Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Perspective
Perspective
January 25, 2023 08:58 AM

Perspective: What the Essential Plastics Coalition has wrong

Jim Throne, an expert on thermoforming and rotational molding, says environmentalists would welcome help in understanding plastics

Jim Throne
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    throne-self-portrait_i.png

    Throne

    My letter addresses many of the statements Richard Berman, executive director of the Essential Plastics Coalition, in his Perspective column ["It's time to change the conversation around plastic," Dec. 12, Page 7].

    Mr. Berman contends that: "Disinformation is destroying America's plastic industry, one city at a time." And his corporation's third way of "properly refram[ing] the issue" is to "target environmentalists' disinformation directly."

    So, a whole bunch of huzzahs to the Essential Plastics Coalition for staking out its territory. But I think the issue is not as clear-cut as Mr. Berman contends, essentially saying environmentalists are ignorant or are Luddites and we're the good guys — just think of all the "[p]lastic gloves, masks and syringes [that] keep our health care system running."

    Over my half-century in the plastics industry, I have learned that one cannot convince "radical" people of their errant way by yelling, which seems to be the tone of Mr. Berman's diatribe against environmentalists. First, Mr. Berman, you are yelling at the choir. And second, yelling never works.

    I have been studying the issue of plastics in the environment for some time now. First, we must recognize that there are three areas in which plastic materials are recognized: water, land and air. And then we must understand that there are two general categories of plastic: thermoplastics and thermosets. Each of these contributes differently to plastics in the environment. Another issue is particulate size, normally categorized as macroparticles (>1000 microns), micrometers (<100 microns) and nanometers (<0.001 microns or less than 1/50th of a human hair).

    Some environmentalists are fully aware of these variations. Many technical articles dealing with plastic pollution are well researched and well written but are often restricted in scope and thoroughness, simply because of their inability to secure adequate quantities for testing and detailed technical information as to the nature and content of the plastic particle they recover. Unfortunately the public at large and the ever-frenetic media cannot put into proper perspective the limited nature of the technical efforts. What is needed is a clear understanding of these factors — not in the technical sphere but in the media at large.

    Now to some specifics. Any good scientist or engineer would begin by asking questions that deal with the way samples are obtained from the environment. Are the particles fished from the oceans? Specifically, how was this done? If by net, what was the mesh size, and how long were the nets trawled and at what speed? Were particles obtained near-offshore, from one of the many gyres or at river outlets? And how limited are the samples and do they truly represent the global issue.

    Then, how were the particles classified? By size or chemical type? Were they of the common thermoplastics or others? (River outlets often contain high concentrations of micron-sized tire, cement and asphalt dust particles.) Were the particles characterized as fibrous, acicular or compact in shape? Microscopically are the particle edges smooth or fractured? Were they subjected to standard chemical analysis, as FTIR or Raman spectroscopy? If so, were any additives identified? Has anyone tried to replicate the particle characteristics in laboratory environments? And if the researchers claim there are nanoparticles in the mix, how were they obtained, identified and separated from the others, and how were their sizes and chemical compositions determined?

    Of course, the plastics industry must realize that simply yelling and naysaying will not solve the issue. Money must be proffered to plastics industry researchers as well as providing knowledgeable environmentalists with carefully documented information as to the true nature of the materials in order for both camps to provide a solid technical base for future cooperative work to first, clarify the degree to which this issue is affecting sea life, land animals, birds and us and only then, to seek solutions.

    We need to keep in mind that humans are at the end of the food chain. What we eat, drink and breathe may do long-term damage to our inner workings. My miner uncle died of black lung and a submariner relative has mesothelioma because we simply had no idea that coal dust and asbestos were dangerous.

    I truly believe that contrary to your third edict — "We're telling uncomfortable truths" — we are not. Most resin recipes are protected more carefully than the recipe for Coca-Cola. And finally: "Environmentalists hate it." They do not hate the truth and would welcome the plastics industry help in learning it.

    Jim Throne is an expert on thermoforming, rotational molding and other processes and a past winner of the SPE thermoforming division's Lifetime Achievement Award.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Perspective: Energy policies needed after Biden's oil comments
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    ExxonMobil weighing options for more chemical recycling capacity
    2
    Wilbert Plastic Services adjusts to changes with new owner, leadership
    3
    PepsiCo on a ‘multiyear journey' toward bioplastics
    4
    After years of challenges, can secondary sortation take off?
    5
    Biden sets US goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified