Less is Not Always More

You’ll hear a lot about the weight of a product's package as if it were the sole criterion for determining sustainability. While less weight certainly helps reduce freight costs …

Distribution is only one of the six phases in the life cycle of a sustainable package.
Paper mill wood waste and byproducts are converted into energy, supplying 2/3 of the energy required to produce paperboard. (Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry)
When plastic's bulk is considered, less weight may not even mean less space in a landfill.

Here are the real facts consumers need to consider when considering sustainability, packaging, paper and plastic.

The AF&PA reports that in 2011 a record 66.8% of the paperboard packaging waste generated by Americans in 2011 was recycled.

Facts from the most recent (published in 2012) 2010 EPA report:

Over 30 milltons of paperboard and corrugated packaging were recycled.
From 1990, the amount of paper sent to landfills has decreased by 55%.
54% of all municipal solid waste was dumped into landfills.
Since 1990, paper and paperboard discarded into the waste stream as a percentage of the total has been cut in half.
In the same period, plastic as a percent of the total in the waste stream has almost doubled.
71.3% of all paper-based packaging was recovered; only 13.5% for plastic.

Why such a difference? Paperboard is readily and easily recycled. But there are 7 major grades of plastic, some of which are difficult to recycle and most cannot be intermixed. The issues regarding the use and re-use of plastic packaging are complex. More information from a not-for-profit and two municipal organizations may be found here: DESCRIPTIONS, MISCONCEPTIONS, LIMITATIONS.

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