Each and every day, new research is produced that warn us of the dangers the Earth is encountering due to the lack of environmentally friendly products and practices. “Going Green” is the future. It is incredibly important that companies adopt more environmentally friendly packages. There are a couple major reasons companies should do this. It’s important we reduce our waste production on our planet (for the future of our planet and the business), and also, in the longterm, the business (and the environment) will have the makings to sustain and thrive.
The biggest reason companies should adopt environmentally friendly packaging is the reduction of waste that will incur. The U.S., as a whole, produces around 236 million tons of municipal waste a year, with an estimate of about 7 billion of that from the industrial sector of our country. About 1/3 of that waste is from packaging material (Industrial Waste Management: Waste Stream Statistics 2017). So what do we do with this waste? Most materials in our waste do not decompose on their own. Waste is often incinerated releasing a number of toxins into the air. Waste is also taken to landfills. The waste that is built up at landfills produces its own gases, as well, and attracts vermin and bugs. That waste that sits on the landfill doesn’t always get managed properly and winds up in the water or back on our lands, as litter. The big picture is that the more waste we generate, the more toxins and litter that are potentially released into the environment. If a third of the waste produced is from packaging material, then it’s a clear call for businesses to begin to use environmentally packaged materials. It can be easily understood that it is becoming a duty for the world around us for companies to reduce their negative impact on our beautiful planet, but is there a benefit to the company, alone? Absolutely.
Companies that adopt environmentally friendly packaging will improve their company’s sustainability. Natural resources are beginning to suffer from depletions and scarcity. It is becoming important that companies lose that reliability on materials that are unable to be recycled or reused. A company that uses environmentally friendly packaging will have the reassurance that its practices and production will be able to thrive. On top of this, there is a global push for environmentally friendly company practices by the consumer. A poll found 71% of consumers look at the environmental impact of their buys, and also that 55% of consumers globally are willing to pay more in order to back companies that are environmentally friendly (Hope, 2019). These numbers show that consumers are leaning the way towards environmentally sound practices. With these statistics, it is apparent that an environmentally friendly company is going to do well with the consumer. The company is now appealing to a broader range of consumers, those that are environmentally concerned now and those that might become concerned. As more of us learn about our environmental impact with waste, more of us will push to buy from environmentally friendly companies. This will translate to more profit. On top of this, the U.S. government offers tax advantages that companies that are going green.
Environmentally friendly practices are the way of the future. There is no way around this. It is better for the world, the consumer, and the business as a whole. Companies need to conserve what natural resources we have left around us: our land, our water, our air. They can do this by making sure the products they use are reusable and recyclable. Moreover, consumerism that is “green” is becoming important to the consumer. Thus, there is a profit to be had by making eco friendly changes. Switching to environmentally friendly packaging leads to the sustainability of the business and the environment!
Works Cited:
What Factors Drive the Rise of Eco-friendly Marketing?
Industrial Waste Management: Waste Stream Statistics
Essay by: Andrea Ashley Valle
Arizona State University
