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Minimizing the Environmental Impacts of Plastic Pollution through Ecodesign of Products with Low Environmental Persistence
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This study developed a sustainability metric for ecodesign of plastic products with low environmental persistence by integrating environmental degradation rates into material selection strategies. Analysis shows that accounting for environmental persistence in product design could translate to societal benefits of hundreds of millions of dollars for a single consumer product, identifying which materials warrant development investment.
While plastic pollution threatens ecosystems and human health, the use of plastic products continues to increase. Limiting its harm requires design strategies for plastic products informed by the threats that plastics pose to the environment. Thus, we developed a sustainability metric for the ecodesign of plastic products with low environmental persistence and uncompromised performance. To do this, we integrated the environmental degradation rate of plastic into established material selection strategies, deriving material indices for environmental persistence. By comparing indices for the environmental impact of on-the-market plastics and proposed alternatives, we show that accounting for the environmental persistence of plastics in design could translate to societal benefits of hundreds of millions of dollars for a single consumer product. Our analysis identifies the materials and their properties that deserve development, adoption, and investment to create functional and less environmentally impactful plastic products.
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