Plastic plays a vital role, both in industries and in our daily life. We may not realize it, but this material – thanks to its countless qualities and versatility of use – it’s omnipresent in our lives. Plastic derivatives are now widely used for various applications, whether these are in the clothing sector, in packaging industries with but also for toys, IT components, electronic devices and much more. Automotive industries also use plastics, not to mention the amount of plastic that is used in offices, construction and manufacturing. But what impact does the use of all this plastic have on the environment and human health?
Plastic: the greatest enemy of the environment
In recent decades, the production of plastic – which sees the use of oil as its basis – has increased by over 300 million tons, a figure collected in 2015, and with current times this trend has certainly not improved.
With the production of plastic objects, there is a strong emission of carbon and dozens of other harmful gases, which are the main causes of climate change and environmental impact.
Generally, plastics are composed of polyethylene, which can in turn be divided into low-density and high-density polyethylene: they are today among the most used materials in industries around the world. Light, versatile and long-lasting, this substance, however, has a strong disadvantage that should not be underestimated: its non-biodegradability.
Over a billion tons of plastic have been lost on the planet, and it could take several hundred years for them to degrade and be disposed of by the environment.
Fortunately, today the environmental emergency is one of the priorities of new corporate marketing strategies that care about sustainability, the planet and the health of mankind.
The percentage of plastic in municipal solid waste continues to grow more and more rapidly: when it comes to dispose and discharged it in landfills, it often happens that, in contact with water, they release dangerous chemicals which, in the long run, can also compromise the quality of the drinking water that reaches our homes.
Rice starch: an alternative to smart and sustainable plastic
For several years now we have been hearing about biodegradable plastics. But what are they? These materials are mainly made up of rice starch – which today remains one of the strongest allies in the field of bioplastics – but corn starch and cellulose are also often used for these purposes.
Thanks to the use of rice starch bioplastic, in addition to dispersing less toxic waste into the environment, we also have other very important advantages, such as a strong reduction in the use of fossil fuels and carbon dioxide emissions.
Rice starch bioplastics: what impact they have on the environment
The biodegradability of these plastics has had a highly positive impact not only on the environment but also on society. Today we are progressively trying to increase the spread and awareness of all the advantages that the use of this type of packaging brings.
Rice starch is completely biodegradable, and is widely used in different types of industries and for a variety of products in which plastic recycling is encouraged, especially in the food sector.
It is a real revolution in the field of sustainability: the creation of bioplastics deriving from natural elements, presents multiple applications that go beyond the simple food packaging, but can also be used in other fields such as the medicine.
Starch, present in rice but also in many other cereals such as corn or tubers, is a polysaccharide composed of two glucose polymers, amylose and amylopectin.
Despite it is a fragile polymer, starch can be treated with heat and water through a gelatization process, suitable for processing techniques that makes it similar to plastic.
Even if after all, starch can be less resistant than plastic, this should not be misleading: its use, in fact, generally occurs over all those sectors that use plastic in disposable packaging, decreasing significantly pollution and taking an important step forward to preserve the human being health and our planet.
If your company deals with the production of bioplastics, rice starch is certainly the ideal solution to reduce the environmental impact and business costs.