A future of diminishing petroleum resources will serve as a stark contrast with our generous oil-based diet today. A nonrenewable resource with limited reserves accessible with today’s technology and facing accelerated global demand, oil will continue to become more expensive in the long-term—it’s simply a question of how much and when.
For a glimpse into the possible outcome of a world with less oil, just ask Jeff Rubin, author of Why Your World is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller: Oil and the End of Globalization (2009), or Christopher Steiner, who wrote $20 per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise of Globalization Will Change Our Lives for the Better (2009). Oil shortages will not only affect the cost of fuel, but also that of plastic. What comes next may not be so much a life after plastic, but rather a transformed life with plastic. This reality anticipates three general responses to a reduction in virgin petroleum-based plastic: one, enhanced recycling streams for existing plastics; two, the increased development of bioplastics, which are derived from renewable resources; and three, design-focused material optimization.
Read more of Blaine Brownell’s article about the future of plastic in the Architect magazine Spring Product Spec Guide.
