Sustainable packaging for large-scale application
Packaging is the dominant generator of plastic waste, responsible for almost half of the global total. In 2015, primary plastics production was 407 million tonnes. Around three-quarters (302 million tonnes) ended up as waste.
Aside from the personal management of plastic waste, we have to find alternative solutions for our industries packaging needs. The requirements will vary but some shared ones are scalability, raw material availability and cost.
From my experience, we use a few methods in reducing our plastic waste as part of our sustainable manufacturing initiative.
We use brown paper to pack our smaller items and jute strings as both are biodegradable.
We also use fabric packaging to protect the items and at the same time, the fabric can be repurposed for other usages by the customers.
However, for shipping and larger items, we still rely on plastic bubble wraps and stretch films. We find it hard to source for sustainable replacements for paddings and waterproof wrapping due to cost & accessibility in the local market.
Are there promising alternatives that have been commercialised for us to consider?
further reading : https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution
