4 ms·

Making plastic stuff is energy cheap, relatively, that’s why plastic is cheap. Plastic packaging uses a lot less energy (to produce, ship, and dispose of) than

Making plastic stuff is energy cheap, relatively, that’s why plastic is cheap. Plastic packaging uses a lot less energy (to produce, ship, and dispose of) than metal, wood, etc. Though of course with cheapness comes increased usage, so the net effect is probably difficult to determine

anonporridge 4y ago
> Though of course with cheapness comes increased usage, so the net effect is probably difficult to determine Induced demand, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_demand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_demand.
- mattmaroon 4y ago
  Right. So it’s hard to say. Stuff that you’d buy anyway (like food, cars, etc.) it’s probably a huge environmental win. Cars are sooo much lighter now, I have to imagine plastics are a part of that. A whole lot of a car is plastic, fiberglass, etc that used to be metal, so probably big savings both in manufacturing and fuel. When you refloor your house with LVP instead of ceramic tile might be another example. But people buy cheap plastic garbage they throw out that probably just would not exist if plastic didn’t. I’d guess overall it’s a win for the environment, though it’s very unevenly distributed in any case. It’s obviously much worse for pollution in the ocean, for instance. Also fun fact: it was originally developed to replace ivory in billiard balls and without that we probably wouldn’t have elephants left.
jl6 4y ago
Plastic is also cheap because it draws down on a stockpile of oil that nature has been saving for us for the last few million years. It won’t be so cheap when we have to synthesize the feedstock.
- immibis 4y ago
  We'll probably use it, but much less. Plastic is literally a wonder material, literally unobtainium, except that it's quite obtainium thanks to the sacrifices of ancient dinosaurs.

4 ms·

Making plastic stuff is energy cheap, relatively, that’s why plastic is cheap. Plastic packaging uses a lot less energy (to produce, ship, and dispose of) than

by mattmaroon 4y ago

anonporridge 4y ago
> Though of course with cheapness comes increased usage, so the net effect is probably difficult to determine Induced demand, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_demand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_demand.
- mattmaroon 4y ago
  Right. So it’s hard to say. Stuff that you’d buy anyway (like food, cars, etc.) it’s probably a huge environmental win. Cars are sooo much lighter now, I have to imagine plastics are a part of that. A whole lot of a car is plastic, fiberglass, etc that used to be metal, so probably big savings both in manufacturing and fuel. When you refloor your house with LVP instead of ceramic tile might be another example. But people buy cheap plastic garbage they throw out that probably just would not exist if plastic didn’t. I’d guess overall it’s a win for the environment, though it’s very unevenly distributed in any case. It’s obviously much worse for pollution in the ocean, for instance. Also fun fact: it was originally developed to replace ivory in billiard balls and without that we probably wouldn’t have elephants left.
jl6 4y ago
Plastic is also cheap because it draws down on a stockpile of oil that nature has been saving for us for the last few million years. It won’t be so cheap when we have to synthesize the feedstock.
- immibis 4y ago
  We'll probably use it, but much less. Plastic is literally a wonder material, literally unobtainium, except that it's quite obtainium thanks to the sacrifices of ancient dinosaurs.