The impact of packaging materials on the environment and resources
Materials are the foundation and forerunner of national economic and social development. In the process of material harvesting, extraction, preparation, production, processing, transportation, use and disposal, on the one hand, it promotes social and economic development and the progress of human civilization, on the other hand. It also consumes a lot of energy and resources, and discharges a lot of waste gas, waste water and waste residue, polluting the living environment of human beings. Various statistics show that, from the analysis of the relative density of energy and resource consumption and the root cause of environmental pollution, materials and their manufacturing are one of the main responsibilities that cause energy shortages, excessive resource consumption and even depletion. With the prosperity of commodities and the rapid rise of the packaging industry, packaging materials are also facing the same problem. According to incomplete statistics, the current per capita consumption of packaging materials in the world is 145kg per year. Among the 600 million tons of liquid and solid waste produced in the world every year, packaging waste is about 16 million tons, accounting for 25% of the volume of all urban waste. 15% of the mass. It is conceivable that such an amazing number will lead to serious environmental pollution and waste of resources in the long run. In particular, the “white pollution” caused by plastic packaging waste that cannot be degraded for 200 to 400 years is obvious and worrying.
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The impact of packaging materials on the environment and resources is reflected in three aspects.
(1) Pollution caused by the production process of packaging materials
In the production of packaging materials, some of the raw materials are processed to form packaging materials, and some of the raw materials become pollutants and are discharged into the environment. For example, the discharged waste gas, waste water, waste residue and harmful substances, as well as solid materials that cannot be recycled, cause harm to the surrounding environment.
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(2) The non-green nature of the packaging material itself causes pollution
Packaging materials (including excipients) may pollute the contents or the environment due to changes in their chemical properties. For example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has poor thermal stability. At a certain temperature (about 14°C), hydrogen and toxic chlorine will be decomposed, which will pollute the contents (many countries prohibit PVC as food packaging). When burning, hydrogen chloride (HCI) is produced, resulting in acid rain. If the adhesive used for packaging is solvent-based, it will also cause pollution due to its toxicity. The chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) chemicals used in the packaging industry as foaming agents to produce various foam plastics are the main culprits in destroying the air ozone layer on the earth, bringing huge disasters to human beings.
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(3) The waste of packaging materials causes pollution
Packaging is mostly one-time use, and about 80% of a large number of packaging products become packaging waste. From a global perspective, the solid waste formed by packaging waste accounts for about 1/3 of the quality of urban solid waste. The corresponding packaging materials cause a huge waste of resources, and many non-degradable or non-recyclable materials constitute the most important and important part of environmental pollution, especially disposable foam plastic tableware and disposable plastic. The “white pollution” formed by shopping bags is the most serious pollution to the environment.
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Post time: Nov-14-2022
