Corporate America Today
We live in a country fueled by commerce, one that thrives off of buying and re-buying and so on. Everything we buy comes in a package, and most of the time that package is made of plastic and sometimes even wrapped in plastic sheets. All of this factors into our bulging waste production. It is no secret in the year 2021 that the global waste production is off the charts and that Americans, who only account for about 4% of the world’s population, produce about 12% of the world’s waste.
This comes as no surprise when one thinks about the capitalist society we live in and dominate. Everything revolves around sales, which now unfortunately is mostly done online. Thanks to the outbreak of COVID-19 online shopping has skyrocketed around the world. This means more bubble wrap, more plastic sheets, more packaging.
Going Green: A response to 19
This past year, 2020, was a wake-up call in many ways for individuals, our country, and those around the world alike. It brought up the importance of public safety and following protocol if simply to protect others. It showed companies that single use packaging does make an ecological impact. And it has proven that if we, as consumers, are aware of environmental impacts as well as sustainability of a company then carbon emissions can drop, and wildlife can in fact flourish.
Going green when it comes to packaging can seem daunting and complicated, not to mention expensive. However, being sustainable, meaning relatively earth-friendly and not contributing to the further depletion of our natural resources, is a good look for any company. It has been said that “The impact of humankind on the natural world is one the greatest challenges we face today and in the decades ahead.” This could not be more true when it comes to the global waste crisis which is perpetuated by the mass production of harmful single use packaging that only serves to deplete natural resources and increase our already gargantuan ecological footprint.
Small companies have made the conscious effort to be sustainable and even make that a focal point of their marketing. It wasn’t until this was being talked about by almost every social media influencer a few years ago that major corporations started making pledges to “be more sustainable by 2025”, which many of them are making strides toward in a variety of ways. An easy and effective way to do this would be to create a more eco-friendly form of packaging that is biodegradable and doesn’t take from already depleting resources.
Even though much of this effort is only to save face and align with the trend, which in this case is sustainable packaging, these companies are making a huge difference in our carbon emissions, overall sustainability, and environmentally friendly practices. Once sustainability is the norm and standard rather than the unrealistic goal, then these mega-corporations can feel good about their societal contributions at last.
Essay by: Grace Lombardo
California Baptist University