Under the aspect of sustainability, the plastics industry - like all other industries - is called on to conserve classic fossil resources and make increasing use of renewables - but only to the extent that they grow again naturally and that there is no possibility of competing with food production. On the other hand, the plastics industry must also make its contribution to protecting Nature and the environment, which means saving energy in production processes and handling waste materials responsibly. The high molecular weight and biodegradability of renewable raw materials provide particularly good conditions for this: biopolymers behave C02-neutrally, not only as regards biological degradation but also in terms of thermal recycling of the waste materials and energy production.
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