Plastics Sustain World’s Billions, Industry Body Tells Government

"As the World’s population is set to top 7 billion on 31st October, the use of Plastics is key to supporting population growth and raising the hopes of deprived people." says the British Plastics Federation (BPF).

In a letter a letter to Vince Cable, The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills, the BPF’s Director-General, Peter Davis OBE, said “We can cope with rapid population increases because better education and innovation have led to improvements in health, medical provision and communications. However climatic and environmental change could prompt mass migration, water and food shortages and increased poverty.” He went on to document how plastic products are considerably assisting our responses to environmental and social challenges.

Conservation and Distribution of Fresh Water

Over a billion people have little or no access to clean water and 2.5 billion are without effective sanitation. Plastic tanks for rainwater harvesting and collection together with pipes for water distribution are lightweight, durable, easy to manoeuvre and fit as well as being hygienic. Their flexibility makes them suitable for both uplands, lowlands, urban and rural situations.

Leakage from some of the UK’s potable water supply systems can be as high as 30%.772 miles of cracked Victorian water mains are currently being replaced by blue plastics pipes in London alone.

Efficient Food Production

Available agricultural land is under strong pressure and a key challenge is to increase its productivity. Plastics products transform marginal farmland. Both ‘Polytunnels’ and plastics mulch film protects crops from being damage by wind and rain. They raise the temperature of the soil so that seeds and saplings can be sowed or transplanted earlier.

The loss of water from irrigation trenches can amount to 20% but this can be can be prevented by the use of plastic pipe drainage systems or by lining channels with plastics film.

Reducing Food Wastage

In the developing world as much as 50% of fresh produce is wasted due to poor harvesting, lack of refrigeration and poor packaging. Sealed and durable plastics packaging not only preserves food for longer, it is hygienic and minimises the possibility of health hazards. For example plastics sacks are so durable that food grains can be stored in them for up to 3 years and because plastics are inert and resistant to any bacterial or fungal attack the risk that the packaged food grains will deteriorate and present a health hazard is virtually eliminated.

Minimising Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Plastics components significantly reduce the weight of motor vehicles and aircraft, not only improving their fuel efficiency, but correspondingly reducing their emissions. 105kgs of plastics rather than traditional materials in a car weighing 1000kgs makes possible a fuel saving of 750 litres over the car’s lifespan of 90,000 miles.

The new generation of jet passenger aircraft uses plastics composites to lighten their bodyweight. The frame of the the Airbus A380 is over 20% plastics composites which not only saves fuel and increases the range of the aircraft but also reduces operating costs by 15%.

Achieving good healthcare for all

The economies of scale achievable through the manufacture of plastics medical devices is making sophisticated treatment more affordable the world over. The design freedom permitted by the properties of plastics plus their bio- compatibility has led to the widespread use of plastics prostheses, internal body parts such as heart valves and drug delivery systems. The personal mobility and independence of elderly, unwell or injured people has been radically improved by plastics. In emergencies cling film is commonly used in hospital burns units.

Energy Conservation

Plastics are low conductors of energy. In our temperate climate they keep heat in buildings and the cold out. In hot countries plastics products have the reverse effect. For example in India an Energy Conservation Building Code recommends the use of PVC-U windows throughout the national construction industry. Similarly Expanded Polystyrene thermal insulation reduces the energy needs of a building and can reduce its CO² emissions by up to 50%.

Coping with Emergencies and Disasters

Whenever earthquakes or flood strike, plastics products are needed to help affected communities survive and return to normality, from tarpaulin sheets and tents to water bowsers, rafts and crafts, rope and portable toilets. Plastics bags are used for the safe disposal of human waste when toilets have been destroyed and there is no easy access to running water.

“As October 31st looms” said Davis “it is crucial that policy makers the world over register this simple point. – that plastics help people on this planet survive in increasingly testing circumstances.”

ENDS

For all interviews, BPF logo and images, please contact Rita Ogole, Senior Public Relations and Communications Executive on 0207 457 5043 or email [email protected]

Notes to editor

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) is the UK trade association for the plastics industry – representing the whole supply chain including polymer producers, distributors, additives suppliers, machinery manufacturers, processors and recyclers

For more information visit www.bpf.co.uk