Strengthening Sustainability in the Plastics Industry

Plastic is indispensable to modern life, so ubiquitous that it is virtually invisible. In many ways, it is an ideal material. Invented in the mid-19th century, plastic is remarkably versatile and relatively cheap to make, and it can be used as an i...

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Main Authors:	IFC, World Bank
Format:	Working Paper
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2022
Subjects:	MANUFACTURING PLASTIC MANUFACTURING SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLASTIC RECYCLING SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING PLASTIC CONSUMPTION BY SECTOR
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/805501646905466353/Strengthening-Sustainability-in-the-Plastics-Industry http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37144

id	okr-10986-37144
recordtype	oai_dc
spelling	okr-10986-371442022-03-17T05:10:44Z Strengthening Sustainability in the Plastics Industry IFC World Bank MANUFACTURING PLASTIC MANUFACTURING SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLASTIC RECYCLING SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING PLASTIC CONSUMPTION BY SECTOR Plastic is indispensable to modern life, so ubiquitous that it is virtually invisible. In many ways, it is an ideal material. Invented in the mid-19th century, plastic is remarkably versatile and relatively cheap to make, and it can be used as an inexpensive substitute for wood, glass, metal, and many other building and manufacturing materials. They play a vital role in driving industrial development, creating jobs, expanding opportunities, and generating wealth to improve people’s lives. But as the use of plastic has increased, so too have the environmental and social costs. The production process uses petrochemicals as a raw material and generates greenhouse gas emissions. Perhaps the biggest cost is the waste generated by discarded plastic goods. Most of the common plastics of today are not fully biodegradable, and that has created a cascade of environmental, financial, and health problems around the world. Every year, eight million tons of discarded plastics make their way into the oceans. With enhanced recycling systems and better cooperation among industry, governments, and consumers, these plastics can be readily collected, reused, and turned into something of value. In the past dozen years, the plastics industry has been urged to rethink the material’s entire lifecycle by developing manufacturing processes that use fewer natural resources, emit With support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the private sector, the industry is embracing initiatives and investing in novel technologies that can reduce plastic’s environmental footprint and provide broad economic benefits while meeting the growing demand for products made of plastic. 2022-03-16T19:58:21Z 2022-03-16T19:58:21Z 2020 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/805501646905466353/Strengthening-Sustainability-in-the-Plastics-Industry http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37144 English CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Working Paper Publications & Research
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Foreign Institution
institution	Digital Repositories
building	World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection	World Bank
language	English
topic	MANUFACTURING PLASTIC MANUFACTURING SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLASTIC RECYCLING SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING PLASTIC CONSUMPTION BY SECTOR
spellingShingle	MANUFACTURING PLASTIC MANUFACTURING SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLASTIC RECYCLING SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING PLASTIC CONSUMPTION BY SECTOR IFC World Bank Strengthening Sustainability in the Plastics Industry
description	Plastic is indispensable to modern life, so ubiquitous that it is virtually invisible. In many ways, it is an ideal material. Invented in the mid-19th century, plastic is remarkably versatile and relatively cheap to make, and it can be used as an inexpensive substitute for wood, glass, metal, and many other building and manufacturing materials. They play a vital role in driving industrial development, creating jobs, expanding opportunities, and generating wealth to improve people’s lives. But as the use of plastic has increased, so too have the environmental and social costs. The production process uses petrochemicals as a raw material and generates greenhouse gas emissions. Perhaps the biggest cost is the waste generated by discarded plastic goods. Most of the common plastics of today are not fully biodegradable, and that has created a cascade of environmental, financial, and health problems around the world. Every year, eight million tons of discarded plastics make their way into the oceans. With enhanced recycling systems and better cooperation among industry, governments, and consumers, these plastics can be readily collected, reused, and turned into something of value. In the past dozen years, the plastics industry has been urged to rethink the material’s entire lifecycle by developing manufacturing processes that use fewer natural resources, emit With support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the private sector, the industry is embracing initiatives and investing in novel technologies that can reduce plastic’s environmental footprint and provide broad economic benefits while meeting the growing demand for products made of plastic.
format	Working Paper
author	IFC World Bank
author_facet	IFC World Bank
author_sort	IFC
title	Strengthening Sustainability in the Plastics Industry
title_short	Strengthening Sustainability in the Plastics Industry
title_full	Strengthening Sustainability in the Plastics Industry
title_fullStr	Strengthening Sustainability in the Plastics Industry
title_full_unstemmed	Strengthening Sustainability in the Plastics Industry
title_sort	strengthening sustainability in the plastics industry
publisher	World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate	2022
url	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/805501646905466353/Strengthening-Sustainability-in-the-Plastics-Industry http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37144
_version_	1764486622963826688

Strengthening Sustainability in the Plastics Industry

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