Eco-Profiles
Compostable Plastic
The environmental advantages of plant-based plastics over petroleum-based plastics are measurable and significant.
Compostable products
All of World Centric®’s plastic products are made from compostable, renewable, plant-based resins. These plastics are not hazardous or toxic during production, and when they are discarded into commercial composting facilities, they decompose completely into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass. These qualities exert a much lighter environmental impact than the qualities of petroleum-based plastics, which are virtually never compostable, derive from non-renewable resources, are hazardous and toxic during production and cast massive amounts of pollution into our world.
Plant-based plastic (PLA) vs. petroleum-based plastic (PS)
Consider the tables below, which compare the environmental impacts of products made from plant-based plastics with the impacts of those made from petroleum-based plastics.
Comparing Eco-Profiles of Plant-based (PLA2) plastic products with Eco-profiles of Petroleum-based (PET 3, 4, PP3, and PS3) plastic products
Manufacturing plastic resins from raw materials: Comparative ratios among the production of different resin
Manufacturing production materials from raw materials: Direct measurements of manufacturing one pound of wheat-straw, tree-based, and Styrofoam materials
Manufacturing products from plastic resins: Comparative ratios among products made from different resins
Manufacturing products from plastic resins: Direct measurements of manufacturing one pound of products from each resin
Characteristics of compostable materials
Different compostable materials offer different combinations of benefits and limitations. World Centric® products are made from materials that follow the cycle of life on Earth: beginning and ending as nutrient-rich soil. Our products are made from a variety of compostable materials, including:
- Bamboo
- Compostable PLA plastic primarily made from corn
- FSC certified paper
Each of these compostable materials carries a unique set of benefits and limitations, and they all compost at different rates under different conditions.
Eco-profiles of compostable products
We measure the environmental impacts of compostable products and their conventional counterparts. Choosing products that have lighter environmental footprints than their conventional counterparts is one small step toward the goal of sustainable living. We know it will take time for consumers and businesses to transition to a Zero Waste economy. Our World Centric® compostable products are one measurable step in the right direction.
The environmental footprints of different products can be measured and compared through their “eco-profiles.” These profiles include ecologically relevant information about the manufacturing of the products, including energy consumption, water consumption, carbon emissions, and pollution. An eco-profile provides only a subset of the information in a complete life-cycle analysis, which also considers the impacts of packaging, distribution, consumer use, and disposal.