PACKAGING ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH ISSUES

Packaging Environmental and Health Issues

Packaging Environmental and Health Issues

Introduction

The Industrial Revolution and subsequent internationalization of production and distribution massively increased the amount of packaging produced and used around the world and sparked the search for solutions that were lower cost and provided regularity of supply. This led to the exploitation of polymer—long molecular chains with properties suitable for creating moldable products—that were produced as plastics of various types from hydrocarbon by-products. Industrial processes soon found ways to mass produce plastic items in great numbers and at very low cost, and these were attractive to manufacturers and retailers, especially when methods of introducing lettering and graphics on plastic bags were developed. Advertising opportunities on such bags have encouraged redundancy of packaging. This paper discusses packaging environmental and health issues in a concise and comprehensive way.

Packaging Environmental and Health Issues

Olga and Natalia (2006) mention that the nature and extent of forms of packaging depend on cultural and geographical considerations. In urban environments such as Australia and the United States, people customarily have spacious housing and travel by car to supermarkets. In these cases, shoppers will buy large amounts of products in large containers or multiple unit packs. By contrast, people living in Hong Kong or Japan, where living space is at a premium, purchase items in much smaller unit sizes and numbers (Olga and Natalia, 2006). Manufacturers and retailers must retain flexible packaging systems that can cater to these different requirements. The use of different languages, as mandated by governments importing manufactured items, also causes firms additional expense.

What are the Health Concerns and Environmental Issues?

The amount and type of packaging has provoked considerable controversy because of concerns about the waste of resources and the impact that packaging has upon the environment. Some forms of packaging may be biodegradable, but many plastic shrink wrappings and bags remain in a similar form for extended periods. If the packaging is not dealt with effectively, it then contributes to pollution and negative health outcomes. In Bangkok, the propensity for people to throw plastic bags away in the street means they are caught in the canal and drainage system and contribute to flooding during the monsoon season, and the spread of waterborne diseases in the floods. Plastics have negative effects on waterways, rivers, and oceans, damaging and poisoning marine life. Even organic packaging material can contribute to problems (Diane, 2005).

Packaging Issues: Wood Packaging, Pallets ...