Plastics and Sustainability: Towards a Peaceful Coexistence between Bio-based and Fossil Fuel-based Plastics -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Preface -- 1 General Introduction -- 1.1 What is Environmental Sustainability? -- 1.2 Facing the Contradictions of Plastics -- 1.3 Plastics at Play in Consumer Lifestyles -- 1.4 Controversies Concerning Plastics: Recent Examples -- 1.4.1 PVC and Phthalate Plasticizers -- 1.4.2 Plastic Shopping Bags -- 1.4.3 Health Effects of BPA (Bisphenol-A) -- 1.5 The Desire to be "Green" -- 1.5.1 Consumer Interest in Sustainability -- 1.5.2 Sustainability: Views and Counterviews -- 1.6 The Course of This Book: A Chapter-by-Chapter Overview -- References -- 2 The Life Cycles of Plastics -- 2.1 "Green Principles" - A Basis for Discussion -- 2.2 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - A Baseline Tool -- 2.2.1 Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) -- 2.2.2 LCA: Controversies and Limitations -- 2.2.3 LCA/LCI: Plastics-related Examples -- 2.3 Plastic Lifetimes: Cradle-to-Gate... to Gate-to-Grave -- 2.3.1 The "Cradle": Polymer Feedstocks and Production -- 2.3.2 "Gate-to-Gate": General Plastics Use-life Impacts -- 2.3.3 The "Grave": Disposal, Recycling, and Biodegradability -- 2.4 Towards a Hierarchy of Choosing Plastics for Sustainability -- References -- 3 Polymer Properties and Environmental Footprints -- 3.1 Background on Polymers and Plastics -- 3.1.1 "Green Chemistry" Principles Most Relevant to Plastics -- 3.2 Common Commodity Thermoplastics -- 3.2.1 Polyethylene (PE) -- 3.2.2 Polypropylene (PP) -- 3.2.3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC, or "Vinyl") -- 3.2.4 Polystyrene (PS) -- 3.2.5 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and Related Polyesters -- 3.3 Traditional Engineering Thermoplastics -- 3.3.1 Nylon or Polyamide (PA) -- 3.3.2 Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) -- 3.3.3 Polycarbonate (PC) -- 3.4 Traditional Thermosets and Conventional Composites.

3.4.1 Unreinforced Thermosets -- 3.4.2 Conventional Composites -- 3.5 Biopolymers: Polymers of Biological Origin -- 3.5.1 Polylactic Acid (PLA) -- 3.5.2 Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs): PHB and Related Copolymers -- 3.5.3 Starch-based Polymers -- 3.5.4 Protein-based Polymers -- 3.5.5 Algae-based Polymers -- 3.5.6 Blends of Biopolymers -- 3.6 Additives and Fillers: Conventional and Bio-based -- 3.6.1 Common Additives -- 3.6.2 Fillers -- 3.6.3 Fiber Reinforcement -- 3.6.4 Nanocomposites -- 3.7 Concluding Summary -- References -- 4 Applications: Demonstrations of Plastics Sustainability -- 4.1 Trends in Sustainable Plastics Applications -- 4.2 Sustainable Plastics Packaging -- 4.2.1 Traditional Plastics Bags and Containers: Use, Disposal, and Recycling -- 4.2.2 Bio-based Plastic Packaging -- 4.2.3 "Greener" Foam Packaging -- 4.2.4 Key Points about Plastics Packaging and Sustainability -- 4.3 Sustainable Plastics in Building and Construction -- 4.3.1 Recycled / Recyclable Construction Applications -- 4.3.2 Wood-plastic Composites -- 4.3.3 Key Points about Plastics Sustainability in Construction -- 4.4 Automotive Plastics and Sustainability -- 4.4.1 Fuel-saving Contributions of Plastics -- 4.4.2 Recycling and Automotive Plastics -- 4.4.3 Bioplastics in the Automotive Industry -- 4.4.4 Key Points: Plastics Sustainability in the Automotive Industry -- 4.5 Specialized Applications and Plastics Sustainability -- 4.5.1 Electrical/Electronics Applications -- 4.5.2 Medical Plastics and Packaging -- 4.5.3 Agricultural Applications -- 4.6 Conclusions about Sustainable Plastics Applications -- References -- 5 Design Guidelines for Sustainability -- 5.1 Green Design Principles -- 5.1.1 Minimize Material Content -- 5.1.2 Exploit a Material's Full Value in the Design -- 5.1.3 Design Only to Fulfill Service Durability Requirements -- 5.1.4 Minimize Non-functional Features.

5.1.5 Focus on Single-material Designs -- 5.1.6 Incorporate Renewable Content -- 5.2 The Wildcard: Consumer Preferences in Green Design -- References -- 6 Sustainable Considerations in Material Selection -- 6.1 A Broad Example of Materials Selection: Plastics vs. Metals and Glass -- 6.2 Material Selection for Common High-Volume Plastics Applications -- 6.2.1 Plastics Selection for Beverage Bottles: PET vs. rPET vs. bio-PET -- 6.2.2 Plastics Selection for Thermoformed and Flexible Packaging -- 6.2.3 Selection for Housewares and Food Service Tableware -- 6.3 Bio-based Plastic Selection -- 6.3.1 Selecting Bio-based Resins: PLA, PHA, TPS, and Bio-based PE -- 6.3.2 Selecting Natural Fiber Plastics Reinforcement -- 6.3.3 Selecting Engineering (Bio)polymers -- 6.4 The Selection Process: A Visual Approach -- References -- 7 Processing: Increasing Efficiency in the Use of Energy and Materials -- 7.1 Optimizing Resin Recycling -- 7.1.1 Reprocessing Scrap and Post-industrial Material -- 7.1.2 Recycling Technologies for Post-consumer Plastic -- 7.2 Optimizing Plastics Processes for Sustainability -- 7.2.1 Optimizing Process Water Use -- 7.2.2 Optimizing Process Energy Consumption of Existing Machinery -- 7.2.3 Choosing New Machinery for Sustainability -- 7.2.4 Sourcing Options for "Green" Processing Energy -- References -- 8 Conclusion: A World with(out) Sustainable Plastics? -- 8.1 Trends Affecting Future Global Plastics Use -- 8.1.1 Consumer Needs and Market Growth -- 8.1.2 Fossil Fuel Availability and Price -- 8.1.3 Alternative Feedstock Trends -- 8.1.4 Industry Priorities in Responding to Calls for Sustainability -- 8.1.5 Plastic Bans and (Never Ending?) Controversies -- 8.2 Future Progress in Promoting Plastics Sustainability -- 8.2.1 Improved Partnerships, Standards , Industry Practices, and Public Education.

8.2.2 New Sustainability-Enhancing Uses of Both Fossil- and Bio-based Plastics -- 8.2.3 From R&D to Real World: Newer, More Renewably Based Polymeric Materials -- References -- Index.