Lo conferma uno studio: le emissioni di gas serra della plastica sono INFERIORI a quelle dei materiali alternativi

Replacing plastics with alternative materials could increase greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 90 percent, according to a research from the University of Sheffield.
The study considers the life cycle assessment (LCA) of plastic products and their alternatives in industrial applications that greatly influence global consumption such as packaging, construction, automotive, textiles and consumer durables, and compares their environmental impact.

In 15 of the 16 applications examined, the plastic product resulted in lower greenhouse gas emissions than its alternative. Some products apparently led to reductions of up to 90 percent over the entire life cycle of the product itself, while others reduced emissions by 10 percent.
Even when only direct life-cycle emissions are analyzed, plastics remain ahead in nine of the 14 applications.

Compared to alternatives such as glass or metal, plastic retains the advantage of lower energy intensity of the production process and lower weight, things that also affect production, transportation and other upstream processes.

The study concludes by saying that optimizing plastic use, extending shelf life, increasing recycling rates and improving waste collection systems should reduce plastic-related carbon emissions.

Environmental policy needs decision-making guided by life-cycle assessment to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions do not unintentionally increase through switching to more emission-intensive alternative materials.

Demand reduction, efficiency optimization, life span extension, and reuse/recycling are winning strategies to effectively reduce emissions. However, focusing exclusively on switching to alternative materials is not.

Future policy could include reusable bioplastics, the researchers note, as well as compostable or biodegradable materials. Still to be evaluated is their impact.