Household. Plastics are used to make window frames, synthetic carpet, ducts and piping, room partitions, sound- and above all heat-insulation panels, tanks to hold water, heating oil and sewage… And of course also have a role in electrical appliances, light fittings, furniture, toys and electronics equipment as well. Habitat accounts for 18.5% of all plastics consumption today.
Plastic batts are one of the most efficient forms of home insulation and can lead to a savings of 150 liters of heating oil per year compared to a home insulated with other materials.
Automotive. Today’s motor vehicles have fenders and spoilers made of plastic, and often some body panels, the fuel tank and interior fittings (dashboard, seats…) as well. And about 20% of the parts under the hood are also plastic. As plastics are lighter than metal, the vehicle is lighter too, and a weight saving can mean a significant reduction in motor-fuel consumption.
Packaging. Some 40% of all plastics used in Europe go into packaging ranging from ketchup bottles, yoghurt pots and food trays to the bottles and jars used to hold perfume, skin cream and shower gel. Plastic food packaging helps reduce food wastage all along the distribution chain, thus helping to provide a growing world population with fresh, high-quality food.
Medicine. Plastics go into disposal syringes, blood pouches, heart valves, orthopaedic apparatus and artificial limbs, but also medicine containers and professional garments.
Sports. Plastics are widely used in high-tech sports equipment such as tennis racquets, skis, footballs, F1 racers, yacht hulls and running shoes, as well as in synthetic athletics tracks and artificial grass for football and rugby fields.
Fashion. Glasses frames, handbags, shoes, stretch shirts, undergarments… plastic is everywhere here too.
Alternative energies. Plastics are used in wind-turbine blades as well as the supports for photovoltaic solar panels (and in future they will even be used to manufacture the solar cells themselves).
Electronics. Cell phones, TV sets, computers, iPods… yes plastic is there too.