Paper Chase
By: Marvin Shim
The discovery of plastics as useful materials for human existence, providing comfortability and ease, has now become a menace, with plastics becoming co-inhabitants of the human environment. Plastic pollution has become ubiquitous in the earth, a threat to human and natural environments alike, not only due to our massive overconsumption of products that use the material, but since they are not biodegradable in nature and can persist for hundreds of years. Plastics were made by humans, but plastics now live way longer than the very beings who gave them the privilege of existence. Throughout the centuries that they decompose, plastic fragments into smaller pieces, known as microplastics. These particles can be found from the tundras of Antarctica to the Australian coral reefs to the Sahara desert.
Plastic poses a threat to every living species on planet Earth. Everyone knows the story. The mainstream media and environmental activists have long emphasized the risks associated with plastic products, from their effects on aquatic life to landfills. Less than 10% of plastics are recycled, and nearly 80% end up in landfills or in the environment.
Our solution to our plastic pandemic? We carved up trees and replaced the plastic with paper.
Paper and cardboard wrapping has mainly replaced plastic in packaging, which makes up for nearly fifty percent of all of all plastics produced. For many companies, paper represents the quick-win option that drives them to meet their goals of reducing plastic to appease environmental organizations. At first glance, paper is the better option; it’s biodegradable and is easier to recycle.
But is paper truly our best choice to save the environment, when over six million tons of paper packaging still ends up in landfills every year in the U.S.? Whether it is due to genuine concern for the environment or the vilification of plastic among their customers, paper has become the front of companies’ sustainable packaging initiative. But as customers respond positively to the change, more and more brands have begun implementing excessive paper packaging on top of plastic packaging. Skincare brand Nivea sells plastic bottles of lotion smothered in paper and cardboard boxes, and Sensodyne toothpaste is sold in plastic tubes. Although both expensive and worse for the environment, this overpackaging occurs everywhere.
But customers will still perceive that a product is eco-friendly if there is paper packaging. Even if there is the same amount of plastic as before, simply adding a sheet of paper around it will make consumers more likely to buy it. The accusing finger cannot be pointed at one particular party. Consumers act on what they believe is most eco-friendly based upon media perception, and businesses follow suit.
In the end, this paper chase of ours alludes to the unintended consequences we are seeing from organizations' positive efforts. What starts as efforts to decrease plastic waste often results in more resource consumption, and increased environmental impact from greater use of excess and over packaging. To truly move toward a sustainable future, consumers and organizations must recognize the need to replace plastic with zero waste alternatives that are more sustainable overall—this could mean just some of the following: reduced-packaging, materials science and new products, or change product design. We must be able to make tangible environmental change rather than judging environmentalism on surface actions, and also disentangling the drivers of harmful packaging versus using a sustainable resource. Superficial reductions often cause more harm than good to environmental concerns.
