Welcome to the “Plastic is Fantastic” initiative

What sounds like a bold marketing slogan is simply the truth: Plastic is valuable. No other material is shaping our way of life like this and allows us, due to its numerous characteristics and low obtainment costs, our standard of living. What used to be luxury, could by using plastics be mass produced at lower prices and therefore be more accessible to many.

Plastics will remain an essential part of our supply and development in the future. Because glass, stone, wood or metal are not able to substitute plastics – neither practically nor economically. Or even ecologically. But the standing of plastic is bad - “Plastic is Fantastic” stems against the undeserved degrading of the material.

First, plastic is made responsible for the global waste problems. Also, plastics are set as a negative alternative to natural materials. In the meantime, plastics are fully integrated into our lives, so that we take their use for granted – and no longer see the advantages of it.

Especially the plastic bottle that contributes to the worldwide supply of people with water, has become a symbol for the pollution of the world. As a stable and long-lasting material plastics do not just dissolve after use. But it will become waste as soon as it is treated as such.

The inexpensive, hygienic and lightweight plastic bottles bring water to people living in densely populated urban areas or structurally weak and remote regions. With glass bottles or aluminum cans, this would be neither logistically nor economically feasible. And it is not ecologically sensible, either: Glass bottles, as do aluminum cans, require a lot of energy in production and generate high CO2-emissions. This is equally true for the transport of glass bottles due to their weight.

The list is long. Without plastic, for example, there would be no sterile disposable instruments in medicine. Heart valves, knee and hip prostheses would also not be available, nor would spectacles or hearing aids. There would be no pipettes in research laboratories. And even astronauts' helmets are made of plastic.

Plastic is a stable and durable material. Therefore, plastic does not simply decompose on its own. But plastic is not the cause of waste, humans are. If we throw empty plastic bottles into nature, they remain there for a long time.

It is not only through careless or random behavior that plastic ends up in the environment - often the necessary infrastructure to dispose of the waste is lacking. In emerging countries in particular, the development of waste disposal systems frequently cannot keep pace with economic growth. This is why the initiative is committed to the conscious use of plastic and advocates proper waste management, including the promotion of appropriate disposal structures.

Doing without plastic is not an option. Many of our everyday products would no longer be available, and supply would also be more expensive and more difficult due to higher procurement costs for glass or aluminum, for example. The solution is to see plastic as a valuable resource. This will also change our attitude towards used plastic, which is not waste but can be recycled.

Plastic is up to 100 percent recyclable and can be used in a circular economy for new products. Plastic also has a high energy value and can be converted into electricity and heat using thermal recycling in appropriate plants.

The proportion of recycled material (recyclate) in new plastic products continues to rise. In addition, more plastics with biological properties are entering the market. Higher environmental standards and material regulations can also be expected, which will make the once cheap plastic more expensive, which industrial companies will have to pass on to consumers.

The Austrian specialist for plastic packaging, ALPLA. The company believes in the material and knows it like no other. Now in its third generation, Alpla is dedicated to innovative recycling solutions and developing innovative bioplastics. With "Plastic is Fantastic", Alpla is focusing on the relationship between people and one of the most important building blocks of civilization. The packaging manufacturer wants to achieve the appreciation that the material deserves.