MT Magazine September/October 2023

LAMARKABLES

THE ENERGY ISSUE

30

Sustainability Is a Bad Word BY STEPHEN LAMARCA TECHNOLOGY ANALYST

I’m not saying sustainability is bad! Sustainability itself isn’t a bad word. However, it can be perceived negatively when it is overused, misunderstood, or used insincerely, such as when companies claim to be sustainable without taking substantial action (often referred to

raise environmental concerns. The production process of solar panels requires mining raw materials – which can have negative environmental and social impacts – and includes the use of hazardous materials. At the end of their life-cycle, solar panels can create a significant amount of waste. While they can last up to 30 years or more, dealing with solar waste is a challenge. Many components of solar panels can be recycled, including glass, aluminum, and some semiconductor materials. However, the process of recycling them is complex and can be costly, and not all parts can be recycled. There’s ongoing research being conducted to improve the end-of-life management of solar panels and to develop more sustainable designs. This includes efforts to design solar panels for recyclability from the start, minimize the use of non-renewable or hazardous materials, improve recycling technology, and set up take-back and recycling systems. So, while solar power is a renewable, clean source of energy, it’s not without its issues, and it’s important to work toward full life cycle sustainability. By this logic, aren’t plastic bottles technically sustainable? Most plastic is a petroleum byproduct from processing crude oil into fossil fuel. It’s so plentiful that oil companies practically pay people to use plastic for packaging. Using something else would cost way more money, time, and energy, making plastic the sustainable option. The issue with plastic bottles is less about their production and more about their disposal. Plastic is a durable material made from petroleum, which indeed is readily abundant; however, it can take up to 1,000 years for a plastic bottle to degrade in a landfill. This high durability, combined with the massive amounts of plastic we generate yearly, poses a huge environmental problem. Furthermore, while it’s technically possible to recycle the plastic in these bottles, the rate of plastic recycling remains low worldwide. In many regions, it may be more cost-effective to produce new plastic bottles from raw materials than to recycle old ones. And even when plastic bottles are recycled, they can often only be turned into a lower grade of plastic that can’t be recycled further. Additionally, the extraction of petroleum itself is not without environmental impacts. It can lead to oil spills and contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases, playing a significant role in global climate change. Last but not least, sustainability isn’t just about the There Are Two Sides to Every Sustainable Coin!

as “greenwashing”). Additionally, some people may associate sustainability with higher costs or restrictions on business practices. Despite this, the concept of sustainability is widely recognized as crucial for our planet’s long-term health and survival. What Makes Something Sustainable? A thing is considered sustainable if it can be maintained or kept going continuously over a long period of time without causing harm to the environment, society, or the economy. Here are some factors that make something sustainable:

Resource Use Sustainable practices involve utilizing resources in such a way that future generations will also be able to use them. For something to be sustainable, it should minimize harm to the environment. This includes limiting pollution and waste, reducing carbon footprints, and protecting biodiversity and ecosystems. Environmental Impact Sustainable practices also take into account social factors. They should contribute to the well-being of all people involved, respect human rights, and support social equity and community development. Social Equity Economic Viability Finally, for a practice to be sustainable, it must be economically viable. This means that it has to be financially practical to implement and maintain and, ideally, contribute to economic prosperity. Sustainable processes often rely on renewable resources, which regenerate naturally and have the capacity to be used without running out. Renewable

A typical example of sustainability would be the use of solar power. Solar panels generate electricity by converting sunlight, a renewable resource, into energy. This process emits no greenhouse gases and the energy produced can sustainably meet certain electricity requirements. But what about solar panel materials? Don’t they go bad eventually, and then the material can’t be recycled? The production and end-of-life disposal of solar panels does