Member Article

Building a greener future with plastic

By Megan Carr, marketing assistant, The Omega Plastics Group

Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are surrounded by evidence of the role plastic plays in our modern society. Whether it’s the computer frame you’re looking at now, the fire alarm in your workplace, the kitchen utensils at home, the interior of the car that will take you there or the medical devices we will all depend upon at some stage in our lives, plastic is everywhere.

The versatility of plastic is beyond doubt but legitimate questions have been posed about the sustainability of the material; questions our industry must address.

Concerns have been raised about the process to manufacture plastic products and how we deal with the non-biodegradable waste materials. Restrictions on landfill and high profile campaigns to promote commercial and domestic recycling are part of the solution.

What is often overlooked however, is the positive contribution the plastics industry can make to the protection of our environment.

Advances in plastic injection moulding, a manufacturing technique that is a speciality of The Omega Plastics Group, has seen energy demand in the production process slashed by between 25 and 50% in the last 10 years.

And with plastic being such a relatively lightweight material, many manufacturers are now choosing polymers as an alternative to metal. As a result some of our more energy intensive industries, such as automotive and aerospace, have been able to minimise their carbon footprint by saving fuel and reducing emissions. For example, every 100kg of plastic in a car can replace between 200 and 300 kg of other, heavier materials. Over the average lifespan of a vehicle every 100kg of plastic will reduce fuel consumption by 750 litres.

In the construction sector, plastic is increasingly the material of choice for various building insulation and energy efficiency techniques. According to the British Plastics Federation, if all new buildings in Europe were constructed to optimal standards some 460 million tonnes of CO2 would be saved every year.

Energy costs place a huge burden on business so where savings can be made, jobs can be protected and further investment in research and development can be enabled. True sustainability is based on such economic, social and environmental pillars.

That’s why plastic injection moulding and the positive contribution it makes to our economy and the environment is such a vital process and one in which we continue to invest heavily.

Please visit our website to find out more about The Omega Plastics Group and our work (http://www.omega-plastics.co.uk/).

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Round Table Solutions Ltd .