Plastic packaging serves several important functions in our modern lives, which are the primary reasons we rely on it:
Protection: protects vulnerable products from damage whilst in transit and from contamination or damage by moisture, humidity, gases, microorganisms, insects and light.
Preservation: preserves products for longer, which reduces waste by giving people more time to use or consume them before it is no longer suitable to do so.
Prevents waste: products kept together and spillages avoided.
Transportation: Allows transport over great distances, so that we have access to a wide variety of non-local produce that, in turn, encourages trade. It also saves space through stacking objects which make transporting more efficient.
Displays information: important information about the product, such as nutritional content or allergy advice, is displayed on packaging.
Source: INCPEN. Why are products packaged the way they are?
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Plastic packaging is one of the most important contributors to protecting food from spoiling. Food waste has a significantly higher environmental impact, particularly in the form of its carbon footprint, than packaging waste.
Plastic packaging allows food to travel further distances, stay longer on the shelves, and ensures that large amounts of food do not go to waste. Because it takes considerably more resources to create the food itself, it often makes environmental sense to protect it for as long as possible so the resources invested in its growth are not invested in vain.
As well as helping to deliver food around our global economy, liquids, gels, powders, out-of-season fruit, and other specialist items are all safely protected by the material.
There are many types of plastic that have different functional properties such as being safe for food, flexible, transparent, opaque, and chemical and heat resistant. Plastics thus are the ideal packaging material for a variety of modern requirements. Without plastic packaging to serve all these needs, it becomes very difficult (and often impossible) to transport and utilise a wide range of products people rely on every day.
Source: Prepared by the Advisory Committee on Packaging. Packaging in Perspective.
For more information on food wastage and how you can prevent it, please see Fresher for Longer and Love Food, Hate Waste
Generally speaking, packaging is used where it makes economic, environmental, and safety sense to do so. Of course, not every product is optimally packaged, and there is important room for improvement where each of these three factors is concerned.
The amount of material used in packaging has been in decline for years: between 2004 to 2014 the average plastic packaging weight fell by 28%. This has happened as a consequence of improved technologies and design that enable a similar product or package to be produced with less amounts of material. There are regulations in place that require all packaging specifiers to reduce the amount of packaging used without compromising it’s functionality: The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/1640).
Government Guidance Notes
Voluntary industry agreements also help to reduce the amount of material used in packaging, as well as reduce waste. The Courtauld Commitment to reduce packaging and waste is an example. Click the image below for more information (click the 'back' button to return to the page).
Plastic packaging is also an important component to keeping the lifecycle environmental impact of a product down. Due to the resource efficiency involved in the creation of plastic packaging, environmental costs are saved by using this material compared to replacing it with others. Environmental costs in this case include damage to the environment such as carbon and greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. However, it is also important to consider the plastic packaging items that are littered, which can end up in our rivers and seas. These damaging environmental consequences also require significant focus from governments around the world, to ensure these items do not end up in these environments, and that they are collected for recovery and recycling in every possible case.
Source: The excellence of the plastics supply chain in relaunching manufacturing in Italy and Europe: Executive summary
To be fit for purpose, packaging must protect and preserve. Plastic packaging performs this function particularly well and provides many other advantages for consumers, suppliers and society. Plastic is:
Resource efficient: plastic packaging saves packaging mass, energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Without it, we would use 2-3 times more resources.
Source: The impact of plastic packaging on life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in Europe: Executive Summary July 2011, Bernd Brandt and Harald Pilz
Learn more about recycling.
Learn about packaging and the environment.
Why do we use multiple types of polymers in packaging?
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The BPF has created short e-learning courses that cover plastic packaging. If you're interested in learning more, you can access our CPD approved e-learning courses on sustainable plastic packaging here.
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In discussions about environmental problems, the topic of plastic is usually one of the first things to come up. It's true that plastic waste is a major problem plaguing landfills and oceans the world over. However, when used correctly and thoughtfully, plastic and the environment can live in happy harmony. Check out some of the good things about plastic that can help us take better care of our planet.
Plastic components are being used increasingly often in new vehicles, mainly because they help make our vehicles safer. However, because plastic is also much lighter than traditional materials like metal and glass, it also helps cars get more miles per gallon of travel because the internal components don't have to work as hard to move the vehicle's weight forward. Greater fuel economy means fewer stops at the gas station and less fossil fuel usage.
Because plastics are light and sturdy, product packaging has become more streamlined. Lids are getting smaller and packages are getting lighter, which winds up contributing to fuel economy as well — when trucks don't have as much weight to haul, they don't use as much gas!
While paper products degrade much faster than plastic, they also require a vast amount of natural resources to create. Many trees and a significant amount of water and energy are needed to produce paper products, and the manufacturing process creates a lot of waste that can be difficult to remove. While plastics also require resources and energy to be created, they make up for it by being easier to recycle and having a far longer lifetime.
Along with vehicle construction, plastics are also being frequently used as building materials for both commercial and residential properties. Plastic windows and other building parts can filter UV rays in order to keep buildings cool in the summer while also locking in heat to keep them warm in winter. This means it takes less money and energy to keep our homes and workplaces comfortable, which contributes to massive savings every year and a reduced environmental footprint.
Because plastic is resistant to corrosion, impact, UV rays and many other environmental factors, it doesn't have to be replaced as often as other materials. Whether it's used for components in a piece of machinery, underground sewage piping or a reusable water bottle, it can help save time and expense by reducing the need for maintenance and replacement.
On top of thoughtfully using plastic to expend less energy and money, there are plenty of other ways we can create less waste and give plastic new life. Check out the rest of our resources on environmental plastic or contact us today to talk about how A&C Plastics can help get your project done.