Innovative plastics spur sustainable development

Every morning when I wake up I take a shower. Then I drive to work where I switch on my laptop and the air-conditioning. I am on a plane once a month for business or leisure. During the weekends my wife and I do some shopping or go to the movies. If either of us is sick, we go to the hospital for medical care.

I am a proud Abu Dhabi resident and a world citizen.. Just like any average person on the planet I need power to sustain my lifestyle. But none of such life-sustaining functions would have been possible without energy, and just like any responsible individual I know that the more energy I consume the higher the toll on the environment. But unlike most world citizens, I am in the innovative plastics business so I know the science and have access to hard data.

So, every time I shower, water pipes made by innovative plastics help save up to 40 per cent in leakages compared to old pipe technologies. Every time I drive I consume less petrol due to the lightweight innovative plastics materials used by my car's manufacturer. The use of plastics in the auto industry in the last 15 years has increased by eight per cent, leading to an average decrease in petrol consumption by 14 per cent. And every time I take an air trip, the airline consumes less fuel to fly me reducing its carbon footprint thanks to lighter plastic composite materials used to build the aircraft.

Today as the UAE's capital is working towards its ambitious Vision 2030 programme that will transform Abu Dhabi into a sustainable global metropolis, I inadvertently feel an integral part of this path defining process as plastics shape the emirate's massive infrastructure needs while sustaining our precious resources without compromising on our lifestyles.

The preservation of sustainable lifestyles is a prevalent plus of plastics, yet their innovative application in healthcare has lifesaving attributes. Traditionally hospital hygiene has heavily relied on plastics, yet modern technological advances such as life-like prostheses and groundbreaking diagnosis and treatment procedures that save millions of lives wouldn't have been possible without the virtues of innovative plastics. Thanks to advanced health care, more people live longer, healthy lives.

Significant growth

Abu Dhabi's population growth is also in tandem with strong economic outlook and workforce demand. Today's 930,000 residents and 1.8 million annual tourist visits will triple by 2030.

This dictates the creation of nearly 500,000 residential units and 12 million square metres of office and retail space. Now imagine the infrastructure needed for water pipes, electricity wires and cables, temperature controlled insulation, transport, health care, sports and leisure facilities and then think of a world without innovative plastics.

I, for sure, can't think of the unthinkable, but I do know something that most of you don't; the power used to make plastics in Abu Dhabi is generated by the burning of ethane gas that has no viable applications due to its highly explosive nature. If it was not used to make plastics, it would have to be burned to provide access to the oil underneath it.

So, instead of burning it and turning it into carbon dioxide to be released up in the atmosphere, ethane is now used as the raw material to make our plastics. At the end of the plastics' lifecycle, if it is burned and the energy recovered in a power plant, this ethane eventually will turn into carbon dioxide but this is no different to burning oil or gas to produce energy (and plastics burn as efficiently as oil in this type of plant). Isn't this what they call a win-win situation?

Today as Abu Dhabi aspires to attain global leadership in renewable energy, innovative plastics are at the heart of the solar panels and windmills' blades that will ultimately provide sustainable power solutions to Abu Dhabi.

Plastics are one of the most significant man-made assets that have in more ways than one shaped our world. However, similar to all resources, plastics also call for a more responsible usage. With its long lasting and completely recyclable properties, innovative plastics are addressing major global challenges including energy, food and water shortages and climate change.

No world citizen likes to see plastics being blown around in the wind, or getting caught in the desert or beaches. Waste is only waste when it is wasted … right? Fortunately, even after a lifetime's use of innovative daily solutions, plastic still need not be dumped as waste and should be transformed into energy, thus fulfilling the original destiny of all fossil fuels.

Think of it as borrowing the fuel for many years, enjoying the benefits of a fantastic array of plastic articles then converting the fuel to energy.

A future without innovative plastics would mean turning back the clock. Innovative plastics are here to stay and contribute to a better Abu Dhabi and a better world, helping reduce carbon dioxide levels and ensuring that the lifestyles of billions of people around the world are not compromised.

(Laurence Jones specialises in innovative plastic solutions)