All Wrapped Up
Packaging makes up 1/3 of our municipal garbage. It's not all fast food boxes, plastic bags, and soda cans. Nearly half of it is wooden pallets, cardboard cartons, stretch wrap, and crates -- packaging that protects products before they reach store shelves.
Why package? Because packaging:
- reduces theft and tampering
- prevents breakage
- preserves freshness
- maintains purity
- offers conveniences, such as handles or spouts
- provides surface for product information
Some manufacturers have reduced excess packaging by using fewer, lighter, and thinner plastics, metals, and paper. This saves materials and shipping costs and makes less garbage.
We can also demand packaging with recycled content that uses fewer virgin materials, just as we demand durability or other qualities in the products we buy.
Packages use raw materials and resources, just like the products they contain.
Activity: Wrapper Roundup
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