by Michael Smith
Oil derived products are everywhere. But, do we all realize just how common they are?
If you think you have gotten rid off your addiction to oil and oil-derived products, then think again.
I can guarantee you that you will find at least one product in this list that surprises you. Oil derived products are more common than you think!
Paper Cups - Paper cups are coated with plastic or wax in order to make them waterproof. We know plastic is derived from oil or natural gas, but did you know most wax is too? The type of wax used to waterproof paper cups is polyolefin wax - which is a polymer derived from oil or natural gas. In some places this coating is achieved with a kind of paraffin wax. The latter is directly an oil-derivative. This thin plastic or wax film coating also makes those paper cups non-recyclable in fact. Something that most people are entirely unaware of. Most folks think that those paper cups are better than Styrofoam because they think them to be recyclable. Shame they are not. Not that Styrofoam are better either. Reusable is the only way to go with all of that.
Candles – Well, as we have just been talking about wax; did you know that candles are also made from polyolefin or paraffin wax? A natural alternative to burning those “wax” candles are beeswax candles or candles made from tallow, as they were in the old days.
Fruits & Vegetables – Please note that the wax coating on your store bought fruits and vegetables is (right, you guessed it already) also made from petroleum. Yuck! Another good reason to shop at the local farmer’s market! Or grow your own where you can.
Reusable Shopping Bags – Many reusable shopping bags on the market today are ironically made from the same oil derived materials they are designed to replace. Reusable shopping bags are typically made from non-woven polypropylene — PP or resin ID code 5 for short. While these bags are recyclable, I would recommend purchasing a heavy duty canvas reusable bag instead. Canvas reusable bags are made from cotton, and last longer. You also do not even have to purchase them. You can make them yourself, whether with a sewing machine or by sewing by hand. You can sew, can't you? You can't? Why not? Learn it.
Detergent – Most commercially available dish, dishwasher, and laundry detergents contain some kind of petroleum based surfactants. Surfactants are the part of the detergent that allows them to pull grease and oil from materials. It also increases water penetration while washing clothing. Those are, however, so it is reckoned, safe for the environment, and in the case of some of them, better even than using Ecover, as with the latter, supposedly eco-friendly dishwash, one needs at least double if not three times the amount that I need from a leading brand.
Polyester – You might be wearing oil derived clothing right now! Polyester is derived from PET plastic. The same material as 2 liter soda bottles. Or ethylene, made from natural gar or naphta, a bi-product of the petroleum industry. A lot of those clothing from polyester are, today, recycled from soda bottles. As a general rule, most products that start with the prefix “poly” are made of a plastic polymer. If you want to stay away from oil derived fabrics in your clothing, your best choices are hemp or organic cotton clothing. However, not everyone can wear hemp or wool, for instance.
Paint – House paint is made from acrylic latex, yes even the so called eco-friendly brands of paint. Eco-friendly paints are otherwise normal paints that do not produce unpleasant, or harmful odors. Eco-friendly paint is typically marketed as Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) free, but they are still derived from oil.
Foil packaging – Vacuum packed coffee, snack, and chip bags that have a thin metal coating on the interior are actually made of Mylar. Mylar is thinly stretched PET plastic, coated with a thin layer of aluminum, and sometimes finished off with a polyethylene laminate. An alternative to purchasing foodstuffs in Mylar packaging is to shop with reusable containers at farmer’s markets, or the bulk section in your grocery store.
I hope that this list has you thinking about the enormous role oil continues to play in our lives beyond the gas pump, heating our homes, and cooking our food. Together, I hope we can continue to identify more sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives to oil derived products.
Many of those products are something that I doubt we really would want to be without. Hence we should not use oil by burning it in the ICE but should rather make useful things from it. Then again, there are also natural materials available for most things, such as those that polyester clothing, for instance replaced. One problem though for some people, namely that they are allergic, like myself, to the likes of wool – any type of wool.
The problem with oil is that we cannot, in this present day and age, really live without things derived from it in one way or the other. I doubt that even the most ardent environmentalist and eco-warrior would really like to live without his or her laptop or general PC and his or her cell phone. Let's face it. We need the stuff. Hence my recommendation, so to speak, that we look for an alternative way of travel, that is to say a way to get rid of the ICE, or to return to the original design of Henry Ford's, namely to run the car on methane. We have enough of the latter stuff and it is being produced in the sewerage works and landfill sites every second of the day. All that needs to be done is to “harvest” it.
© M Smith (Veshengro), September 2008
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A number of products you probably did not know that they are made from oil
