March 28, 2024 Plastiphobia is Outdated, Says Symphony Environmental

Plastiphobia is outdated; modern technology already addresses past problems says Symphony Environmental Technologies.

Whilst Europe has seen the value of plastic production and packaging over paper and other material packaging due to its lower environmental impact, America continues to succumb to plastic paranoia due to outdated stigma towards its environmental impact as a pollutant. These fears have led to government action towards phasing out plastic in the name of “environmental justice”, rather than due to any scientific recommendation, including the prohibition of “single-use plastic bottles and bags”, even though they are multi-use, recyclable items.

The Washington Times previously reported that paper food packaging was instead at the heart of Europe’s waste crisis, generating more tonnes of waste than plastic and glass combined, which has meant many European countries have embraced modern plastic packaging options over more environmentally damaging alternatives. But paranoia rooted particularly in the US has led to single-use plastic packaging being stigmatised for decades, despite the mounting scientific evidence favouring plastic over alternatives.

Michael Laurier, CEO of Symphony Environmental, a world leader in environmentally friendly packaging and advanced polymer technology, warns that plastic paranoia must be addressed in the present day, as the industry has continued to make advancements in reducing its environmental impact to the point far more than other packaging industries. 

“Plastiphobia originally arose due to a core problem with its material degradation. Regular plastics can create microplastics that lie or float around for decades if they get into the open environment. But this can now be prevented by using modern and more sustainable plastic manufacturing technologies instead of removing the use of plastic products entirely – see https://www.symphonyenvironmental.com/why-biodegradable/

“It is a myth that plastics have always been climate killers or bad for the environment. Indeed, plastic bags were originally invented in the late 1950s and designed to protect the environment by helping to phase out paper and fabric alternatives, saving trees. Scapegoating plastic products when they have made our world safer and healthier is an unfair and unfounded consequence of the general plastiphobia discourse.

“Whilst paper production disrupts the environment due to just how many trees are cut down to make paper products, it is also bad for the environment. Paper bags have been found to produce 70% more air pollutants and 50% more water pollutants than plastic bags, as detailed here: https://www.biodeg.org/subjects-of-interest/paper-bags/ The polymer industry have modified its packaging products for decades to meet environmental demands, and the evidence is clear when comparing to paper alternatives.

Laurier argues that sustainable developments in plastics manufacturing technology have already paved the way to addressing the real environmental issue of plastic waste. “Plastic made with d2w masterbatch technology can pave the way towards a more sustainable future, as their products will convert rapidly at the end of life into biodegradable materials, anywhere on the planet so long as oxygen is available at little or no extra cost of production. d2w plastic converts by oxidation into biodegradable materials, which are then completely biodegradable, leaving no toxicity or microplastics and much more quickly than ordinary plastic products.

“Where plastiphobia was born from general fear and uncertainty about how plastic affects the environment, the term has become outdated due to just how advanced polymer manufacturing technology has become. Looking to the future of sustainable polymer packaging options rather than dwelling in the past is the best practice, not just for industries in the US but globally as a point in favour of d2w sustainable plastic manufacturing.”

About Symphony Environmental Technologies plc

www.symphonyenvironmental.com

In addition to its biodegradable technology, Symphony has invented a range of technologies to protect against bacteria, viruses (including COVID), insects, rodents, odours, and fire  See www.d2p.net 

Symphony has a diverse and growing customer-base and has established itself as an international business with over 70 distributors around the world. Products made with Symphony’s plastic technologies are now available in nearly 100 countries and in many different product applications. Symphony itself is accredited to ISO9001 and ISO14001.

Symphony is a founder-member of The BPA (www.biodeg.org) and actively participates in the Committee work of the British Standards Institute (BSI), the American Standards Organisation (ASTM), the European Standards Organisation (CEN), and the International Standards Organisation (ISO).

Further information on the Group can be found at www.symphonyenvironmental.com and twitter @SymphonyEnv   See also Symphony on Instagram. A Symphony App is available for downloading to smartphones.

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