The use of Acrylic Plastic is recognised by most manufacturers and retailers alike as an affordable and durable solution to using glass. It is strong, light and fantastically transparent. It has been used commercially since the early 1900s and remains one of the most commonly used plastics in the manufacturing industry.
Today though, companies are beginning to adapt to a more environmentally conscious society. Should we be asking the question 'What are the impacts of manufacturing acrylic products and is there a viable alternative with less of a eco-footprint?'
What exactly is acrylic?
Acrylic is basically a man-made plastic that is formed through the derivatives of acrylic acid. The most common form is 'polymethyl methacrylate', commonly known as Perspex. Like all plastics it is a 'Polymer', which means it is made up of many molecules linked together in a chain. The significance of this is that a polymer has entirely different properties to the parts that make it up. For acrylic plastics this means they can be:
Extremely Robust
Transparent
Resistant to Ultra Violent Light
Add to this the fact that they can be coloured, cut, moulded and drilled and it's easy to see why they have become essential in manufacturing a huge variety of products. From large-scale goods like; aeroplane windshields and aquarium fish tanks to small-scale products like keyrings and outdoor lighting - acrylic plastic is quite simply: perfect.
So What's the Problem?
When a plastic draws to the end of its useful life it is particularly problematic to dispose of. Although plastics can be remanufactured and recycled into new products - often it is dependent on local economic factors. Recycling is only feasible in certain societies due to high costs involved; burning plastics efficiently depends highly on the quality of incinerator and this means in many countries it's simply not an option. We are now faced with massive waste problems as a result of improper disposal of acrylic products.
Viable Alternatives?
Although there are still no real alternatives to acrylic plastic, there are improvements and significant funding going into developing 'Bio-Based Polymers'. Plastics such as Polylactide are made through processing energy with waste biomass and can be a very cost affective solution for eco conscious manufacturers. Unfortunately this is a plastic that is suitable for products like 'plastic cups' and 'textiles' rather than aeroplane windows. For now, we must at least use recycled acrylic wherever possible. Although not a perfect solution: it does at least prevent further raw materials from being taken from the earth, and for those of us living in Western Society recycling has been made simple - It just takes a little bit of effort.
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