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Plastics

Plastics

Facts

  • The global annual plastic consumption is forecast to reach 1.2 billion tonnes by 2060. While plastic has become a ubiquitous feature of our daily lives, the UNEP estimates that 19-23 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into aquatic ecosystems each year (SOURCE: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)).
     
  • Around 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean annually, damaging ecosystems and marine life.
     
  • Depending on the polymer type, plastics can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose, and some studies suggest certain items may persist for over 1,000 years — breaking down into microplastics rather than truly disappearing.
     
  • Vinyl chloride, the base chemical in PVC manufacture, is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and dioxins are formed as a by-product of both its production and incineration. (Source: IARC / Beyond Plastics).

Key Points

Avoid use of virgin materials

When recycled products could be used instead. Look for reused PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and ocean-plastic-derived yarns such as Econyl.

Look for recycled content

Ask for a breakdown of recycled content: post-consumer (material that has been used and returned) versus pre-consumer (factory offcuts and production waste). Prioritise the highest disclosed proportion of post-consumer content, aiming for at least 40% where possible.

PVC 

Phthalate plasticisers are used in the manufacture of PVC - wall or floor covering. Certain phthalate esters have been shown to be persistent in the environment and oestrogenic - mimicking the female sex hormone, oestrogen, and therefore potentially disrupting the reproductive system. Phthalate plasticisers that can off-gas into indoor air over time.

Check for third-party certification or environmental accreditation

Such as: EU Ecolabel, Indoor Air Comfort Gold, Cradle to Cradle, Greenguard

For transparency 

Ask for an Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for transparent comparisons - but don’t depend on them qualify a product as good.

For health impacts 

Request a Health Product Declaration (HPD) or equivalent chemical disclosure where available. 

Consider bioplastics 

Where genuinely biodegradable under standard conditions — note that many "compostable" plastics require industrial composting facilities to break down as claimed.

End of use phase

Ask whether a take-back or recycling scheme exists for the specific product, and whether it can be mechanically separated from adhesives or backing materials at end of life.

Favour mono-material constructions

(a single plastic type rather than a bonded composite) wherever possible, as they are significantly easier to recycle).

RESOURCES

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