Ecological and social footprint
When considering the ecological and social implications of using A polymer is a large molecule formed from many identical smaller molecules (monomers). Polymers can be natural or synthetic. Plastics are long chains of polymers., it is likely that the polymer is A resource that cannot be replaced when it is used up, such as oil, natural gas or coal.. Some polymers are plant-based, but most are derived from Mixture of hydrocarbons, mainly alkanes, formed over millions of years from the remains of ancient dead marine organisms., which cannot be grown and is a Resource that can only be used once and is in limited supply. For example, oil is a finite resource. - there is only a certain amount within the Earth’s The outer layer of the Earth on top of the mantle.. As a tremendous amount of energy is used to convert crude oil to a polymer, it is important to consider other materials or to To use a product again rather than replacing with a new one - one of the 6 Rs. plastics already available.
Whenever environmental impact is to be reduced, ‘the 6 Rs’ can be addressed to ensure an in-depth analysis has been done. The 6 Rs can be considered by the Somebody responsible for planning the layout or structure of a piece of work, eg a poster, a website or a computer game., the A person or company that makes something from raw materials or from an assembly of component parts. and the In business, a consumer is a person who uses a product and may also buy it. to reduce that negative impact on the environment.
Considering the 6 Rs when designing food packaging
The 6 Rs
The term ‘the 6 Rs’ can be applied to the design of new products or when a product is finished with, used up or no longer wanted. Here are some questions to prompt 6 Rs thinking:
- To make decisions that decrease the amount of waste produced - one of the 6 Rs. - Can the amount of polymer used be reduced? Can the polymer be bought locally to reduce product miles?
- Reuse - Can the polymer be reused for another purpose once a product is finished with?
- To break down and process so a new material is produced - one of the 6 Rs. - Can the polymer be disposed of correctly so that it can be recycled?
- To change the design of a product to be more environmentally friendly - one of the 6 Rs. - Can the way a product is made be redesigned so that less or no polymer is used?
- To avoid using a product to save on waste - one of the 6 Rs. - Refusing to use a polymer could be a consideration; could a material that is sustainable be used instead?
- To fix a broken product - one of the 6 Rs. - When a product is broken, can it be repaired rather than discarded?
