Packaging and its Effects on the Environment
We are all familiar with the term "packaging". It encompasses any material that is used to wrap items. If you have bought anything from a store you must be familiar with how it is carefully wrapped in materials such as cardboard, plastic jars, plastic bags and so on. All of these come under the term packaging.
While it's no doubt that packaging makes things really easy for us because of how they make sure that the product we have bought reaches us in an intact condition. Even for sellers, good packaging means they incur fewer losses during the transportation of these goods which could otherwise break or get damaged.
Today thanks to the many technological advancements we have created innovative ways to protect goods from getting damaged. However, a lot of these packaging materials do more harm than good, especially when it comes to how they affect the environment. Let's take the example of plastic packaging materials.
Plastic has infiltrated our lives in many ways, some of these are so sneaky that we are not even aware that we ingest them on a regular basis. Some of these include microplastics that are prevalent in products that we use on a daily basis such as facial cleansers, shampoos and even toothpastes.
The harmful effects of plastic on the environment cannot be overstated, as they persist in the environment for hundreds of years and contribute significantly to pollution, ocean acidification, and climate change.
How Packaging Materials Harm Our Planet
Packaging has a significant impact on the environment in several ways. Here are some of the most notable ways packaging is bad for the environment:
Resource Depletion
The production of packaging materials requires the use of natural resources, such as timber for paper packaging and oil for plastic packaging. This can lead to the depletion of these resources, which can have long-term effects on the environment.
Greenhouse Gases
The manufacturing process for packaging materials involves the release of greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change. Additionally, the transportation of packaging materials and products also contributes to emissions.
Pollution
Packaging waste is a major contributor to pollution, as it often ends up in landfills, oceans, and other natural areas. Plastic packaging, in particular, is a major contributor to ocean pollution, harming marine life and the overall health of the ocean ecosystem.
What Are The Alternatives?
We have seen how badly the environment gets impacted by packaging materials but the real question arises as to how can we mitigate the bad effects. There are many ways we can employ to stop packaging materials ending up harming our environment one of which is to reduce the amount of packaging that companies use. For instance, instead of using multiple packaging materials for a single product, they can opt for just one which is recyclable.
Another option is to use packaging materials that are biodegradable and recyclable. This includes paper, cardboard, glass, metal and so on. Packaging materials like these can be recycled multiple times such as in the case of paper and cardboard, while others including glass and metal can be recycled infinite times.
The above are the steps that can be taken by companies to lower the environmental deterioration by packaging materials but as individuals, we can further make that a success by being mindful of buying only those products that we actually need and avoiding the use of single-use plastic at all costs. In addition, we can do our own research and give preference to only those companies that advocate for sustainability both in the production of their products as well as the materials they use for their packaging.
How teeth-a-bit Is Doing Its Part To Mitigate The Situation?
If you were to do a background check on the brands you use on a regular basis, chances are that many of them engage in certain actions that somehow damage the environment. This can include using toxic ingredients to make their products or using plastic or unrecyclable materials for their packaging.
So how can you make the right choice? Is there any brand that takes sustainability seriously? Well, yes! At teeth-a-bit, we believe in being completely transparent about how we curate our unique products including what goes into our packaging.
As a leading brand of premium quality oral-care products our products make use of 100% plant-based ingredients.
One of our well-known products is our wooden toothbrushes for adults and kids made with neem and bamboo wood which is an excellent alternative to plastic toothbrushes that end up in landfills in millions each year.
Besides this, our ergonomically designed wooden toothbrushes have a ton of other benefits including having BPA-free rounded bristles which help in gentle yet deep cleaning of your teeth.
They are also anti-fungal, anti-microbial and fully water-resistant. Another popular product includes our whitening toothpaste and mouthwash bits which are made using clinically-tested plant-based ingredients that are free from all sorts of toxic chemicals. They come in flint glass jars that are 100% recyclable.
At live-a-bit, we strive to make this planet a better place to live for everyone which is why we are one of the few brands that use packaging materials that are 100% recyclable.
A good example here would be our toothpaste bits which are packaged in flint glass jars with recyclable aluminium caps. Even the boxes in which our products come and the fillers used in them are all made of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials.
Currently, teeth-a-bit holds an earth score of >96% and seeing our current efforts, I believe the day is not far when our earth score reaches 100%.
