For designers, making environmentally sustainable decisions often comes down to the choice of material used for a client’s project.  When it comes to packaging design, there are literally thousands of possibilities for source materials. Plastics are one of the most common and prevalent choices available.  They are lightweight, relatively cheap (in terms of upfront cost) and readily available. 

Unfortunately,  from a sustainability stand point they lack pizzazz. The majority of plastics are made from petroleum products and are therefore not renewable.  Additionally, plastics are extremely, perhaps overly, durable. When a typical plastic container is placed into a modern landfill, it is expected to last at least 1000 years. Worst still is that the molecules that comprise most plastics are complex and don’t really break down. So in 1000 years time, the plastic may appear to be gone, but in reality it has probably just dispersed into the eco-system in really small pieces.  

There are also many types of plastic used for many different products, which is often confusing for customers that are trying to properly “dispose” of them. For those of you who have always wondered what the various numbers on plastic material mean. Here is a little chart to help you better understand. 

Compounding the confusion the public faces is the symbol chosen in 1988, by the Society of the Plastics Industry. The symbol, which most recognize as the recycling symbol, was chosen to help indicate the various types of plastic resins used in production. However, the inclusion of this symbol does not indicate recycled content as many might believe, it merely states that the material is capable of being recycled. It is up to consumers and local municipalities as to which plastics are actually recyclable. 

In the United States, the vast majority of plastic produced is not recycled.  Resins numbered 3, 4 and 6 collection rates only run at about 3% of their respective production. Numbers 1 and 2 are significantly better but still top out at a collection rate around 25%, meaning that roughly 3 out of 4 containers are put in landfills. 

Given the unsustainable aspects of plastics and their poor recycling rates, it is important that designers take into account the effects of plastic if it is to be used in project production. 

Companies seeking a more sustainable solution should seek plastic alternatives whenever possible.  Bioplastics are a new and interesting alternative. They act much like regular plastics but are made from plant materials. Most bioplastics are usually corn starch that has been processed into polylactic acid or PLA. Others are made through microbial fermentation called polyhydroxyalkanoate or PHA. Unlike conventional plastics, bioplastics are made from renewable source materials and most can be composted allowing their natural production nutrients to be reused. The current downfall of bioplastics is that collection systems aren’t really set up to deal with their proper disposal and customers may get confused about what plastic can be composted and what must be recycled. However, with wider usage, bioplastics will soon have enough market share to encourage waste management companies to account for their usage. For the time being they still remain a renewable option to traditional plastics.

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