It's not just environmentalists that worry about nature and the impact that humans make. These days, just about everyone is concerned with recycling and reusing as well as selecting products that were manufactured with the least possible impact to our environment. Even the plastics industry has made many changes over the years to ensure that plastic products are created using the most sustainable components possible.
It seems like just about everything is made from plastic, from water bottles to packaging to medication bottles and much more. When plastic is heated and shaped to form a particular shape, this process is called thermoforming, and it begins with very thin sheets of plastic. The plastic in these sheets contain a wide variety of materials and these plastics, called thermoplastics, are a type of synthetic polymer.
There are many different terms within the plastics industry to indicate the types of materials being used. One term is bio-based and it means a product is mostly or entirely created from renewable sources such as plants, animal products or perhaps forestry sources. Biomass products are created using renewable plants, algae, trees, grasses and other organisms that can be transformed into chemicals and polymers.
Biodegradable plastic is a type of plastic that can decompose when certain organisms such as bacteria are added to it. There are many different types of biodegradable plastic. Some are made with starch derivatives; others are produced using cellulose esters, polyanhydrides or polyvinyl alcohol. Bioplastics is a term that is used to describe plastic that is either biodegradable or created with bio-based materials.
Some plastic is biodegradable and some is compostable, and there is definitely a difference. Something can biodegrade and reduce, but not become compost and that is a biodegradable plastic. A compostable plastic does biodegrade in about 180 days to the point where there is no detectable toxic remains present. Using these types of plastics is just one way thermoplastics companies meet sustainability guidelines. These firms also try to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced by reducing the amount of excess plastic that results from trimming the sheet to form a product.
Some thermoplastics are created using recycled content, and this means one of two things. Either the product was used by consumers and then recycled or the product was created from the trimmings and excess plastic from production. These are called pre-consumer plastics because they were not sold or used by consumers and simply were recycled immediately to make new plastics.
It seems like just about everything is made from plastic, from water bottles to packaging to medication bottles and much more. When plastic is heated and shaped to form a particular shape, this process is called thermoforming, and it begins with very thin sheets of plastic. The plastic in these sheets contain a wide variety of materials and these plastics, called thermoplastics, are a type of synthetic polymer.
There are many different terms within the plastics industry to indicate the types of materials being used. One term is bio-based and it means a product is mostly or entirely created from renewable sources such as plants, animal products or perhaps forestry sources. Biomass products are created using renewable plants, algae, trees, grasses and other organisms that can be transformed into chemicals and polymers.
Biodegradable plastic is a type of plastic that can decompose when certain organisms such as bacteria are added to it. There are many different types of biodegradable plastic. Some are made with starch derivatives; others are produced using cellulose esters, polyanhydrides or polyvinyl alcohol. Bioplastics is a term that is used to describe plastic that is either biodegradable or created with bio-based materials.
Some plastic is biodegradable and some is compostable, and there is definitely a difference. Something can biodegrade and reduce, but not become compost and that is a biodegradable plastic. A compostable plastic does biodegrade in about 180 days to the point where there is no detectable toxic remains present. Using these types of plastics is just one way thermoplastics companies meet sustainability guidelines. These firms also try to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced by reducing the amount of excess plastic that results from trimming the sheet to form a product.
Some thermoplastics are created using recycled content, and this means one of two things. Either the product was used by consumers and then recycled or the product was created from the trimmings and excess plastic from production. These are called pre-consumer plastics because they were not sold or used by consumers and simply were recycled immediately to make new plastics.
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell enjoys writing about how stuff is made. To get further information about custom packaging solutions or to know more about retail product packaging, please check out the Indepak.com website now.
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