Education And The Future Of Plastics

A little information about me: I am very eager to one day end up in education, and I hope that when I stand in front of a class I can inspire a new generation of scientists to explore all aspects of industry, even those which are, at times, presented in a less than ideal light.

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Not too much time has passed since I was in secondary school, studying for my GCSE's and then subsequently my A-Levels. I have always been scientifically minded, I knew a career involving the sciences was something I was aiming for, but I had never envisioned myself having any association with the plastics industry. I know this because the way I was introduced to it in school was extremely negative - and 7 years on from that I know that not too much has changed.

Whilst industry professionals would love for curriculum to focus on the great environmental benefit using plastics can have over traditional materials, classrooms then to focus on the negative side of the life-cycle. Emphasis is placed on marine waste and other social implications caused by incorrect disposal; all types of information which conjures much stronger emotional responses from children compared to the theoretical knowledge behind how polymerisation works.

We once watched a video on 'the future of plastics', which may have seemed inspirational for the industry, but were from the 1960's and the content taught alongside was often dismissive. A strange importance of plastic as a material is introduced, but then never backed up with positive facts; instead the figures which supported this followed the lines of depleted fossil fuels and how many animals suffer due to plastic waste (over 100,000 a year according to WDCS Kidzone). All of this resonates very strongly with children and sometimes the interesting, importing facts are forgotten.

I remember well that, as a child greatly invested in the environment, the idea of promoting the use of plastics would never appeal to me. At school the blame of the environmental damage was placed almost solely on the manufacturers, instead of on the wider community who contribute to a huge percentage of incorrectly disposed plastics.

Yes, manufacturers should shoulder some responsibility.

Enough responsibility to spark conversation. To encourage their marketing departments to spend money on recycling information or to push their chemists towards greener developments, but they should no way be blamed in such a way that impedes the markets future developments. Working alongside the industry has happened as a coincidence, but since doing so I have learnt so much about the use of plastics it has changed my previous conceptions and now I am proud to have the opportunity to interact with and speak to others in this and many other chemical industries.

Over their life cycle plastics save more energy than is used to product them, for example a 5% reduction in weight of a car by using plastics can translate in a 3% decrease in fuel consumption. Without the use of plastics, the weight of packaging would increase by 398% which translates to a 208% increase in fuel consumption and 258% increase in waste packaging. The industry is moving on rapidly in terms of efficiency and recycling, with a 'zero plastics in landfill' target, and the use of plastic regrind in manufacturing booming as more innovative methods are developed to streamline the recycling process. (All information from British Plastics Federation publications)

But how are these advances in the plastics industry made?

Through the hard work of research chemists, through the ingenuity of manufacturers and through the advancements made by engineers to include plastics in their exciting new lightweight designs.

Surprisingly, websites like 'BBC Bitesize' have a stream of more positive videos. Educational snippits on how plastics are made and where they can be used. Environmental websites such as Bird Rescue and the RSPCA are increasingly encouraging the public to take responsibility for their actions, so surely it is time for this to be reflected in the way teachers approach a classroom. Let us encourage the scientists of the future to see the plastics industry as an exciting step for the future and not a fall-back option; those who are environmentally minded should only be encouraged further to push forward the research into making plastics even more environmentally friendly instead of given a negative outlook on the industry.