Today in our world, everything we buy comes in plastic packaging. Whether it is a snack, or simply fruit and vegetables, there is some sort of plastic involved.
Although some may see it as simply buying food, it is more harmful than they realize. Not only are consumers responsible for the plastic waste they use, but also large companies. According to Statista.com, CocaCola produces tons of waste, “It is estimated that some 200,000 metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste, i.e burnt or dumped, is created by Coca-Cola every year across these six developing nations. The company’s biggest plastic pollution footprint is in Mexico, where approximately 75,000 metric tons is produced per year” Companies like Coca Cola produce massive amounts of plastic waste onto the earth, when there are other forms to package their products. If they were to switch over to better packing materials, their brands name wouldn’t be making headlines on how much they pollute the earth. Plastic may be cheaper, but the slander their brand goes through after seeing statistics like these, must also plummet the sales they usually make. Moreover, these big corporations should take accountability for their actions. They dump the most waste in third world countries because it’s easier to leave it in a place that isn’t fully developed. Customers can feel that supporting these companies can become difficult to their own moral compass.
Furthermore, If companies had the interest of using environmentally friendly packaging, they’d be able to help each other. Companies would be able to give each other ideas on how to use environmentally friendly packaging. They should consider using environmentally friendly packaging because it will also be a good reflection of their brand. If customers are looking to go-green, they might choose the product that says “comes from recycled materials” over the competitor. Many people may question if this is financially possible. Big companies have a budget in place for their products, packaging, transportation, etc. If the companies put more emphasis on the money spent for their packaging, they’d be able to help keep a cleaner environment and in addition, make their brand look better.
To add, it is crucial that people are educated on how consumerism affects the environment. There should be classes available to students in highschool and college where they can learn about the effect that their plastic use has on the environment. Society will have educated people to think twice about the products they consume. Consumers can also write letters to CEO’s to protest for environmentally friendly packaging.
Finally, it is important that companies start to switch to environmentally friendly packaging. Corporations should see that switching to environmentally friendly packaging can benefit their brand in many ways. Corporations must take initiative before it’s too late.
Works Cited:
Tiseo, Ian, and Nov 10. “Coca-Cola: Annual Plastic Waste per Country 2019.” Statista, 10 Nov. 2020
Essay by: Yaxeli Hernandez Sanchez
Arizona State University
