Recycled plastic is generally considered more sustainable than virgin plastic. This is because recycled plastic uses existing materials, rather than requiring new resources to be extracted and processed.
Producing virgin plastic involves extracting crude oil or natural gas, then refining and processing it into plastic resin. This process requires significant amounts of energy and produces greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts.
On the other hand, recycling plastic involves collecting used plastic products, sorting them by type, cleaning and processing them, and then manufacturing them into new products. While recycling also requires energy and can produce some emissions, it typically uses less energy and produces fewer emissions than producing virgin plastic.
In addition to reducing the environmental impact of plastic production, recycling plastic can also help reduce plastic waste and conserve natural resources. However, it's important to note that recycling alone is not enough to solve the problem of plastic waste and pollution, and other strategies like reducing plastic use and improving waste management systems are also needed.
Fossil Fuels Consumption: rPET vs. PET
The amount of fossil fuels required to produce recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) compared to virgin PET can vary depending on the specific production processes and supply chains involved. However, in general, producing rPET requires less fossil fuels than producing virgin PET.
One study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production estimated that producing rPET requires approximately 31-54% less fossil fuels than producing virgin PET, depending on the specific production processes used. Another study published in the same journal found that producing rPET from post-consumer PET bottles required approximately 67% less energy than producing virgin PET.
However, it's important to note that while producing rPET may require less fossil fuels, the recycling process itself still requires energy, primarily for collection, sorting, cleaning, and processing of the plastic waste. Additionally, other environmental impacts, such as emissions and water use, can also vary depending on the specific production processes used.
