Plastic is everywhere. From grocery bags to water bottles to dashboards to airplanes, plastic is entrenched in our daily lives. Plastic makes our lives safer and more convenient, but it also drains petrol reserves and tops-up landfills.

Approximately 7.1 billion pounds, or 76 percent, of plastic bottles in the United States ended up in landfills in 2007. That same year, Americans consumed more than 29 million tons of plastic but recycled a paltry 2 million tons (7 percent). (Source: The Boston Globe)

Because of environmental issues and health concerns, plastic has gotten a bad rap lately. In 2008, the plastics industry faced approximately 400 pieces of anti-plastic legislation in the U.S., according to the Boston Globe.

How long will the negativity towards plastics keep up? How will it affect the future of the plastics industry? Are people really going to cut back on plastic use?

Currently, several cities and even entire countries have imposed or are considering bans and taxation on plastic bag use: China passed a ban on plastic bags under 0.025mm thick in January and effectively shuttered the country's biggest plastic bag manufacturer, which used to produce 250,000 tons of bags annually; Ireland imposed a tax on plastic bags in 2002; Australia plans to impose a ban this year; and 33 London councils are planning on banning ultra-thin bags and taxing other plastic bags in 2009, The Guardian reports.

In the U.S., San Francisco banned plastic bags last year and New York City requires shops by law to provide bins for recycling plastic bags. In January 2009, Seattle will charge a 20-cent fee on plastic bags.

Yet, while the passing of more anti-plastics legislation would certainly put a wrinkle in the plastics industry, demand for plastics is not exactly diminishing.

By 2010, the plastic film and sheets market is expected to expand to 50.8 million tons, Global Industry Analysts, Inc. says. And according to a July study by the Freedonia Group, plastic film demand in the U.S. is projected to grow 2.6 percent annually to more than 16 billion lb. through 2012 and have a market value of nearly $32 billion.

For all the bans and taxes, plastic film use for retail bags and stretch and shrink wrap is anticipated to grow most rapidly, the research firm estimates.

Given the current sentiment regarding the environment, it's not surprising that Freedonia Group also sees demand for biodegradable plastics to increase. In the U.S., it is forecast to rise more than 15 percent annually to 720 million lb., valued at $845 million in 2012. Compostable yard and kitchen bags along with packaging products are the expected market drivers.

Demand for rigid plastics, specifically containers, is expected to grow 3 percent yearly to 15.7 billion pounds through 2012 and be worth $32 billion, Freedonia Group adds. Plastic bottles and jars, which accounted for 78 percent of plastic container poundage in 2007, are predicted to remain the leading container type through 2012.

The rigid plastic market also spurred growth in another segment of the plastics industry, namely high-performance polymers (HPP), says a new global market study from Principia Partners. Mainly used for molded plastics, HPP is expected to enter the films, fibers and coatings sectors and grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.1 percent over the next five years. Today, it is a $6.1 billion industry serving the aerospace and defense, automotive, computer, consumer, electronic, industrial, medical and construction industries, according to estimates in a statement from the consulting firm.

Plastic additives also play a part in growing the plastics industry by encouraging manufacturers to create additives that enhance the properties of one plastic segment over the other, according to the Global Industry Analysts' Plastic Additives report published last month. The growing inter-segment competition in the plastics industry built the plastics additive market, which is expected to reach 33.5 metric tons by 2015.

North America and Europe account for almost 55 percent of the global plastic additives segment, but Asia-Pacific represents the largest plastic additives market by value — accounting for a 29 percent share. That region also offers the highest growth opportunity with a compound annual growth rate of more than 4 percent from 2000 to 2010, Global Industry Analysts forecasts.

Clearly, plastics aren't going away anytime soon.

Besides plastic's current uses, there have been several breakthroughs in plastics technology that very soon could be part of daily life. One of the driving forces of these advancements is the creation of plastics-based electronics.

Electronics consulting company IDTechEx predicts the plastic electronics industry will be valued at $30 billion by 2015 and $250 billion by 2025. Plastic electronics can be manufactured cheaper and with less energy than traditional silicon-based electronics and they're bendable. (Source: The Christian Science Monitor)

According to the MIT Technology Review and the Christian Science Monitor, these advancements include:

• Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLED) Monitors: An OLED has no backlight and emits its own glow, saving materials, energy and space. Because it is printed on flexible plastic, the screen can be viewed from different angles and from both sides. Currently used for PDAs and cell phones, it is slated for use as a light source in the form of wallpaper and TV monitors.

• E-Paper: Saving the 95 million trees cut annually for books and the 35 million trees used for magazines, e-paper will allow people to read books and magazines via flexible, plastic electronic readers.

• Plastic Solar Panels: It currently takes 10 years to make back in savings what silicon-based solar panels cost to install, Nobel Laureate Alan Heeger says. Making solar panels out of plastic panels could potentially lower costs, and because plastics can bend, they could be embedded in roof tiles, bags or clothing. "One day you may recharge your cell phone from your handbag's built-in, plastic solar panel," he adds.

• Electrocaloric Polymers Cooling Device: Developed by Penn State researchers, electrocaloric polymers change temperature in response to changing electric fields. Voltage would be applied to the material which would then be brought in contact with what it needs to cool. It absorbs the heat which it then passes to a heat sink or into the atmosphere. This polymer absorbs heat seven times better than ceramic and is being considered for use as a cooling device for laptops and refrigerators.

The debate over plastic will surely continue. But for all its ills, the flexible material gives back plenty in return and provides plenty of possibilities for the future.

Resources

In Praise of Plastic
by Keith O'Brien
The Boston Globe, Sept. 28, 2008

China Boosts Global War Against Menace of the Plastic Bag
by John Vidal
The Guardian, Jan. 12, 2008

China's Biggest Plastic Bag Maker Closes After Ban
by Jonathan Watts
The Guardian, Feb. 27, 2008

S.F. First City to Ban Plastic Shopping Bags
by Charlie Goodyear
San Francisco Chronicle, March 28, 2007

Plastic Film
The Freedonia Group, July 2008

MCP-2121: Plastic Film and Sheets — a Global Strategic Business Report
Global Industry Analysts, Inc., April 28, 2008

Plastic Containers
The Freedonia Group, July 2008

High Performance Polymers 2008: Global Market Performance and Growth Analysis
Principia Partners, November 2008

High Performance Polymers: A $6.1 Billion Bright Spot in the Global Plastics Industry According to New Principia Study
Principia Partners (via Businesswire/MarketWatch), Nov. 11, 2008

Biodegradable Plastic
The Freedonia Group, July 2008

Plastic Additives
Global Industry Analysts, Inc., October 2008

The Future of Tech in just One Word: Plastics
by Moises Velasquez-Manoff
The Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 1, 2008

A Plastic that Chills
by Prachi Patel-Predd
MIT Technology Review, Aug. 11, 2008