A Practical Guide to Plastics Sustainability: Concept, Solutions, and Implementation

A Practical Guide to Plastics Sustainability: Concept, Solutions, and Implementation is a groundbreaking reference work offering a broad, detailed and highly practical vision of the complex concept of sustainability in plastics. The book's aim is to present a range of potential pathways towards more sustainable plastics parts and products, enabling the reader to further integrate the idea of sustainability into their design process. It begins by introducing the context and concept of sustainability, discussing perceptions, drivers of change, key factors, and environmental issues, before presenting a detailed outline of the current situation with types of plastics, processing, and opportunities for improved sustainability.

Subsequent chapters focus on the different possibilities for improved sustainability, offering a step-by-step technical approach to areas including design, properties, renewable plastics, and recycling and re-use. Each of these pillars are supported by data, examples, analysis and best practice guidance. Finally, the latest developments and future possibilities are considered.

Approaches the idea of sustainability from numerous angles, offering practical solutions to improve sustainability in the development of plastic components and productsExplains how sustainability can be applied across plastics design, materials selection, processing, and end of life, all set alongside socioeconomic factorsConsiders key areas of innovation, such as eco-design, novel opportunities for recycling or re-use, bio-based polymers and new technologies

1. An Overview of Sustainability and Plastics: A Multifaceted, Relative and Scalable concept 2. Plastics Overview: Outline of the Current Situation of Plastics 3. Metrics of Sustainability in Plastics: Indicators, Standards, and Software 4. Easy Measures Relating to Improved Plastics Sustainability 5. Eco-design Rules for Plastics Sustainability 6. Environmental and Engineering Data to Support Eco-design for Plastics 7. Advanced Environmental and Engineering Properties to Support Eco-design for Plastics 8. Economics Relating to Fossil and Renewable Plastics 9. Recycling of Plastics, Advantages and Limitation of Use 10. Transition of Plastics to Renewable Feedstock and Raw Materials 11. Plastics Sustainability: Drivers and Obstacles 12. Plastics Sustainability: Prospective