AN OVERVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL ALTERNATIVES AS VIEWED BY A PLASTICS INDUSTRY ECONOMIST

摘要

The plastics industry has been under heavy criticism from environmentalists for contributing to pollution and litter, exposing consumers to toxic matter, and using more than its fair share of energy resources. Are any of these accusations valid? If so, has our industry been responsive to these challenges in a meaningful way? Do the solutions offered by the environmentalists, to the problems they raise, have merit? This paper will attempt to address major environmental issues at they concern the plastics industry from an economic and scientific viewpoint and summarize what makes sense and what does not.