Today, we can look around us and see garbage on almost every street corner especially in big cities. This problem has progressed over the last 10 years, and I only expect it to get worse. It has become people’s “norm” to just throw anything they want out of car windows, out of buildings, and even just small items out of their pocket. What most people forget is the number of consequences this can produce.
The amount of garbage that is left outside often takes weeks to get cleaned up if it even gets cleaned up at all. This can further lead to polluted air depending on what the packaging is from, or it can lead to damaged health among the animals because they think it is “food”. Creating more environmentally friendly packaging not only allows more people to end up buying the product but it normally creates less packaging or is made from materials that are easily recycled. When people are going through the store and choosing a certain brand to buy, often they will buy the brand that says Eco-Friendly or Go Green. After their purchase they are then more likely to use the product and dispose of it in the correct manner. Overall, this produces more people supporting the company as well as supporting the environment they live in.
By companies switching to more environmentally friendly packaging, this shows more responsibility, compassion, and value behind the people initiating the switch. The people want to have a healthier lifestyle and do their part in keeping the World as clean as they can make it. A good example of a big company that has initiated this switch would be Walmart. They have added thousands of new jobs around the country with hopes of changing the packaging they have to all recyclable or compostable. Big cooperation’s such as Walmart, will initiate the switch to a more economic friendly environment which will then lead smaller businesses to follow in the footsteps to keep their consumers happy.
Lastly, by switching to an eco-friendlier way of producing their materials, companies can save thousands to millions of dollars. Nationwide companies often ship their materials to other parts of the world which is where a lot of the cost comes into play. For example, by packing up and sending out thousands of desks to the US, the company is spending a lot of money on not only the item itself but also the packaging and transportation. When switching to more sustainable packaging, it will cost the company less in materials. The more sustainable packaging is often lighter in weight as well which will then lead to a decrease in cost for transportation.
Overall, a company switching to a eco-friendlier way of producing and packaging their goods leads to benefits not only for the environment but for the company as well. By having bigger companies start to make the switch to safer products, it will start to show a trend in the smaller companies as well. Environment friendly packaging will often lead to more consumers wanting to buy the product which is another benefit for the company. Lastly, the company is almost guaranteed to save more money after making the switch to better materials used in the packaging of their items.
Essay by: Rondi Elo
Arizona State University
