Packaging: High Density Plastics
High density polyethylene with a density greater than 940kg/m. This type of plastic is used in opaque plastic milk and water jugs, bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles, and some plastic bags. [1] It is produced in low pressure reactors. The production starts with a chemical called ethylene, a hydrocarbon, also called as monomer. The final product is called polymer, consists multi-bonds of ethylene units. There are 2 main techniques in production 1) Slurry polymerization 2) Gas phase polymerization. Both procedures require relatively low temperatures [PlasticsEurope], in production terms, 70 to 110 Celsius degrees is “low”. This temperature level needs energy to be reached.
“Ethylene, the monomer of HDPE, can be produced from a petrochemical source or from alternative sources like syngas and biomass.”
According to a report Environmental Product Declaration by PlasticsEurope, fossil fuels and water use are the highest level inputs. The chart refers input parameters of 1 kg of HDPE polymer. 16% of 1kg of milk cartons is fossil fuels, 30% is water.
Input information of HDPE production: (link to report)
HDPE: High density polyethylene, used in opaque plastic milk and water jugs, bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles, and some plastic bags.
Only 1.8% of packaging plastic is recycled. [1]
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