Copper passed a record $7,000 per ton on the London Metal Exchange recently, making an attractive argument for sustainable plastic pipes more attractive.

Copper passed a record $7,000 per ton on the London Metal Exchange recently, making an attractive argument for the increased use of sustainable plastic pipes, says Plastic Pipes, a joint venture of The European Plastics Raw Material Producers Association, PlasticsEurope and the European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association.

Other metals, such as zinc, also surged upward. The increasing market price of metals is threatening to create shortages and may create steep rises in the cost of metal piping. Chinese use of semi-fabricated copper products has passed the United States, and the rising demand from China for metals and reports of record low inventories are causing economists to express alarm.

As prospects for mining copper are limited, Plastic Pipes says the arguments for the sustainability of plastic pipe systems are becoming more tenable, since they require less energy to make, are easily recyclable, resist corrosion, are longer lasting, and need less energy to handle and install.