Being a vegan can mean navigating some very challenging areas, and the materials that you use are often hard to come to ethical decisions on. You might be wondering where plastic falls in terms of veganism.
Plastic is not technically considered a vegan-friendly product, although many vegans do use plastic simply because of how ubiquitous it is in everyday life. The main thing that prevents plastic from being vegan is stearic acid. Some vegans are also reluctant to use plastic because it is made from dead organisms – but given the time that has passed, others feel okay with this.
We’re going to use this article to figure out more about whether the plastic is or isn’t vegan. This should help guide you in making ethical decisions and determining what does and doesn’t work for you personally.
Is Plastic Usually Vegan?
In many cases, plastic is not considered vegan, no. This is usually because plastic contains something called stearic acid, which is produced from animal fat. As with other products made from living animals today, this isn’t considered suitable for vegans.
Some people are uneasy with the root of plastic too. Plastics are usually made using crude oil, and crude oil is made from organisms that died in the sea millions of years ago. However, crude oil tends to be considered suitable for vegans to use, because no animals were intentionally harmed to make it, and because so much time has passed.
However, to produce modern-day plastic, other ingredients are often added (giving the plastic different properties, such as stretchiness, rigidity, etc.). These ingredients frequently aren’t vegan, and one of the most frustrating things about it is that you probably won’t know what has and has not been used.
This can make it impossible to determine whether plastic is vegan – but it generally isn’t. If you want to stick to a strictly vegan lifestyle, you’ll probably want to avoid plastics. However, this can be seriously challenging when you bear in mind that plastic is essentially everywhere, including:
- In clothes (as elastic, vinyl, polyester, etc.)
- On food (in the form of many different kinds of packaging)
- In delivery chains (so there can be hidden plastic even if the end product is plastic-free)
- In household products
- In tools
- In cosmetics
- In pet food
Unfortunately, no matter how hard you try, you are likely to have to use plastic in some cases.Â
What Stops Plastic From Being Vegan?
One of the most common problems, as mentioned above, is stearic acid. This is used to prevent the polymers in the plastic from sticking to the metal machines as the plastic is produced.
However, other animal products may also be used in some kinds of plastics. For example, gelatines are occasionally used to make adhesives, and these are derived from animals.
Sometimes, the lubricants used on the production machines are made of animal fats, and some of these will be transferred to the product. Even if they aren’t transferred, animal products will still be used in the creation of plastic, which would prevent it from being considered vegan by many individuals.
Plastic bags usually contain animal fats to reduce the amount of static and make them easier to use – which means that they aren’t suitable for vegans either.Â
This does not include the environmental damage associated with many kinds of plastic, which is also something you should be aware of if you choose to be a vegan for the sake of the environment.
Is Recycled Plastic Vegan?
In most cases, no – recycled plastic is no more vegan than the virgin product. Recycling it does not undo the fact that animal products were used to make it in the first place, so recycled plastic doesn’t count as vegan.
However, in terms of the environmental impact, recycled plastic is almost unquestionably a better option. It helps to keep plastic out of landfill sites, reduces the need for more plastic to be made, decreases strain on the oil industry, and more.
Unfortunately, it can be very hard to avoid all forms of plastic, even if you’re a strict vegan. If you don’t wear animal products (such as wool, leather, etc.), most of your clothing choices are likely to be made from plastics. Recycled plastics are often the best option, even if they aren’t a perfect solution to the problem.
All in all, although recycled plastic is often not vegan in the strictest sense of the term, it’s often the most ethical option available.
Conclusion
In most cases, plastic is not a vegan product, but because it’s so difficult to avoid, many vegans use plastic in some form or another. If you are struggling with this ethical dilemma, consider doing further research into what kinds of plastic incorporate which animal products, or try to source recycled plastic as a better option.
