Raising awareness on the benefits of plastics

The versatility of plastics as materials for everyday products has no limit. But with the recent decision of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to ban all disposable plastics, except those made from oxo-biodegradable material, has been taken as a challenge for manufacturers in bringing more acceptable new materials as alternative to conventional plastics.
 "Plastic is the most versatile of materials and can be converted into thousands of everyday products that can be designed to meet almost any need. They can be soft as silk or hard as a rock. They can insulate against heat, cold or electricity. They can be light or heavy. It is hard to imagine a modern society without plastics," said Saif Al Midfa, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah. Mr. Al Midfa stressed the importance of plastics as material that has replaced metals in such sectors as automobile manufacturing, electronics/electrical, medical and healthcare, amongst others, with the development of new materials that promise improved safety, cost-effectiveness and are environment-friendly.
Plastics present multiple advantages - being lightweight, resistant to chemicals, flexible and durable, with properties ideal for thermal insulation. "However, some of the main advantages of plastic materials are also the reason why plastic is such a problem. It lasts forever and it is very cheap to make. The reason why they are disposed off with utter disregard to public and environmental health. With corporate social responsibility being the new-age mantra, there is a need to encourage people to dispose of and recycle plastics carefully so that optimal use can be made out of it," Mr. Al Midfa added.
Mr. Al Midfa spoke ahead of the launch of a campaign called, "Plastics - Use/Abuse - You Choose", which is one of the highlights of the international plastics exhibition and conference Plastivision Arabia 2012, organised and hosted by Expo Centre Sharjah from 14 - 17 May 2012. This Campaign will run as a workshop alongside the debut edition of Plastivision Arabia. The workshop will educate attendees on the benefits of Plastics and will aim to position "Plastics" as good, if used and disposed properly.
Sponsored by the All India Plastic Manufacturers Association (AIPMA), the day-long workshop is scheduled on the sidelines of the show on May 16. The workshop aims to spread awareness about safe disposal of plastics and encourage recycling, with experts on the topics adding their insights on the advantages of using plastics.

Reversing negative perception
Contrary to common perception, plastics have many environmental advantages. According to Abdulaziz Al Serri, Chairman and Managing Director of K-PAK, plastics saves resources as it has "low thermal conductivity, low friction coefficient, is light, has low electrical conductivity, needs minimal maintenance and is resistant to solvents and many other chemicals." He added that plastics only become a menace when overused and casually disposed, or if there is no proper reuse or recycle. These 'unnatural' synthetics, intelligently deployed, could turn out be nature's best ally, Mr. Serri said.
The UAE ban is directed at curbing the indiscriminate use of plastics that are harmful to health and environment. It also promotes the use of oxo-biodegradable plastic which has a controlled lifespan and ability to biodegrade completely either on land or water. The ban creates opportunity and demand for 500,000 tonnes of oxo-biodegradable plastic. For morAir Jordan VI 6 Shoes