In a world where “going green” has never been more important, it makes you wonder why there are so many products out there that don’t use biodegradable plastic.
When you think of plastic, you think of water bottles and packaging; but most people forget about a little thing called plastic additives. Plastic additives are chemical substances added to a polymeric compound to process, modify, or provide plastics with specific properties to make them more useful. Plastic additives make plastic safer, cleaner, tougher, and colorful. The various types of plastic additives include property modifiers, property extenders, property stabilizers, and processing aids.
While plastic additives improve the plastic found in tens of thousands of products around the world, they aren’t biodegradable. This is greatly hindering growth in the Global Plastic Additives Market, which is only expected to post a CAGR of 4.98 percent from 2013-2018.
Growing Health Concerns
Toxic chemical ingredients in plastic additives pose a serious threat to the environment as well as human health. Plastic polymers are not toxic, but toxic residual chemicals, chemical additives, and degradation of products in plastic products can leach into land and water, causing many deadly diseases. Plastic additives such as bisphenol-A and phthalate are highly toxic endocrine disruptors and potential carcinogens. Also, houses with PVC flooring that contains phthalate are highly likely to cause autism in children.
Switching to Biodegradable Plastic
To address the rising concerns about the toxic effects of chemicals used in plastic additives on human health and the environment, various governments are promoting bioplastics that use biodegradable plastic additives. Biodegradable plastic is eco-friendly and poses a minimal threat to the environment and human health as its chemical composition is harmless. The growing adoption of green plastic additives will be an emerging trend in the Global Plastic Additives market during the forecast period.
Bioplastics Meet Government Standards
Currently, a big challenge for vendors is having to follow several environmental and health and safety regulations to produce plastic products. Complying with these regulations without compromising on quality is a serious challenge because the industry is highly competitive and price-sensitive.
The use of eco-friendly chemicals, additives without traces of harmful metals, and production of recyclable plastics or bioplastics is encouraged to limit the negative impact of plastics on the environment.
This has led to a huge demand for eco-friendly plastic products, which has boosted the market for biodegradable plastic additives. The sustainable nature of these eco-friendly plastics is a major driver in the Global Plastic Additives market.
