Paper vs. Plastic - What is more "sustainable"

[mattf]

I know this also probably should be within the Environmental discussion, but I thought since this is basically a consumable item its relevant here.

My company makes display item holders, cards for jewelry, hang tags for clothing and so on. A question has come up on the subject of sustainability. Some of our customers think paper board is better while others believe plastic is better.

Does anyone know of any research that has been conducted to see which material would be the most environmentally friendly choice? Again, these products can be as small as the palm of your hand to store displays. We are trying to educate our customers on the things to know when trying to buy product that is either paper or plastic.

Any insight would be much appreciative.

 

[Bret Hesler]

Without getting into the energy required to produce them, or the waste created in the process, trees used to make paper are renewable, petrochemicals used to create plastics are not renewable. If you add bioplastics or plant based plastics into the mix, the equation is clearly different.

I am not sure what commercially available products are out there, but my REI membership card was printed on a bioplastic. I don't have it with me, but when I find it, I'll post the link to the plastic manufacturer.

Bret

 

[mattf]

Without getting into the energy required to produce them, or the waste created in the process, trees used to make paper are renewable, petrochemicals used to create plastics are not renewable. If you add bioplastics or plant based plastics into the mix, the equation is clearly different.

I am not sure what commercially available products are out there, but my REI membership card was printed on a bioplastic. I don't have it with me, but when I find it, I'll post the link to the plastic manufacturer.

Bret

Good case for paper. However, I believe the case for including the energy required to make both as well as the waste created in the process is something that should be considered. I understand that trees are renewable, but can't plastics be recycled for a longer life cycle then paper? I know paper can only be recycled 5 to 7 times until the fibers are too short to be used, and plastic can be melted down to pellets to be created into rolls again.

It seems this question might be too large to answer, but if you were asked to use either paper or plastic, what would you use yourself?

 

[Bret Hesler]

I am not an expert on the recycling of plastics, but #1 PETE and #2 HDPE are the most readily recyclable, and most accepted for recycling. My town only accepts those for recycling, and anything else is landfilled. A lot of recycled plastic gets turned into picnic tables, decking, ... So it's really not an endless cycle.

I would go for a paper tag with a high recycled content, and preferably a bug from FSC or the like.

Bret