Earth Day
4/22
In June of 2021, The U.S. Plastics Pact announced an aggressive national strategy to ensure all plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025. “The roadmap is designed to help U.S. industry leaders act on the significant, systemwide change needed to realize a circular economy for plastics by 2025…if we choose to do nothing, the visions of a circular economy across the U.S. will give way to the status quo,” said Emily Tipaldo, Executive Director, The U.S. Plastics Pact.
For a product or material to be truly described as sustainable, it must meet the Three Pillars of Sustainability: environmentally, economically, and socially.
An environmental profile is defined as “A method of identifying and assessing the environmental effects associated with building materials.” Only 4% of the world’s oil production is used for plastics and much less energy is used to produce it compared to other materials. They also make a large contribution to environmental sustainability through their potential for energy savings, energy recovery, and recyclability. Whether as a car bumper or a bottle, when the “use” phase of plastic material is up, we can recycle these items. However, if it is not environmentally beneficial, the calorific value of plastic, aka the energy contained in fuel which is measured by the heat produced during combustion, can be recovered through the energy from waste incineration, providing a source of home-grown power.
Despite conflict regarding various plastic types, and the additives used to give them properties that allow for many useful benefits, the industry continues to be strong across the nation. Over the past two decades, plastics have not only contributed to the economy through manufacturing and new applications, but it has also contributed through recycling.
Plastics are also socially sustainable. The plastics industry is one of the largest manufacturing industries in the U.S. It generates $451 billion per year and employs 1.5 million. More and more, we rely on new and evolving plastic materials for our day-to-day lives, especially when it comes to our safety. Plastics in cars, for example, reduce weight and allow for the addition of safety features such as airbags. Modern plastic packaging captures reduced-oxygen air mixtures and controls the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide… all helping to keep our food safer and fresher. Plastics are essential in modern-day healthcare and are used in surgery, healthcare products, pharmaceuticals, and medical packaging.
The impact plastics have made economically, socially, and environmentally has allowed them to solidify their impact and importance across the globe. The conversation on sustainability is one that does not end here. There are countless things we can do in our communities and homes to help promote sustainable practices in plastics. The simplest way is to recycle. Set up recycling bins in your homes and offices, somewhere universal for everyone (kitchens, lunchrooms, etc.) We all play an important part in taking care of our planet to ensure its stability for generations to come.
Now, more than ever, at IMS we are dedicated to helping all our customers discover the best practices to conserve energy as well as time and money. We also encourage our employees to recycle with our in-house recycling unit which allows for the recycling of cardboard boxes and plastics. Any unshipped catalogs are sent to a local paper company to be recycled as well. Not only is this an important business principle, but it is also a fundamental moral responsibility.
IMS Company Blog 
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