Sustainability in Polymer Industry: Part 1

Polymers are effective materials that reach all areas of life, from fast moving consumer goods to space technology, from health to informatics. Although the raw materials of most of the polymer materials we use today are still based on petroleum-based products, there have been remarkable developments in the polymer industry in recent years in the development of bio-based and biodegradable polymer materials [1]. As such more sustainable alternative polymer materials are rapidly being developed in academia and industry, the concept of 'sustainability' is evolving into an increasingly inclusive structure for the polymer industry [1-5].

The sustainability of a material is a dynamic process and is shaped by: the renewable nature of the raw material and/or source of the material, the simplicity of the production process and the energy efficiency and the end-of-life designed to eventually decompose into useful building blocks [1]. Sustainable polymers, in its most general definition, are materials obtained from renewable or recycled sources and whose environmental impacts are minimized throughout their entire life cycle, including their production, use and recycling [2, 3].

“Circular Economy (CE) aims to improve resource and energy efficiency by keeping resources circulating for as long as possible through efficient material use, reuse and recycling cycles” [5]. In the adaptation of the polymer material to the circular economy, it is important to design the raw material selection, chemical diversity, production of the polymer, production volume, use and end-of-life processes [2, 4, 5]. An effective tool for designing such sustainable polymers is Life Cycle Assessment/Analysis (LCA) [2]. LCA methods have become effective in addressing the potential environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire lifecycle, from raw material use to its final disposal (“cradle to grave”) and effective in deciding on material selection, bringing together policy makers, industry, researchers, and other stakeholders to assess their “cradle-to-grave” effects [2, 5].

It is predicted that more than 12 billion tons of petroleum and/or bio-based plastic waste will be generated by 2050 [4]. To create a true circular polymer economy, innovative perspectives and methods are needed to recycle and recover this waste. For a holistic circular polymer economy, it is necessary to develop a sustainable model in which all stakeholders (industry, governments, non-governmental organizations, researchers, end users, etc.) are involved and polymer materials are reduced, reused and recycled. However, the diversity, complex nature, and large-volume production and consumption of polymer materials are the biggest challenges for this circular process to be designed [2, 4, 5].

Zuin and Kummerer explained four important principles for a circular sustainable polymer economy; reduction, reuse, recycling and responsibility [4]. In order to create a holistic circular sustainable polymer economy, it is expected that all stakeholders will fulfill their responsibilities to this issue, to create sustainability awareness and to establish effective communications in line with the determined principles and global legal regulations [2, 4]. Interdisciplinary research (for example, collaboration in the fields of polymer chemistry, physics, engineering, media-communication, etc.) will gain importance in the future in order to overcome the difficulties to be experienced in the process of ensuring the sustainability of polymer materials [3, 5].

Evoco polymer is aware of its responsibilities for a sustainable polymer economy and continues its activities in this direction.

References

 [1] Scholten P. B. V., Cai J., Mathers R. T. Polymers for a Sustainable Future, Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2021, 42, 2000745.

[2] Morneau D., Sustainable polymers, Nat Rev Methods Primers 2, 45 (2022).

[3] Ashe, K. The steps to sustainability. Nat. Chem. 14, 243–244 (2022).

[4] Zuin, V.G. Kümmerer, K. Chemistry and materials science for a sustainable circular polymeric economy. Nat Rev Mater 7, 76–78 (2022).

[5] Tarazona, N.A., Machatschek, R., Balcucho, J. et al. Opportunities and challenges for integrating the development of sustainable polymer materials within an international circular (bio)economy concept. MRS Energy & Sustainability 9, 28–34 (2022).

Authors: Duygu Kahraman                                                                                        Date: September 2022