this will be an even bigger disaster that we bequeath to our children and grandchildren.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.

  • Market Data
Close

Welcome to EconoTimes

Sign up for daily updates for the most important
stories unfolding in the global economy.