Plastic, an integral part of modern society, finds applications in various industries due to its versatility, affordability, and convenience. However, its widespread use poses significant environmental challenges. The durability of plastic leads to its persistence in the environment for hundreds of years, causing pollution. This blog post explores the differences between two primary types of plastic: post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) and virgin plastic, highlighting PCR as a sustainable choice.

What is PCR?

Post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) is derived from plastic products already used and discarded by consumers. These products are collected through recycling programs, sorted, cleaned, and processed into raw materials for creating new plastic products.

Benefits of Using PCR

Using PCR offers various advantages, primarily related to its sustainability:

• Environmental Impact:Using PCR reduces plastic waste ending up in landfills and oceans, mitigating pollution and environmental degradation.
• Resource Conservation:PCR conserves natural resources like petroleum and natural gas, which are used in large quantities for virgin plastic production.
• Energy Efficiency:Recycling plastic generally consumes less energy than producing virgin plastic, contributing to a reduced carbon footprint.
• Enable Circular Economy Practices:Plastic recycling ensures plastic is diverted from landfills and oceans and returned to the economy, establishing a circular loop where waste becomes a resource.

What is Virgin Plastic?

Virgin plastic is made from raw materials derived from fossil fuels, like petroleum or natural gas. It involves a manufacturing process that extracts and refines crude oil or natural gas to obtain the necessary raw materials.

1. Extraction of Raw Materials

The production of virgin plastic starts with extracting raw materials, mainly crude oil or natural gas, through drilling and mining activities. These activities can have significant environmental impacts, such as habitat disruption, oil spills, and greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Refining and Cracking

Extracted crude oil or natural gas is transported to refineries for cracking. Cracking breaks down large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller ones like ethylene and propylene, the building blocks for plastic production.

3. Polymerisation

The small molecules from cracking undergo polymerisation, a chemical process that links them to form long polymer chains. These chains are the primary components of plastic resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene.

4. Pelletisation

The resulting plastic resin is cooled, solidified, and cut into small pellets known as virgin plastic pellets. These pellets are then packaged and shipped to manufacturers for creating various plastic products.

Carbon Footprint – PCR vs Virgin Plastic

• Virgin Plastic:Producing virgin plastic involves extracting and refining fossil fuels, releasing significant greenhouse gases (GHGs). Every step, from drilling and transporting crude oil or natural gas to polymerising these materials, contributes to a substantial carbon footprint.
• PCR:PCR production significantly reduces the carbon footprint by minimizing the need for new fossil fuel extraction, thus lowering GHG emissions. The energy consumption for collecting, sorting, and reprocessing plastic waste is less than producing virgin plastic.

Energy Consumption – PCR vs Virgin Plastic

• Virgin Plastic:Virgin plastic production is energy-intensive, requiring large amounts of energy, primarily from non-renewable sources, for raw material extraction to polymerisation and pelletisation.
• PCR:PCR production requires less energy as recycling processes skip the initial stages of raw material extraction and refining. Although energy-consuming, recycling is more energy-efficient, resulting in lower overall energy use and reduced impact on natural resources.

Waste Generation – PCR vs Virgin Plastic

• Virgin Plastic:Virgin plastic production generates significant waste, including byproducts from refining and polymerisation. Products made from virgin plastic contribute to the growing problem of plastic waste, especially when improperly disposed of or used in single-use applications.
• PCR:Using PCR mitigates waste generation by diverting plastic waste from landfills and incineration. Recycling post-consumer plastics reduces waste volume and extends the life cycle of existing materials, promoting a circular economy.

Case Study: Intco’s Solution

INTCO Plastics, a leading manufacturer and supplier of recycled plastic pellets, offers a range of solutions for end-use manufacturing, including custom-compounded plastic solutions to meet specific requirements. They are a high-tech manufacturer specializing in resource recycling and have created a full supply chain with recirculated plastics.

INTCO’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its process design capability, where they offer a comprehensive product lifecycle management system utilizing advanced information recording, ensuring traceability from raw material recovery to manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and final sales. This focus on traceability aligns with the increasing demand for transparency in the supply chain and assures customers about the origin and sustainability of the recycled plastic used in their products.

INTCO also provides professional process recommendations to help customers optimize their production processes, aiming for cost reduction and efficiency improvement. This approach ensures that the use of recycled plastics not only benefits the environment but also makes business sense for manufacturers.

Furthermore, INTCO’s global presence with strategically located recycling centers guarantees an uninterrupted supply of recycled raw materials to meet the dynamic needs of the market. This global reach ensures a reliable and steady supply of recycled granules for different markets worldwide, supporting the widespread adoption of PCR.

Their dedication to using recycled resources makes them a reliable supplier in the global push for sustainability.

Conclusion

PCR emerges as a more sustainable choice than virgin plastic due to its lower environmental impact, reduced carbon footprint, and conservation of natural resources. Opting for PCR significantly contributes to a circular economy, reducing waste and promoting environmental sustainability. Choosing PCR aligns with growing consumer and regulatory demands for greener practices, benefiting the environment and meeting market expectations. Companies like INTCO are crucial in driving this shift towards a more sustainable future for the plastics industry by providing high-quality recycled plastic solutions and promoting responsible consumption and production patterns.