The topic of “going green” is one that has been presented in our lives since elementary school. The slogan “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.” was on a constant repeat as the members of the Green Team walked down the echoing halls. We were taught that papers and plastics go into the blue bin and by doing this simple action, we can single-handedly save the planet. I think it is apparent in today’s world that putting your papers and plastics in a certain blue bin is not the complete answer to our problem.
I remember the day my local grocery store decided to start handing out paper bags instead of plastic in the spirit of “going green”. After a few years, that was not enough to change the climate of the entire world. Switching back to the plastic bags, the state of Texas has now made plastic grocery bags recyclable. This way, the customers can still feel environmentally-friendly after buying their weekly groceries, home decorations, and especially products they don’t need. While it is still better than throwing away the bags, it is not enough for only a couple of companies to offer ecological packaging. Due to the uphill trend of buying every product that has a decently good review, more brands need to offer packaging that is environmentally-friendly and safe.
Since the year 2020, when everything in this world changed, people’s shopping habits accelerated to all new levels. Being stuck in the house with not much to do except redecorate, buy new wardrobes, and finally workout, consumers began spending their money in ways they never had before. With this came the necessary rise to at-home deliveries. What most shoppers do not consider is where their trash is going, however, all of the companies we purchase from do. While most things are recyclable, companies need to do more in order to keep up with their customers new habits. If brands know that consumers are purchasing more, then they should adopt packaging that can help give back to the environment they are ultimately destroying. The amount of waste, toxic chemicals, pollution, and water usage should already be reason enough for a change.
I am a senior at Texas State University and in August I will graduate with my Bachelors in Fashion Merchandising. During my time at Texas State, I have done in-depth research and written many papers containing information about sustainability and the rapid decline of our environment due to the lack thereof. Many brands claim to contribute their time, money, and responsibilities to helping the environment, but what are they really doing? Nobody knows. Brands need to be more open and inclusive about their efforts to help save our planet. This topic goes beyond obtaining environmentally-friendly packaging. While packaging can be the first step, there should be many more taken after that. The people of my generation are the ones that are going to be here to see the damaging effects on our climate. We do not want to see our beautiful world destroyed due to trends that change weekly. Companies need to take action to help save the one Earth that we have been gifted.
Essay by: Abigail Evans
Texas State University