eli5: Plastics are polymers that are engineered to have specific uses for utility. Why can’t they be engineered to be better for the environment?

Question

I really can’t wrap my head around this. With all the garbage created from plastics, can’t they just design and engineer green versions?

Update: Sorry guys, I know I’m oversimplifying everything here. Thanks for the great contribution. Really appreciate it. I didn’t get the answer i wanted, but it was worth a shot.

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Plastic is cheap and longlasting. Designing it to be environmentally friendly is the opposite of that. Substituting the fossil fuel that its made from with a bio material is more expensive, and designing it to degrade in the environment over time means intentionally design a weaker product.