In this guide, we outline whether paper might be more sustainable than plastic, and vice versa.
We compare some of the key factors involved in the production, usage and waste management of each.
Summary – Is Paper More Sustainable Than Plastic?
Breaking Down Which Might Be More Sustainable
There’s a few main points to consider when is comes to comparing the sustainability of paper and plastic …
1. Sourcing Of Material
Paper tends to come from a renewable resource in wood pulp, and other cellulose fibres
Plastic tends to come from non renewable feedstock in petrochemicals like petroleum and natural gas
Some may question whether we will run out of fossil fuels like oil or natural gas (used as a feedstock for plastic) anytime soon.
2. Production
The manufacturing and production of paper products might be far less environmentally friendly than plastic across several environmental indicators
Although there has been a recent push to make paper production more sustainable, it may have a history of significant environmental pollution
Some paper mills have been among the top polluters in the world (in terms of water pollution, air pollution, and more), along with water consumption and energy use
Having said that, plastic as a synthetic material does have an energy footprint to produce, and may also use additives to make
3. Transport
Paper tends to do worse at the delivery, transport and packaging stage
Plastic is lighter and also tends to have less of a carbon footprint at this stage
Practically, plastic also has traits such as being waterproof and air tight
4. Waste Management (Disposal, & Recycling)
Paper tends to be recycled at higher rates than plastic on average in several countries
5. Pollution
Plastic pollution in the environment may be a more significant issue than paper pollution in the environment
Plastic also takes far longer to break down in the environment than paper
Overall
From an environmental perspective, how sustainable paper and plastic are might depend on the exact environmental indicator you are measuring (greenhouse emissions, energy use, water use, waste generated, etc), and at what stage of the product or material lifecycle you are referring to
Outside of environmental indicators and measurements of sustainability, paper tends to cost more for businesses and consumers to produce and use
Plastic may present issues to human health in terms of leaching of BPA and other chemicals when used in plastic bottles, containers, etc., plus potential issues with micro and nano plastics
Plastic may also lead to ingestion by, and entanglement for wild life
Paper vs Plastic: Comparison
General Sustainability Of Each Material
– What They Are Made Of
Most paper comes from wood pulp
Most plastic comes from petrochemical feedstock, such as crude oil or natural gas
– Cost
Usually because paper is more energy intensive in production, it costs more than plastic (bankrate.com)
– How Each Is Made
Both paper and plastic involve the use of chemicals and additives at the production stage.
Paper often uses a chemical pulp (to separate lignin from the cellulose fibres), along with other chemicals (bleaches, chlorates, etc.), fillers and additives at various stages.
Plastic also uses chemicals, fillers and additives depending on the type of plastic being made and the properties that it’s being designed to have.
– Energy Use In Manufacturing
Paper appears to use more energy in manufacturing than plastic …
Paper bags use almost three times as much energy in the manufacturing process as plastic bags (bankrate.com), and some sources say four times as much energy (reusuablebags.com/science.howstuffworks.com)
Worldwide, the pulp and paper industry is the fifth largest consumer of energy, accounting for four percent of the entire world’s energy use (packnetltd.com)
– Waste During Manufacturing
Paper bags cause more waste in the manufacturing process than plastic bags (bankrate.com)
– Air Pollution During Production
Paper production … emits 70 percent more air pollution than the production of plastic bags (Thompson/science.howstuffworks.com)
– Greenhouse Gas Emissions During Manufacturing
Some studies indicate paper manufacturing emits 80% more GHGs than plastic (Lilienfield/science.howstuffworks.com)
– Water Pollutants During Manufacturing
Making paper bags results in 50 times more water pollutants than making plastic bags (Thompson/science.howstuffworks.com)
– Water Consumption During Manufacturing
The production of paper bags uses three times the amount of water it takes to make plastic bags (Lilienfield/science.howstuffworks.com)
The pulp and paper industry is the largest single commercial user of water in Canada (packnetltd.com)
– Overall Environmental Impact Of Paper Mills
Overall, paper mills are some of the worst polluters in the world (packnetltd.com).
Read more about the environmental impact of paper at wikipedia.org
– Weight
Paper weighs 10 times as much as plastic (bankrate.com)
– Transportation Footprint
Paper bags … weigh more than plastic; this means transportation requires more energy, adding to their carbon footprint (bbc.com)
– Packaging & Delivery
A company found it could reduce it’s carbon footprint by 70 percent by switching from paper and cardboard packaging to plastic … (technikpackaging.com)
– Recycling Rate
Paper has a higher recycling rate in the US at 64.7 percent, compared to plastic which had a recycling rate of 9.1% in 2015 in the US (thebalancesmb.com)
– How Many Times Each Can Be Recycled
– Ease Of Recycling
Some sources say paper bags are easier to recycle than plastic bags (bankrate.com)
– Impact Of Recycling
… recycling paper only halves the environmental impact (technikpackaging.com)
– Production Of Waste
Paper bags generate 80 percent more solid waste [than plastic] (Lilienfield/science.howstuffworks.com)
– Other Recycling Challenges
Paper recycling can be inefficient, with new paper bags using less fuel than recycled bags.
Furthermore, it takes roughly 91 percent more energy to recycle a pound of paper than a pound of plastic (Milstein/reusablebags.com/science.howstuffworks.com)
– Degradation Rate In Landfill
In a dry landfill, paper bags don’t degrade any faster than plastic bags.
In a normal, well-run landfill, paper bags do not biodegrade any faster over at least 40 years than plastic (bankrate.com)
– Time To Break Down In Landfills Or In The Environment
Different paper items usually take a week to a few months to break down, where as plastic items take multiple to thousands of years, and some scientists believe plastic never fully goes away (responsiblecapetown.co.za, oceanconservancy.org)
– Filling Up Space In Landfill
Paper bags are much bulkier than plastic [bags], so they fill up more landfill space/take up more volume (bankrate.com)
– Most Commonly Found Material During Land & Beach Clean Ups
– Marine Debris Found In The Ocean & On Beaches
Plastic as a material makes up about 60-80% of all marine debris
– Potential Effects On Humans & Animals
The potential impact of plastic on human health and wild life may be more significant than paper
– Durability Of Paper Items
Paper can get wet, and might tear more easily than other materials. Other materials like plastic, metal, glass etc. might be more durable
Plastic vs Paper Bags
– Lifecycle Assessments Of Plastic Bags vs Paper Bags
– Paper vs Plastic Bags Overall Environmental Impact
From bankrate.com:
Plastic bags come out on the right side of the equation on everything except the recycling side
[When choosing between plastic and paper bags …] Neither option is best. The better option is to bring your own
The Sustainability Of Plastic
Read more about the sustainability of plastic in this guide
This guide also outlines some of the overall pros and cons of plastic.
Other Factors To Consider
– Just as there are different types of plastic, there are different types of paper.
Each different type of paper can have a different sustainability footprint
– Using recycled paper makes a difference to sustainability compared to using paper from virgin resources
– Sourcing paper from a sustainably managed forest or tree stock makes a difference in the sustainability of producing and using paper
– Paper is made with different additives to control different features of the paper such as it’s size, thickness, and density, what it looks like, it’s printability, how strong it is, and so on.
These things can impact sustainability
– Paper can come with ink or printing on it, and it can be bleached.
These things impact sustainability
– The waste management systems, facilities and technology in a given country or State make a difference to the sustainability not just of different materials, but different waste items and products (because of how different waste materials and items are processed among the different disposal options at different rates)
– How long a paper product or item lasts, or how many times it can be used/re-used before being thrown out, impacts it’s sustainability footprint
Sources
1. https://www.thebalancesmb.com/paper-recycling-facts-figures-and-information-sources-2877868#targetText=Paper%20Recycling%20Facts%2C%20Figures%20and%20Information%20Sources,-%E2%80%A2%E2%80%A2%E2%80%A2&targetText=Over%2068%20million%20tons%20of,continues%20to%20improve%20over%20time
2. https://www.thebalancesmb.com/plastic-recycling-facts-and-figures-2877886#targetText=The%20recycling%20rate%20of%20various,the%20U.S.%20in%20that%20year
3. https://www.bankrate.com/finance/smart-spending/paper-plastic-whats-environmentally-correct-choice.aspx
4. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/most-commonly-littered-items-in-society-land-rivers-beaches-oceans/
5. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/most-common-types-of-waste-found-in-oceans-on-beaches/
6. https://responsiblecapetown.co.za/zero-waste-to-landfill-can-we-do-it/
7. https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/outreach-education/
8. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/potentially-harmful-effects-of-plastic-on-the-environment-wildlife-humans-health-the-economy/
9. https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/paper-plastic1.htm
10. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47027792#targetText=Despite%20its%20low%20durability%2C%20one,and%201%2C000%20years%20to%20decompose
11. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/plastic-vs-paper-vs-cotton-vs-other-reusable-bags-comparison-which-is-best/
12. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/is-plastic-sustainable/
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper
14. http://www.csun.edu/~pjd77408/DrD/resources/Printing/PaperMade.html
15. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/how-many-times-can-you-recycle-different-materials-plastic-paper-metal-glass-etc/
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_paper#Air_pollution
17. https://www.packnetltd.com/blog/how-environmentally-friendly-is-corrugated-cardboard/
18. https://www.technikpackaging.com/environmental-impact-packaging-materials/
19. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/which-sectors-industries-use-the-most-energy-electricity/
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