Sources: Istock
Nowadays, we face lots of environmental challenges, such as the impact of how people live in the world. These days, people have easy access to shopping. Unwittingly, this kind of behavior also greatly impacts the environment. According to wrap.org.uk, the world produces 141 million tonnes of plastic packaging annually. Terrifyingly, just 9% of the plastic packaging ever made has been recycled.
What happens if the amount of packaging waste keeps rising?
There are many ways that packaging waste could affect the environment. Such as Litter, which has been a major problem for the earth. On the other hand, people are unaware of how litter can affect human health by attracting vermin, which then can cause bacteria that threaten public health, not only humans but also animals.
Besides public health, packaging waste could create more problems by taking up many landfill spaces. Unfortunately, most packaging produced these days takes a long time to degrade, such as plastic bags and styrofoam, which take 500 years to degrade.
So, what is the most sustainable packaging type?
When it comes to environment-friendly packaging, there are 3 types of the most sustainable or eco-friendly types of packaging. All types of packaging nominated as the most sustainable packaging type are made from recyclable and biodegradable materials. Sustainable packaging should be easily recycled or made from recycled materials, be biodegradable and reusable, and even produce renewable energy. These are the Top 3 most sustainable packaging types:
Cellulose Packaging
Cellulose packaging is made out of natural materials from wood, hemp, and cotton. Since it uses natural materials, cellulose packaging can be an alternative to traditional plastic film. Cellulose packaging can be used multiple times, and it is safely used in food packaging without any risk of spoilage.
Recycled card and paper
Most cardboard and paper materials are biodegradable, which makes it safe for food packaging materials. These materials are also more sustainable to use as alternatives to plastic packaging. Using recycled cardboard and paper also contributes to a 60% reduction in CO2 and oil emissions compared to other alternative materials.
Cornstarch Packaging
Cornstarch materials could be shaped into solid shapes such as bottles and food containers. These packaging materials are also biodegradable and free from harmful toxins, which means they could compete with food industry supplies.
All those materials considered the most sustainable packaging type show that we all have many alternatives to prevent us from using non-biodegradable packing and single-use plastic materials. To effectively combat climatic issues, global manufacturers could switch to sustainable packaging alternatives.