Packaging Environmental Issues
Environmentally Friendly Packaging? There is really no such thing all package has a cost on the environment somewhere. The two main areas are:
The answer to Environmental issues are:
Materials currently used in packaging include:
Plastic
A Bi-product of oil. Includes polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene
(PS) and poly vinyl chloride (PVC). Plastic will probably be around while ever
we rely heavily on petroleum products.
Can be Environmentally Friendly if reused or recycled. The real issue is the lightweight bags not being disposed of correctly. The non-woven PP reusable bags have proven to be very popular and have cut down the number of lightweight bags being disposed of each year.
Degradable Plastics (Oxo-Biodegradable - such as our EPI bags) are certainly not the answer to our environmental problems but while people continue to throw away light weight bags with no thought for the environment, they are a good idea and yes they do break down as claimed. Degradable plastic additives can be added to PE, PP and PS and plastic containing these additives can be recycled (as long as degradation has not set in).
Paper
& Cardboard
Plantation grown and recycled paper products are not such a bad idea however
with most packaging is sourced from developing nations such as China and you
can not guarantee that pulp is not be sourced from unprotected rain forests
or other inappropriate sources. Nasty chemicals such as bleach are also often
used to manufacture paper.
When discarded, paper generally breaks down and does not cause as many environmental problems as plastic but remember that paper bags often have a plastic laminate to give them a glossy look.
Calico
Calico is made from cotton and will break down reasonably quickly. The down
side to calico is its cost on the environment to be produced and the expense
of the bag itself. Cotton requires the use of more nasty chemicals than just
about any crop grown any where in the world. It is also usually grown in dry
areas and requires a lot of water which is usually sourced from rivers and dams
creating another environmental disaster. It also can't be effectively recycled.
Starched
Base Film (Biodegradable)
A very good idea and has the potential to replace plastic in the future however
I believe that the technology is not quite there yet and it is still very expensive.
Once again starch is obtained from plants and a crop needs to be grown, harvested
and the filmed manufacture which again uses fossil fuels and chemicals. They
also produce a lot of carbondioxide.
They are great for composting and will break down very quickly however they are not as strong as plastic and may not have a good shelf life. In parts of Europe, they have played a successful part in recycling food waste and other organic mater as they compost extremely well.
Aluminum
Made from bauxite, a mined mineral and requires a enormous amount of electricity
to produce. It is generally used to make unique type of packaging such as cans
and thermal bags so it has it's own applications. It has one big advantage over
any of the above recyclable materials and that is that it is actually worth
money to the end user if they recycle it.
Education
While there has been a lot talk on
the effect that plastic bags have on the environment, this article has been
written to make you aware that there are downsides to all packaging materials
currently in use. When considering the purchase of packaging please consider
the environment and future generations. Try to make reusable packaging an option
to your customers. Educating users of packaging is the best weapon we have to
minimise the effect packaging has one this planet.
AA Imagination
Phone: 02 4936 6061 Email:
info@aa-imag.com
© 2007 AA Imagination.
All rights reserved.
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