PLA filament, an eco-friendly plastic - Blog de Winkle
The current problem with plastics is not alien to anyone, its massive use and the management of its waste is causing serious environmental problems. The consumption of this type of materials is increasing more and more, of which only 30% are recycled and a large part of the untreated plastic reaches the sea and our beaches. That is why we want to talk to you today about our PLA filaments.
But what can we do? The key is in a change of mentality, a more rational use of this type of products is necessary, advocating for the elimination of the packaging of all types of products and the purchase in bulk. And, although these types of actions are the basis, it is clear that we will continue to use plastics for their versatility and durability, so the other tool we have is the change of materials towards ecofriendly plastics.
Within these plastics is PLA, but why do we say that it is an ecofriendly plastic? Above all, for two reasons, it is a plastic whose raw material is starch, which we can obtain from various plants and, on the other hand, its waste is compostable.
As we have already indicated, starch is used for the manufacture of PLA plastic, which we can obtain from different crops: beet, corn, cassava, sugar cane, potato, … So the production of raw material can be adapted to the crops of each zone. With this, we prevent massive crops from being produced in an area of the planet to obtain the raw material and long transportations to the production areas.
By having plant materials as raw material, they are fully compostable products, which would reduce one of the biggest problems derived from plastics that come from oil, which is the treatment of their waste. This is a great advantage of products made with PLA compared to conventional plastics, since if their use is extended, their treatment is much simpler and with fewer emissions than recycling a conventional plastic.
For this reason, in 3D printing, there is an increasing commitment to this type of sustainable and more environmentally friendly materials with the environment and, although at the beginning the PLA filaments gave a series of problems, currently through research and innovation they are They are getting new PLA filaments that leave all these kinds of problems behind.
At Winkle we are not immune to these problems and one of our principles is sustainability, that is why we investigate to obtain high quality PLA filaments that compete directly with other filaments for 3D printing that have oil as their raw material. So, roll up and think green when making your 3D prints, at Winkle we offer you high-quality PLA filaments so that you can 3D print with sustainable products without giving up great results.