One factor to consider is that "plastic" is almost as generic a term as "material" Most consumer plastics are low grade polymers that, in their pure state, res

One factor to consider is that "plastic" is almost as generic a term as "material" Most consumer plastics are low grade polymers that, in their pure state, resemble glass fiber. They're only made useful through the addition of plasticizers (flexibility), flame retardants (increase melting point, reduce chance to burn), stiffeners (durability), colorants, antioxidants, fillers (reduce cost and change density), blowing agents (foam plastics like polystyrene), and more. These additives are responsible for most of the negative health outcomes, and many of the remaining problems (like microplastics) stem from the unstable nature of the base polymer that these additives try to address. These additives and the poor properties of the original material are also a problem in industry, where the financial problems that stem from them can't be swept under te rug like they can with human health or environmental impact. To address that industry has several grades of plastic, some you're familiar with, but there are advanced plastics like PEEK and PEI that we don't see in consumer products yet. As you move up in sophistication to materials like PEEK and PEI, they inherently have the properties we associate with the chemical cocktail commonly referred to as "plastic" https://i.imgur.com/NwqhfVl.png https://i.imgur.com/NwqhfVl.png This means that they're more stable in almost all dimensions and in a wide range of temperatures, and don't leech additives because there are no additives in them. AND the good news is that you can buy food storage products made of advanced plastic, namely PEI. https://www.webstaurantstore.com/cambro-66hp150-h-pan-1-6-size-amber-high-heat-food-pan-6-deep/21466HPAM.html https://www.webstaurantstore.com/cambro-66hp150-h-pan-1-6-si... You can actually cook in these up to 300°f without leeching materials into your food. It's really awesome