Is plastic packaging sustainable?

The raw material basis for packaging made of polystyrene (as in our case) or other plastic packaging is crude oil. The major shortcoming in the use of plastics for packaging is therefore obvious: Crude oil is a finite fossil energy source and therefore non-renewable. In addition, the great variety of raw materials makes the recycling of plastic packaging quite difficult: According to the European Parliament, only 40 - 50% of plastic packaging in Germany is recycled so far, even though there are considerable efforts on the part of the EU to revolutionize the system considerably by 2030.

Nevertheless, when used for packaging purposes, there are a number of decisive advantages that make the raw material virtually indispensable. Particularly in the food sector, plastic has so far been indispensable due to its material properties. After all, what is the point of saving on thin transport packaging, for example, if food becomes perishable and food waste is produced?

But it is not only the barrier properties that make the raw material so versatile. Plastic gives packaging flexibility and protection against environmental influences, which hardly any other raw material can provide to a sufficient extent. For this reason, various plastics are also used for the packaging of durable and very high-quality goods such as watches, jewelry or coins and in this form are anything but inexpensive disposable packaging.

But how can the use of plastic for packaging purposes be optimized beyond a regulated use of the raw material?

Optimisation options for plastic packaging:

1. Use regenerates or recycled materials and thus improve recycling rates: Switch to black plastic cases
2. Offer alternatives from renewable resources / use bioplastics: Use of bioplastics PLA

When switching from an original packaging to a more environmentally friendly alternative, there are several factors to consider. On the one hand, in addition to an ecologically improved benefit, the economic factors should not be disregarded. There is now a whole range of sustainable alternative materials, but not all of them are worthwhile from an economic point of view. On the other hand, packaging is always confronted with certain requirements. In addition to special characteristics that must be fulfilled, the protection of the goods contained in the packaging from environmental influences also plays an important role. Therefore, in the following a comparison is made between the two most common packaging materials, plastic and cardboard:

Advantages of plastic packaging

• suitable for products requiring special protection
• stable & impermeable to moisture
• flexible configurable
• multiply deployable

Advantages of cardboard packaging

• wide range of design options
• attractiveness for consumers
• renewable raw materials
• established recycling

While paper packaging today has an extremely positive image among consumers, plastic packaging suffers a bad reputation. This is caused by improper disposal of packaging in nature and the lack of recycling possibilities. However, it is precisely in this area that developments in recent years show clear progress. Since 2018, the EU has been supporting a strategy, which requires that all plastic packaging must be recyclable by 2030, to be implemented through certification and quality standards. Under such a system, the sustainability of plastic packaging would obviously have to be reassessed. In addition, recycled packaging made of regenerated material and packaging made of bioplastics show how resources can be used increasingly more efficiently.

If you are not able to switch from plastic to cardboard packaging, you may consider switching to recycled packaging made of black plastic or to packaging made of bioplastics. As already mentioned, for a holistic assessment of the sustainability of packaging, other key figures such as the recycling rate or special requirement factors must be considered in addition to the material used. Across all types, about 30% of the processed plastics are recycled after use, 39% are sent for thermal recycling and another 31% are deposited in landfills. Polystyrene, as it is processed in our injection molding, is also a starting material for food packaging such as yoghurt containers. Polystyrene waste, if not sent to material recycling, is used to generate energy through energy recovery. The heating value of polystyrene is 100 to 400% higher than the heating value of cardboard and thus has a positive effect on the energy balance of plastic packaging.