Well, we finally made it to April and that means that a certain day of recognition is approaching – one that tends to get overlooked. That’s right… Earth Day! In honor of this day (which we recognize on April 22 this year), we would like to take some time to shine a light on our products’ relationship to Mother Earth.
When some people think about our products, a common thought may be that they are damaging to the environment. HOWEVER, today we set the record straight and with data to prove it: according to a new study, six categories of plastic packaging significantly reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions compared to packaging made of other materials.
This particular study is called the Impact of Plastics Packaging on Life Cycle Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the United States and Canada. The categories of packaging that were tested include low density polyethylene, high density PE, polypropylene, PVC, polystyrene, expanded PS, and PET… recognize some of those?? Those materials were then pitted against paper, glass, steel, aluminum, textiles, rubber, and cork – the “alternative materials.”
The results of this study, done by Franklin Associates for the American Chemistry Council and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association, showed that replacing plastic packaging with alternative materials will be MORE damaging to the environment. The data showed that the alternative materials have 4.5 times more packaging weight, an 80 percent increase in energy use and 130 percent more global warming potential. Talk about some significant numbers… those are life-changing!
Basically, it’s not that using alternative materials isn’t possible. It’s just that the increase in energy use to manufacture, transport and recycle them can be costly… for our wallets (and purses!) and for our environment in the future. So although we only have one day dedicated to the well-being of our planet, you can be satisfied knowing that sustainability is actually on our minds every other day of the year.
