With the state of the environment today, people are taking the initiative to find more eco-friendly alternatives–bamboo straws, eco-bags, and your tumbler. Consumers are beginning to be more aware of their consumption, leaning more on sustainability, and creating an impact. One of the largest culprits of pollution is packaging, and taking on the spotlight is plastic. There are more factors involve in this, though, such as carbon emissions from transportation and one-time use pallets.
According to Packaging Digest, 87% of consumers shows concern over climate change, which is manufacturers and businesses should start doing this, too.
The Problem
The packaging is predominantly single-use plastic for most brands, so after you eat one bag of chips, you throw away seven layers of foil and plastic that could last up to 450 years before it decomposes. Additionally, there are no machines to separate those seven layers, making recycling impossible.
This industry is expecting to grow by 3.5% per year. By 2020, packaging will reach a value of of1 trillion US dollars with plastic garnering the largest increase in production. It’s obvious that corporations are not slowing down with the production of the following packaging:
- 530 thousand tons of used paper and cardboard
- 466 thousand tons of glass
- 276 thousand tons of plastic and laminates
- 130 thousand tons of metal.
These are polluting the planet’s natural resources to the point of no return. Businesses should turn to more sustainable means of production to avoid larger risks.
Green Logistics
Transporting a massive amount of goods is a heavy task that contributes to pollution because of the materials used to stack, protect, and transfer products. The concept of Green Logistics is to turn this part of the distribution into a more eco-friendly process. There are six aspects of Green Logistics that encompass the collective process of the distribution of goods:
- green transportation
- green distribution processing
- loading and unloading system of green
- green packaging
- green storage and safekeeping
- collection and management of green information.
- This system aims to reduce the pollution brought about by packaging by finding sustainable alternatives to logistics containers and packaging called “Green Package.”
The Green Package falls into the 4R1D (reduce, reuse, reclaim, recycle, and degradable). Products are made from plants, are not single-use, breaks down easily, and doesn’t release harmful chemicals at any point of its existence.
The Alternatives:
1. Edible packaging
They say prevention is better than cure, so big companies like KFC, Stonyfield Organic, and Loliware are experimenting on edible packaging. KFC, for example, is developing a cookie coffee cup with heat-resistant white chocolate.
2. Soluble packaging
“Packaging that disappears,” as National Geographic calls it, is made from plant-based and organic materials. One example is a bag that dissolves in water, created from oatmeal or rice.
3. Sustainable pallets
Cardboard pallets are biodegradable because they’re made of thick paper board. They can also be produced from recycled fibers. Their production also doesn’t involve additional products like nails and staples.
Climate changes affect every single person on this planet, even if they believe otherwise. This phenomenon is getting worse and worse at a very fast rate, and the least we can do is become wise, concerned, and informed consumers.
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