Photo: Collected
Carelessly discarded bags, straws, and one-way bottles, all made of plastic. No other material is better suited to be a symbol of what we are doing to our planet. Plastics have a bad reputation. But do they actually deserve it?
A plastic-free world: finally, parks free of garbage, clear lakes, and clean oceans. At first glance, simply prohibiting plastics seems like the ideal way to get the trash problem under control. But sustainability experts Dr. Meriem Tazir and Dr. Maike Hora aren’t buying it.
Dr. Maike Hora, founder and chief executive of e-hoch-3, explains why she considers a ban on plastics the wrong thing to do. Her company has specialized in advising companies on their sustainability strategy.
It makes sense to cut down on the use of unnecessary plastic, but a complete ban is not desirable: “In their material characteristics, plastics are incredibly multifaceted. There are many applications that would be impossible without them,” Hora said. “Plastics can also save lives. The example of IV bags in hospitals comes to mind.”
Cardboard, a sustainable alternative?
At a second glance, the allegedly more sustainable alternatives do not deliver what they promise. One example is cardboard packaging. It is often comparatively thick and heavy. The consumption of water and energy during its manufacture and recycling is high. Still, the notion persists that it is more sustainable than plastic alternatives.
Why is that? “It comes down to human nature. Paper is a very old material. Its raw material comes from trees, and trees are a good thing. Wood decomposes naturally. And what is natural is intuitively sustainable,” she said, summing up the conventional wisdom. “Besides, the collection systems for paper and cardboard are well established in much of the world. So people know there are functioning disposal and recycling systems for them.” See details.
Source: Online/NAN
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