Plastic is undeniably one of the most prevalent substances in modern life, owing to its stable physical and chemical properties. It finds widespread application in packaging, catering, home appliances, agriculture, and various other industries.
When tracing the history of plastic’s evolution, plastic bags play a pivotal role. In 1965, the Swedish company Celloplast patented and introduced polyethylene plastic bags to the market, swiftly gaining popularity in Europe and replacing paper and cloth bags.
According to data from the United Nations Environment Programme, within a span of less than 15 years, by 1979, plastic bags had captured an impressive 80% of the European bagging market share. Subsequently, they rapidly asserted dominance over the global bagging market. By the end of 2020, the global market value of plastic bags surpassed $300 billion, as indicated by Grand View Research data.
However, along with the widespread use of plastic bags, environmental concerns began to emerge on a large scale. In 1997, the Pacific Garbage Patch was discovered, primarily consisting of plastic waste dumped into the ocean, including plastic bottles and bags.
Corresponding to the $300 billion market value, the stockpile of plastic waste in the ocean stood at a staggering 150 million tons by the end of 2020, and will increase by 11 million tons per year after that.
Nevertheless, traditional plastics, due to their wide usage and favorable physical and chemical properties for numerous applications, coupled with production capacity and cost advantages, prove challenging to replace easily.
Therefore, biodegradable plastic bags possess key physical and chemical properties akin to traditional plastics, allowing their application in most existing plastic use scenarios. Moreover, they degrade rapidly under natural conditions, reducing pollution. Consequently, biodegradable plastic bags can be considered the optimal solution at present.
However, the transition from old to new is often a remarkable process, particularly when it involves replacing entrenched traditional plastics, which dominate numerous industries. Investors unfamiliar with this market may harbor doubts about the feasibility of biodegradable plastics.
The emergence and development of the environmental protection concept stem from the need to address and mitigate environmental pollution. Major industries have begun embracing the concept of environmental sustainability, and the plastic bag industry is no exception.
Post time: Jun-28-2023
