“Only we humans make waste that nature can’t digest” - Capt. Charles Moore, Algalita Marine Research Foundation 

For those of you following this blog, you will know that I have spent the last few posts talking about plastics and the consequences of using them. In our modern lives, we use and discard an extraordinary amount of plastics. For example, in the United States we use and discard over 4 Million plastic cups everyday. Doesn’t seem like much, until you find out that the 4 Million cups were used and discarded on airplanes. Think about that, 4 Million plastic cups per day so we can have a little drink on the airplane.

(more…)

For designers, making environmentally sustainable decisions often comes down to the choice of material used for a client’s project.  When it comes to packaging design, there are literally thousands of possibilities for source materials. Plastics are one of the most common and prevalent choices available.  They are lightweight, relatively cheap (in terms of upfront cost) and readily available. 

Unfortunately,  from a sustainability stand point they lack pizzazz. The majority of plastics are made from petroleum products and are therefore not renewable.  Additionally, plastics are extremely, perhaps overly, durable. When a typical plastic container is placed into a modern landfill, it is expected to last at least 1000 years. Worst still is that the molecules that comprise most plastics are complex and don’t really break down. So in 1000 years time, the plastic may appear to be gone, but in reality it has probably just dispersed into the eco-system in really small pieces.  

(more…)