Acrylic is a highly durable plastic, usually transparent. It is also known under the names of plexiglass, perspex and plastic perspex. It is often used as a less breakable alternative to glass.  

Acrylic is a thermoplastic, meaning that it can be heated and cooled while retaining its properties. It is lightweight and able to withstand any weather. What is more, it offers UV and high impact resistance – acrylic is about 10 times more impact resistant than glass.  

Acrylic plastics are not sustainable, from the production to its usage and disposal. To produce 1 kilogram of acrylic plastic, approximately 2 kilograms of oil is required, and about 5.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Although in theory acrylic sheets can be recycled, in reality it hardly happens as the process is difficult and dangerous, so very few facilities are ready to deal with it. Like most plastics, it is not compostable or biodegradable, so it is likely to persist for a long time within the ground.  

Acrylic can be recycled and reused multiple times. Recycled acrylic can be just as transparent and UV-resistant as its non-recycled counterparts.