Environmental concerns are important to millions of Americans. We recycle, we reuse and find new uses for old items to help sustain our environment. However, we still need new items and many products are best protected when encased in plastic packaging. While you might be worried about plastics and the environment, it is important to note that the many plastics companies also are making a concerted effort to make their businesses sustainable.
The creation of plastic packaging is often known as thermoforming, which is when large sheets of thin plastic are heated and molded into a specific shape and then trimmed and cooled. The type of plastic used for this process is called thermoplastic, and the components used to create these plastic sheets include a variety of different kinds of polymers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and more.
The thermoplastics industry has different terms regarding the types of plastic products that are created. A bio-based product, for example, is composed of biological products, forestry materials or renewable agriculture materials such as plant, animal and marine sources. Another common term is a biomass product, and this is sourced from plants that are renewable, such as grasses, algae or trees.
When you see a plastic labeled as "biodegradable," this means that when you add bacteria or other organisms to the plastic, it will decompose. Starch derivatives, polyanhydrides, cellulose esters and polyvinyl alcohol are just a few examples of this type of plastic. Bioplastics is still another word used within the industry, and this describes a biodegradable type of plastic that also was created using bio-based components.
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.
Many plastic products are produced using recycled content. This means the materials came from the pre-consumer part of the production process or after consumers have used the product. Pre-consumer materials are those which are never used by consumers, such as the excess plastic trimmed when packaging is produced. Post-consumer means that the item was used by a consumer and then recycled to make something new.
The creation of plastic packaging is often known as thermoforming, which is when large sheets of thin plastic are heated and molded into a specific shape and then trimmed and cooled. The type of plastic used for this process is called thermoplastic, and the components used to create these plastic sheets include a variety of different kinds of polymers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and more.
The thermoplastics industry has different terms regarding the types of plastic products that are created. A bio-based product, for example, is composed of biological products, forestry materials or renewable agriculture materials such as plant, animal and marine sources. Another common term is a biomass product, and this is sourced from plants that are renewable, such as grasses, algae or trees.
When you see a plastic labeled as "biodegradable," this means that when you add bacteria or other organisms to the plastic, it will decompose. Starch derivatives, polyanhydrides, cellulose esters and polyvinyl alcohol are just a few examples of this type of plastic. Bioplastics is still another word used within the industry, and this describes a biodegradable type of plastic that also was created using bio-based components.
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.
Many plastic products are produced using recycled content. This means the materials came from the pre-consumer part of the production process or after consumers have used the product. Pre-consumer materials are those which are never used by consumers, such as the excess plastic trimmed when packaging is produced. Post-consumer means that the item was used by a consumer and then recycled to make something new.
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell likes blogging about how stuff is made. To get further details about custom packaging solutions or to know more about retail product packaging, please visit the Indepak.com site today.
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