For some applications, conventional PE may still be the most practical material.
It is lightweight, mature, inexpensive, and highly processable. The question is whether another material system can meet the required performance while supporting a different feedstock or end-of-life strategy.
A responsible product developer should not pretend that replacing PE is automatically easy or beneficial.
The alternative needs to demonstrate:
- acceptable failure rates;
- manageable cost;
- stable manufacturing;
- realistic shelf life;
- appropriate disposal;
- reduced need for double-bagging;
- credible environmental data.
If it cannot do those things, the material is not ready for that application.