Their palettes hold only blacks and whites and their brushes are broad - so broad they may inadvertently shade or obscure the facts. And the resulting portrait, though dramatic, more often represents a collage of misconceptions rather than reality. A clearer picture is required if we are to agree upon effective solutions to our environmental challenges. And more colours must be added to the palette to balance the perspective on plastics. The production of all plastics in Canada consumes just two percent of this country's oil and natural gas resources.
Plastic resins require far less energy to produce than most alternative materials.
One of plastics' largest contributions to the packaging industry is its ability to be made into very thin films and containers. In fact, packagers are increasingly substituting plastics for alternative packaging materials because they can achieve significant reductions in packaging weight, volume and cost for the same amount of product delivered. The environmental impact would be severe if other materials were substituted for plastics in packaging. It has been estimated that the volume of packaging waste would increase over 250 percent, the weight of packaging waste would increase over 400 percent, energy consumption would increase over 200 percent and overall packaging costs would increase 210 percent. Packaging is an essential part of the public health, economic well-being, standard of living and lifestyle of modern societies.