Plastic Avoidance Technologies and Economic Effects

Chapter 5 evaluates the advantages of natural fibre-reinforced plastics in terms of building physics from an economics perspective. It reveals how much bio-content as wood fibres must be contained in WPC so that it efficiently avoids environmental damage from petrochemical polymers. Sustainability principles from environmental economics are initially presented and then the fundamental economic model for supply and demand is introduced. It will demonstrate change effects in the market from the substitution of plastic in products with WPCs. From this, a further model is derived that shows the cost consequences and damage compensation resulting from an increasing wood fibre content in WPCs. Under the internalisation principle as an efficient avoidance of environmentally harmful technologies, such as petroplastics, this ultimately helps to determine the economically optimal wood fibre content in WPCs. As with the previous chapters, what has been learnt can be reflected upon with revision tasks and exam-like calculations