Final answer:
Increased use of plastic for bicycle helmets can lead to higher costs for raw materials, competition among industries, and contribute to environmental concerns like carbon emissions and landfill waste. There is also a necessity for the industry to improve recycling efficiency and sustainable practices.
Step-by-step explanation:
The use of plastic to produce bicycle helmets affects other plastic-using industries in several ways. Increased demand for plastic in the bicycle helmet industry could lead to higher raw material costs and greater competition for plastic among various industries. Moreover, the production of plastic contributes to carbon emissions and global warming, which is a concern across all industries that rely on plastic. The recycling of plastics is not particularly efficient, with only 9% of plastic ever produced having been recycled. This inefficiency in recycling could stress the need for producing more v_irgin plastic, further impacting the environment.
Furthermore, the environmental impact of plastics is substantial, as 40% of plastic is used once and then discarded, leading to plastic waste filling up our landfills. As a result, the increase in plastic use for products like bicycle helmets can exacerbate these issues, affecting societal attitudes towards plastic use and increasing pressure on all industries to find sustainable alternatives and improve waste management practices.