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Three negative impacts of plastic in the environment
Effect of plastic pollution on the environment and resources
Effect of plastic pollution on the environment and resources
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The Environmental Effects of Consumer Packaged Goods The consumer packaged goods (CPG) market is one of the most important industries in the world because it provides people with things that are consumed and are constantly needed to be replaced, including to but not limited to food and clothing. Because this industry provides items necessary for well-being of individuals, this industry will always be significant. But as a result of the large size of the industry worldwide, the production and packaging of the goods has many negative effects on the environment, most significantly waste and pollution. Although, most of these negative impacts of the industry come from the packaging of the goods. The packaging for food and other CPGs usually include either plastic, paper, glass, or metal (Marsh). If recycled, the toll these packaging items have on the environment is minimalized, but that is often not the case because the consumer will forget or recycling is expensive; therefore the consequences of these items can be very detrimental to the environment. There is an extremely large amount of waste …show more content…
According to Davis, “Traditional plastics and other non-degradable materials, such as glass and metals, provide a stable landfill material”. So, even though plastic is often placed in landfills, if this plastic was another form of packaging, such as paper, there would be more space in landfills for things that need to be placed there. Therefore reducing the amount of waste in the environment and saving some space. This is especially important when space is becoming an issue when it comes to landfills in certain places (Hopewell). “Traditional plastics Landfills have “long-term risks of contamination of soils and groundwater by some additives and breakdown byproducts in plastics, which can become persistent organic pollutants
A market where people can buy healthy, sustainable, organic local foods and goods, all without the marketing ploys and harmful environmental effects of wasteful packaging. It has been reported that 23% of all landfill waste is excess packaging, and certain modifications in types of packaging, like tin-foil liners in burger cartons or wrappers, makes then unable to be recycled and also inhibits their decomposition (EPA). By sourcing from local farmers and growers, and eliminating excess waste, the cost-effectiveness is passed on to the community
Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd., focused on delivering quality sustainable packaging products to large and small customers which is a privately owned company that has been in business since 1945, when Abraham Granovsky and his son Phil first opened the actual facility in Scarborough, Toronto (Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd, 2016). They use recycled corrugated products for packaging which helps reduce the overall environmental carbon footprint. By choosing these packaging products we reduce the amount of trees used and the greenhouse gas emissions. In the actual facility they compare recycled corrugated vs virgin paper products which proves that virgin paper reduces the number of mature trees that are harvested and in turn positively affects environmental factors like water usage and brings a change in the packaging waste from landfills. Packaging products which are 100% corrugated, compared to virgin fiber paper, saves more than 4 billion gallons of water per year (Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd, 2016). North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Canada is a departmental standard which classifies Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd under the pulp, paper and paperboard Mills industry (NAICS 4). They deliver a complete packaging solution which goes ahead of cardboard boxes, and gives customers products and services they need from their packaging supplier (Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd, 2016).
In recent years, it has become blatantly obvious that the Earth’s environmental deterioration is showing signs towards a cause of global concern. Drastic increases in water pollution, global warming, and deforestation, among other environmental issues have caused a sudden desire to raise awareness of and to resolve human-initiated problems. One of the more controversial topics involving human impact on environment is the excessive use of plastic, specifically in the form of plastic bags. Used for their convenience, durability, and inexpensive nature, plastic bag production and consumption has exploded, allowing them to become a seemingly necessary part of everyday life. Unfortunately, however, this abuse of plastic bags has brought a slew of environmental health
[7] ¬Holdway, R., Walker, D. and Hilton, M. (2002) Eco-design and successful packaging, Design Management Journal. (pp. 45 – 53)
Over the years, growing attention has been paid to the ethical, environmental and social dimensions of business, most often under corporate social responsibility (CSR). Much of the early literature aimed to specify the concept and the various components of CSR, as it emerged in the second half of the 20th century (MINTZBERG, H., 1983). Various environment organizations and people are conscious of the toxic waste, of pollution, mountains of garbage and depletion of forests. McDonald’s, the largest restaurant chain in the world, presents a notable case study. For years McDonald’s used polystyrene containers for the famous Big Mac clamshell for its hamburgers. Since these containers were light in weight, did not absorb grease and kept the burgers warm. McDonalds soon become target of the Environmental Defense Fund which claimed that by making polystyrene packaging created toxic fumes, which took too much of landfill and took too much time to
Environmental conservation is a major challenge for businesses today. This is because environmental measures are often regarded as measures that reduce profitability of an organization. As a result of this, ethics are introduced to ensure that a business is doing what is right all the time. These ethics become fundamental elements in defining what is moral and what is legal because a legal action does not necessary imply that it is ethical. In the US, companies are under pressure to comply with demands of safeguarding the environment. The pressure is not only emanating from federal regulations, but also from the clients. A latest development in marketing strategies has even identified that packaging is becoming influential in attracting customers. Clients in the 21st century do not go to the market and buy an item just for the sake of satisfying their needs, but rather consider other features regarding the product they want to buy. One of the main features they look at is how the product, in its entirety, is conforming to the necessities of making the earth a better place to live. In this regard, clients, in this century, are very considerate on how a product is packaged. Any business that wants to succeed in this century must presume that each customer is an environmentalist. Using this presumption, the business will not have a problem with ethical issues in packaging their products. This paper examines ethical issues surrounding packaging practices in the US and how the packaging practice conform to the environmental regulations for a better environment. This paper also checks on how the packaging practice has evolved and aligned itself to ethical pract...
Using plastic bags are second nature to people in this day and age. Warner acknowledges, “Much to the dismay of the environmentally conscious citizens worldwide, the ubiquity of the free plastic carryout bag has bred nonchalant consumers who take this modern convenience for granted” (646). Although some people are conscious about the environment, people strive more for convenience and do not think about the impacts using bags have not only on the environment, but on themselves as well. If something is bad for the environment, it will alternatively be bad for humans as well. When plastic bags are exposed to the sun from being littered all around, the ultraviolet rays cause the substances of plastic bags to weaken. After the substances weaken, the substances become invisible to the naked eye. The substances that are no longer able to be seen are toxic to humans (Warner 649). As a result of plastic bags being littered around, animals consume plastic bags. This is negatively affects humans because animals are often consumed. When humans consume animals like, fish, there can be plastic in the fish’s belly, which then transfers to the humans and this poses a concern for human’s health. Humans are negatively affected by plastic bags because of the toxic chemicals in plastic bags, as well as, consuming animals with plastic in their
To implement a recycling program requires a collection process that includes the containers to gather the materials, the trucks to transport them to the processing site, and the manpower to manage the program. Unfortunately, recycling is more of a business than an attempt to save the environment. The value of the material being recycled overshadows the negative impact of dumping items into the landfill. At a point in time, the demand for recycled paper declined, so recyclers stored the material in hopes that values would increase. “The hope is that eventually the markets turn around and that the materials is sold, but I have heard of instances where it gets landfilled, because a community doesn’t have the demand or the space or the company to deal with it, “ says Gene Jones, the executive director of Southern Waste Information Exchange (Westervelt,
Very few are reused or recycled. One of our most useful modern-day conveniences has become a threat. Plastic bags are environmentally unfriendly in so many ways. They are causing serious issues like soil infertility, environmental pollution and energy consumption. A simple plastic shopping bag carries a very high cost to the environment which is the reason many cities and countries from around the world have already put plastic bag bans in place.
Synthetic plastics are used widely in food packaging, detergents, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals’ packaging. Almost 30% of the synthetic plastics are used for packaging applications in the world and this rate is expanding at 12% per annum. They have replaced traditionally used papers and cellulose products for packaging purposes because of owing better physical and chemical properties. Polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(butylene terephthalate) and nylon are most commonly used plastics. Plastics possess not only suitable thermal and mechanical properties but also better stability and durability. Plastics have attractive more public and media attention because of its durability and visibility in a litter as compared to other solid components. In 1993, total world consumption of this material was 107 million tons and it reached to 146 million tons in
This type of packaging is used as additional packaging to protect product (e.g., small chocolate packaging put in a bigger box and used on shelves) and the last type of packaging is transport, this type of packaging is important to deliver products from manufacture to the supermarket. (Examples of those types of packaging presented in the picture) (author Kalpana R Packaging http://www.businessmanagementideas.com/packaging/product-packaging-meaning-levels-functions-importance/2271) (make new with our example) Elements of packaging attributes The following part is focused on the analysis of the scientific works of different authors in the field of packaging elements. As mentioned earlier, product packaging is the container for a product – encompassing the physical appearance of the container and including the design, color, shape, labeling and materials used” (Arens, 1996). There are some categories of packaging elements offered by different authors presented in Table 4.
Today the consumerism plays an extremely important role in contemporary societies; consumerism has carried a part of the planet to the edge of Ecological, social and economic abyss, and every day becomes more evident. But naturally, it goes against a process that has become common in the daily life of people, The consumers need to advise about nature of the products, the value and the consequences of the consumption of certain products in the environment. One of the most creative ways to solve this problem is to minimize consumption of newly manufactured products, either by buying items with a longer shelf life or buying used items, new resources are not used in the manufacturing and industrial pollution and carbon dioxide will be lower. We can Recycling and reusing, also make reasonable use of natural resources, energy, and water, this contribute to the mitigation of climate impacts, will require manufacturers to use more sustainable technologies.
Millions of plastic bags are given out to consumers by supermarkets and stores to carry their goods in. They are also cheap, light, durable, easy to carry and in many cases, free. The most commonly used shopping bag is made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). This type is used in the majority of supermarkets and stores. After these bags are used, they often end up in landfills or as litter, roughly only three percent of plastic bags is actually recycled per year (Planet Ark, 2011). The materials used in making plastic bags make them non-biodegradable. According to the science dictionary, 2011 refers to “these materials cannot be decomposed into environmentally safe waste materials by the action of soil bacteria.” These harmful substances are toxic and take approximately four hundred years to break down, or in this case photo-degrade; which is how plastics made from (HDPE) break down. Since they are not biodegradable, they remain in the environment and are absorbed in soil or water (Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment, 2010). This essay will discuss the various harmful effects of plastic bags, and demonstrate the risks that these bags impose on humans, animals and the environment. It will also discuss a series of suggested solutions that could help reduce plastic bag usage.
Everyone has heard a cashier one time or another mumble, “Paper or plastic?” as he put their groceries in a bag, but do shoppers know the effects of each vessel in which they carry their comestibles? There are many issues and benefits to both paper and plastic. The making and recycling of both paper and plastic bags can harm the environment. One must also look at the costs of making each bag. The convenience of each is also something to look at. Many people jump to conclusion that paper bags are better for the environment without knowing the facts. Since plastic bags are preferred by customers and plastic bags actually do not hurt the environment as much as paper ones do, consumers should feel at ease when choosing plastic.
Environmental health has been a very important issue to talk about internationally these days. We, human beings are leading the earth toward its edge unconsciously. We are using natural resource more than we give to the Mother Nature. Day by Day, people are aware of what damage they do the environment, but they do not care of fixing this damage. In a very simple step, the road of a better healthy environment will begin; recycling is the best idea that illustrate the previous point. To Andrew Roper, recycling is the conversion of waste products into new materials, such as waste paper that can be converts into new paper goods (n.d). There are many types of recycling, for example, there are glass, paper, metal, plastics, textiles and electronics recycling (Evans , 2011). This research will focus on recycling papers in the United Arab Emirates, the benefits or recycling and its effect on the environment, the difficulties of recycling, the process of recycling paper, and the finals products of recycling.