Plastics &

Environmental
Impacts

Ecozuri Inc. promotes reusable shopping bags made from 100% recycled plastics. To
learn more about our products and offerings, please visit www.ecozuri.com

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 Part One: Plastics 101

Ecozuri Inc. promotes reusable shopping bags made from 100% recycled plastics. To
learn more about our products and offerings, please visit www.ecozuri.com

www.ecozuri.com
 ----- PLASTIC 101------

Definition:
Any of various complex organic compounds produced by polymerization, capable of being molded, extruded, cast into
various shapes and films, or drawn into filaments, and then used as textile fibers.

History:
Alexander Parkes unveiled the first man-made plastic at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London. This material --
which was dubbed Parkesine, now called celluloid -- was an organic material derived from cellulose that, once heated, could
be molded but retained its shape when cooled.

In 1907, chemist Leo Hendrik Baekland, while striving to produce a synthetic varnish, stumbled upon the formula for a new
synthetic polymer originating from coal tar. He subsequently named the new substance "Bakelite." Bakelite, once formed,
could not be melted. Because of its properties as an electrical insulator, Bakelite was used in the production of high-tech
objects including cameras and telephones. It was also used in the production of ashtrays, and as a substitute for jade,
marble, and amber. By 1909, Baekland had coined "plastics" as the term to describe this completely new category of
materials.

The first patent for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a substance now used widely in vinyl siding and water pipes, was registered in
1914. Cellophane was also discovered during this period.

Plastics did not really take off until after the First World War with the use of petroleum, a substance easier to process than
coal into raw materials. Plastics served as substitutes for wood, glass, and metal during the hardship times of World War's I
& II. After World War II, newer plastics, such as polyurethane, polyester, silicones, polypropylene, and polycarbonate joined
polymethyl methacrylate and polystyrene and PVC in widespread applications. Many more would follow and, by the 1960s,
plastics were within everyone's reach due to their inexpensive cost. Plastics had thus come to be considered “common,” a
symbol of our consumer society.

Since the 1970s, we have witnessed the advent of 'high-tech' plastics used in demanding fields such as health and
technology. New types and forms of plastics, with new or improved performance characteristics, continue to be developed.

Source: American Chemical Council, Literature research

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 ----- PLASTIC 101------

Types: Characteristics
Plastics are divided into three distinct groups: thermoplastics , thermosets and bio-plastics.
• Can be very resistant to
Thermoplastics soften when heated and harden on cooling. More than 80 percent of chemicals
plastics are thermoplastics, examples of which include: • Can be both thermal
• High density polyethylene (HDPE) - used for bottles for detergents, food products and and electrical
toys insulators
• Low density polyethylene (LDPE) - for products such as (bin liners, and flexible • Are generally very light
containers in weight with varying
• Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) - used in bottles, carpets & food packaging degrees of strength
• Polypropylene (PP) - used in yogurt and margarine pots, automotive parts, fibers, and • Can be processed in
milk crates various ways to
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) - is made from oil and salt and is used for window frames, produce thin fibers or
flooring, wallpaper, bottles, and medical products very intricate parts
• Are materials with a
Thermosets are hardened by a curing process and cannot be re-melted or re-molded. seemingly limitless
Examples of thermosets include: range of characteristics
• Polyurethane (PU) - used in coatings, finishes, mattresses, vehicle seating, and building • Are usually made from
insulation petroleum, but not
• Epoxy - adhesives, boats, sporting equipment, electrical and automotive components always
• Phenolics - used in ovens and circuit boards
• Unsaturated polyesters – used for windmills, car body parts, and boats

Bio-plastics, which are bio-degradable, are developed from plant materials and bacteria.
There are three techniques used to produce bio-plastics:
• Converting plant sugars into plastic
• Producing plastics inside micro-organisms
• Growing plastics in corn and other crops

Source: American Chemical Council, Literature research www.ecozuri.com

 ----- PLASTIC INDUSTRY OVERVIEW----

Plastics Plastics
materials

Downstream using industries

materials
and resins Plastic and product
NAICS products wholesaling

End users, including consumers,

NAICS
Upstream goods and services

325211
Gov’t docu- 424610

business and government

mented
plastics
Plastics products
machinery NAICS
NAICS 3261&
3332201 325991

agencies
Captive
Molds for plastic
plastics products
NAICS
33351105

U.S. Plastics industry:

Plastic manufacturing industry plus $374B shipment in
captive plastics products 2007

Plastics industry

Full impact of plastics

Source: SPI
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 ----- PLASTIC USAGE ----
Total sales & captive use of selected thermoplastic resins* by major market, 2003-2007
(millions of pounds, dry weight basis)
CAGR
(2003-2007)
80,270 86,101 83,231 83,970 82,354 0.5%

6.5%

-0.3%

-0.4%

1.9%

* Include LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE, PP, Nylon, PVC, PS, Engineering Resins, ABS, SAN, Other Styrene Butadiene Latexes, Styrene Butadiene Latexes
Source: American Chemical Council www.ecozuri.com
 ----- PLASTIC INDUSTRY OVERVIEW----

Plastics Plastics
materials

Downstream using industries

materials
and resins Plastic and product
NAICS products wholesaling

End users, including consumers,

NAICS
Upstream goods and services

325211
Gov’t docu- 424610

business and government

mented
plastics
Plastics products
machinery NAICS
NAICS 3261&
3332201 325991

agencies
Captive
Molds for plastic
plastics products
NAICS
33351105

U.S. Plastics industry:

Plastic manufacturing industry plus $374B shipment in
captive plastics products 2007

Plastics industry

Full impact of plastics

Source: SPI
www.ecozuri.com

Cracking
Petroleum
Natural gas Monomers
Coal
Energy issues
Plastics consume 4%
of the world’s oil
stock as feedstock.
Although, in many
cases, the use of
plastics actually saves
more oil than
alternatives,
opportunities for
energy preservation
do exit.
----- PLASTIC LIFE CYCLE-----
(Part 1: Resin production, product manufacturing stage)
Environmental
concerns
Biogeochemically Manufacturing
manipulated
Extrusion
Example products: Plastic
films and bags
Polymers
Injection
molding
Example products: Yogurt
Additives containers, closures
Pollution and toxic
materials
molding
Industrial practices in Example products: Soft drink
Blow
plastic manufacture can bottles
lead to polluting
effluents. The exposure
to toxic intermediates
used can be hazardous. Rotational
Significant process molding Example products: Toys or
improvements are
employed to avoid the kayaks
above.
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 ----- PLASTIC LIFE CYCLE-----
(Part 2: Waste, landfill , incineration and recycle stage)
Environmental
concerns

Discarding Processing

Mechanical recycling Recycled plastic

(collection, sorting, flakes for new end
Consumer Recycling
reclamation) product
plastic
waste

Feedstock recycling Monomers for new

(heating, polymers
gasification,
chemical)
Plastic waste in Capacity issues
Land filling Majority of the plastic waste ends up
landfill
Industrial in landfill, where they take more than
plastic 1,000 years to decompose.
waste
Not recycling

Oceans and wild life

Over a billion seabirds and mammals
die annually from ingestion of
plastics
Toxic emission
Reduced volume
Incineration Burning plastic releases dioxin, a
waste in landfill cancer-causing chemical

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 ----- PLASTIC POLLUTION----

HAWAII

Canada
Canada England,
England UK
England Sweden
Sweden
United States

Japan
Japan

Hawaii

China

Philippines

Litter left by tourists

Venezuela Antarctica Floating plastic bag
Tanzania Philippines New
Venezuela Antarctica New Zealand
Zealand Beach cleanup
Tanzania
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----- PLASTIC POLLUTION – WIDELIFE ----

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----- PLASTIC POLLUTION – CITY ----

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----- PLASTIC POLLUTION – OCEAN ----

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 ----- PLASTIC USAGE ----
Total sales & captive use of selected thermoplastic resins* by major market, 2003-2007
(millions of pounds, dry weight basis)
CAGR
(2003-2007)
80,270 86,101 83,231 83,970 82,354 0.5%

6.5%

-0.3%

-0.4%

1.9%

* Include LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE, PP, Nylon, PVC, PS, Engineering Resins, ABS, SAN, Other Styrene Butadiene Latexes, Styrene Butadiene Latexes
Source: American Chemical Council www.ecozuri.com
 ----- PLASTIC SALES VOLUME BY TYPE ----
Total sales & captive use of selected thermoplastic resins* by resin type, 2006-2007
(millions of pounds, dry weight basis)

92,347

94,350

CAGR
(2003-2007) 4.0% 4.6% -1.8% 2.5% 2.2%

(1) Except Phenolic resins, (2) Sales & Captive Use Data Include Imports, (3) Canadian production and sales data included, (4) Canadian and Mexican production
and sales data included, (5) Includes: engineering resins, polyurethanes (TDI, MDI and polyols), unsaturated (thermoset) polyester, and other resins.
Source: American Chemical Council www.ecozuri.com
 Part Two: Plastic Bags

Ecozuri Inc. promotes reusable shopping bags made from 100% recycled plastics. To
learn more about our products and offerings, please visit www.ecozuri.com

www.ecozuri.com
 ----- PLASTIC BAG 101 ---

Definition:
Bags that are made out of "film", or thin flexible sheets of plastic. Plastic film is typically defined as any plastic less than 10
mm thick. The majority of plastic films are made from polyethylene resin and are readily recyclable if the material is clean, dry,
and not pigmented black.

History:

1957 The first baggies and sandwich bags on rolls are introduced.
1958 Poly dry cleaning bags compete with traditional brown paper.
1966 Between 25 and 30 percent of packaging for bread is plastic.
1966 Plastic produce bags on rolls are introduced in grocery stores.
1969 The New York City Sanitation Department's "New York City Experiment" demonstrates that using plastic bags for
refuse curbside pickup is cleaner, safer, and quieter than metal trash can pick-up. This began a shift to plastic can liners
among consumers.
1974/75 Retailing giants such as Sears, J.C. Penney, Montgomery Ward, Jordan Marsh, Allied, Federated, and Hills make the
switch to plastic merchandise bags.
1973 The first commercial system for manufacturing plastic grocery bags becomes operational
1977 The plastic grocery bag is introduced to the supermarket industry as an alternative to paper sacks.
1982 Kroger and Safeway start to replace traditional craft sacks with polyethylene "t-shirt" bags.
1990 The first blue bag recycling program begins with curbside collection.
1990 Consumer plastic bag recycling begins through a supermarket collection-site network.
1992 Nearly half of U.S. supermarkets have recycling available for plastic bags.
1994 Denmark creates first plastic bag tax.
1996 Over 80% grocery bags used are plastic.
2002 Ireland introduces the worlds first consumer paid plastic bag tax.

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 ----- PLASTIC BAG 101------

Types:

Resin type Characteristics Usages Examples

Bags (e.g., thicker

newspaper bags, bread
Films with high clarity,
LDPE - Low Density bags)
moderate stretch &
Polyethylene Bubble wrap (may also
strength characteristics
contain nylon

Bags (e.g. clear, thin

newspaper bags)
films have moderate clarity,
LLDPE - Linear Low Dry cleaning film
slightly tacky feel to the
Density Polyethylene
touch

Consumer paper packaging

(i.e. toilet paper, paper
films have moderate clarity,
MDPE - Medium towel)
poor stretch and strength
Density Polyethylene
characteristics

films have some opacity, Most grocery bags

HDPE - High Density crinkle to the touch, low T-shirt bags
Polyethylene stretch, can tear easily, high Bags with sealed air for
strength packaging (e.g., air cushion)

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 ----- THE ALTERNATIVES FOR PLASTIC BAGS----
Paper bags
• Degradable in well-run
landfill
• Hold more stuff
• Higher percentage of
Pros
recycling (10% -15% versus
1%-3% for plastics)
• Consume forests
• Take 4 times as much energy
as needed to produce
• Generate 70% more air
pollution and 50 times more
Cons
water pollution in production
• Take 90% more energy to
recycle when recycling rate is
low
• 7 times heavier than plastic
to transport
• Take up more space in landfill
NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER
Source: Literature research
Biodegradable bags
• Light and convenient like
plastic bags
• Biodegradable in certain
conditions
• Highly confusing definition of
bio-plastics. Many bio-based
products are not necessarily
biodegradable
• Many biodegradable bags
require special processing and
facilities. There are limited
collection and processing
platforms
• When mingled with traditional
plastics, this causes
contamination and make the
product unrecyclable
NOT AS GOOD AN ANSWER AS
IT SOUNDS
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Reusable bags
• Reduce energy usage, landfill,
and pollution due to its
reusable nature
• If the bags are not reused a
sufficient number of times,
more energies are wasted as
most reusable bags are made
from materials that require
more energy to produce
• Difficult to remember as it
requires living habit changes
• Inconvenient since most
products are bulky to carry
THE RIGHT ANSWER – BUT
NEED INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS
 ----- THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF PLASTIC BAGS ----
Energy The energy used to make one high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bag is 0.48 megajoules (MJ).
consumptions To give this figure perspective, a car driving one kilometre is the equivalent of manufacturing 8.7
plastic bags (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2004).
Production and distribution

Health Toxic emissions are produced during the extraction of materials for the production of plastic grocery
impacts bags. The manufacturing and transportation of such materials contribute to acid rain, smog, and
numerous other harmful effects.

Air and Water Without enhanced processes, the manufacturing of two plastic bags produces 1.1 kg of atmospheric
Pollution pollution, which contributes to acid rain and smog, and 0.1 g of waterborne waste, which has the
capability of disrupting associated ecosystems, such as waterways and the life that they support.
Following manufacturing, the plastic grocery bags are subsequently shipped all over the world.
Container ships used to transport these bags to each consumer country use fuels which produce high
levels of pollutants, such as sulfur.

Land Pollution Lightweight plastic grocery bags are additionally harmful due to their propensity to be carried away
on a breeze and become attached to tree branches, fill roadside ditches, or end up in public
waterways, rivers, or oceans. In one instance, Cape Town, South Africa, had more than 3000 plastic
grocery bags that covered each kilometer of road.

Impact on Most distressing, over a billion seabirds and mammals die annually from ingestion of plastics (Baker,
wildlife 2002). In Newfoundland, 100,000 marine mammals are killed each year by ingesting plastic (Brown,
2003). However, the impact of plastic bags does not end with the death of one animal. When a bird
Disposal

or mammal dies in such a manner and subsequently decomposes, the plastic bag will again be
released into the environment to be ingested by another animal.

Marine The North Pacific Tropical Gyre, also known as the Garbage Patch, is seven million tons of floating
Pollution plastic waste spanning an area twice the size of Texas. There is six times as much plastic in the gyre
than there is plankton. Plankton is the area’s most abundant food source. Animals mistake this waste
for food, dying either from plastic poisoning or blockage of their digestive system. This plastic absorbs,
transports, and releases hydrophobic pollutants (PCB,DDE,DDT) not only harming the oceans food
chain, but us as well. www.ecozuri.com
Source: Literature research
 ----- PLASTIC SHOPPING BAG LIFE CYCLE-----
Only 2% recycled, still
Production Distribution Destination Disposal
a very expensive
process
of natural gas or oil
Use large amount

500-1,000 bags
to produce and

Supermarket Home recycled Recycling

used per
household per
transport

year

Up to 3-4 trillion a year worldwide, 100 billion in US alone

Average usage
time: 12 minutes 96% goes to Landfill
Other foods or Take >1,000 yrs to
liquid breakdown
Home Home garbage
Natural gas or oil extraction

Ethylene Polymerization
Ethylene manufacturing

Bag production

General Landfill
merchandise and Reuse disposal/waste
apparels treatment
Maximally 1-2 times

Pollute land
Fast food Garbage and oceans
convenient stores
& service stations
Public areas
Litter

Other retails Litter

Source: Nolan-ITU, Literature research

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 Part Two: Plastic Bottles

Ecozuri Inc. promotes reusable shopping bags made from 100% recycled plastics. To
learn more about our products and offerings, please visit www.ecozuri.com

www.ecozuri.com
 ----- PLASTIC BOTTLE 101 ---

Definition:
A plastic bottle is a container constructed of plastic with a neck that is narrower than its body and an opening at the top. The
mouth of the bottle is normally sealed with a plastic bottle cap. Plastic bottles are typically used to store liquids such as water,
soft drinks, cooking oil, medicine, shampoo, milk, and ink.

History:
Plastic bottles were first used commercially in 1947, but remained relatively expensive until the early 1960's when high-
density polyethylene was introduced. They quickly became popular with both manufacturers and customers due to their
lightweight nature, and relatively low production costs compared with glass bottles . The food industry has almost
completely replaced glass in many cases with plastic bottles, but wine and beer are still commonly sold in glass bottles.

Types

Materials Characteristics Usage

High-density Naturally translucent and flexible. The addition of color Shampoo and detergent bottles, milk
polyethylene (HDPE) will make HDPE bottles opaque although not glossy. jugs, cosmetics, motor oil
Low Density Less chemically resistant than HDPE, but is more
For squeeze application
Polyethylene (LDPE) translucent
Polyethylene Very good alcohol and essential oil barrier properties,
Carbonated beverage bottles
Terephthalate (PET) generally good chemical resistance
Polyvinyl Chloride Naturally clear, have extremely good resistance to oils, Salad oil, mineral oil, and vinegar,
(PVC) and have very low oxygen transmission shampoos, and cosmetic products
Polypropylene (PP)
Excellent moisture barrier, stability at high temperatures Hot fill products such as pancake syrup

Dry products including vitamins,

Polystyrene (PS) Excellent clarity and stiffness at an economical cost
petroleum jellies, and spices
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 ----- THE INCONVENIENT FACTS OF BOTTLED WATER -----

US bottled water market (1997 – 2008)

Million gallon/ billion bottles

- 18 million barrels of crude oil are requires to produce the 900,000 tons of plastics
(PET) that bottle the water
- Only 24% of the plastic bottles are recycled – 76% end up as either garbage or liter
- The total amount of energy required to make the bottle, fill the bottle with water,
transport, refrigerate the bottled water, and recover, recycle, or throw away the
empty bottle is equivalent, on average, to filling a plastic bottle ¼ full with oil. 31 billion
bottles

15 billion
bottles

6 billion
3 billion bottles
bottles

Source: NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, Beverage Marketing Corporation, Literature Research
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 ----- PET BOTTLE LIFE CYCLE -----

Natural gas and

petroleum are The bottled water
converted into PET pellets are A beverage is distributed to A consumer buys
polyethylene melted and company fills gas stations, the water, drinks
terephalate, a blown into and caps the vending machines, it and then
chemical bottle molds bottles grocery and big chooses to
compound box stores
known as PET

Toss the bottle

… or tossing the bottle in a recycling bin
into the trash…
(76%)

At a mill, the plastic is

ground into shreds and
melted. Used RPET is
typically recycled into
other products, often
polyester fleece jackets,
carpets, or plastic
decking
In the US, 76% of
At recycling centers, the
plastic bottles –
bottles are sorted,
about 7.1 billion
washed, and stacked,
pounds of them,
then finally crushed,
wound up burned in
baled and sold (for 38-
incinerators or buried
66 cents per pound)
in landfills in 2006

Sources: The American Chemical Counsel, The Boston Globe Magazine

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 center

Sources: CWC, WRAP

bottles
bottles

recycled

Drop-off
recycling
Curbside
returned

Buy-back
Redemption
programs for

collections of
Debale

Sorting (manual or automated to separate PVC and color bottles)

Grind

Air classification to remove labels

Scrubber to remove drink residue, glue and dirt

Float/sink or hydrocyclone classification to remove cap and ring

made from HDPE or PP

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Metal detector to remove metal

Other decontamination process

Clean flake packer, storage and shipping

Repelletizing
----- PET BOTTLE RECYCLING PROCESS -----

Fiber
resins
Strapping
Packaging

Engineered

applications
applications
applications

applications
Sheet and film
 ----- US PET BOTTLE RECYCLING STATISTICS -----
Gross recycle statistics for US PET bottles
(mmlbs, %)

24.6%
31.7% 27.1% 24.8% 23.7% 22.3% 22.1% 19.9% 19.6% 21.6% 23.1% 23.5%

Sources: NAPCOR
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 ----- RYCYCLED PET MARKET STATISTICS -----
Market for US post consumer PET bottles
(mmlbs)

Top buyers:
China
Canada

Sources: NAPCOR
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 ----- RECYCLED PET UTILIZATION TREND -----
RPET PRODUCT CATEGORIES IN US MARKET
(mmlbs)

Sources: NAPCOR
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“Zuri” means “good and beautiful” in Swahili, a
beautiful language spoken in East Africa. Ecozuri, Inc.
offers environmentally conscious, habit changing
products to help people embrace an more eco-
friendly lifestyle. We also contribute up to 10% of our
revenue to support education for children living in
poverty in rural Africa.

“Ecozuri” is a registered trademark of California based Ecozuri Inc. The

company promotes Ecozuri line of reusable bags made from 100% recycled
plastics and offers green custom-made promotional products OEM services
for corporate clients.

To learn about Ecozuri’s products and offerings, please visit

www. ecozuri.com or email info@ecozuri.com

www.ecozuri.com