Sustainable and Reliable Plastic Packaging
by Martin Miron
Plastic packaging plays an important role in virtually every facet of modern life. From the grocery store to the hardware store and the doctor’s office, plastic packages come in a variety of materials from traditional bottles to flexible pouches. The United Nations says that a million plastic bottles are purchased every minute.
The downside is the dramatic increase in plastic waste it produces. The most pressing challenge in the plastic industry is finding a way to balance the needs of the modern world with sustainability initiatives that protect the environment.
“The unfortunate reality is that humans create 300 million tons of plastic waste each year, of which only 15 percent is actually recycled,” says Andrew Meyer, CEO of AeroFlexx. “That means approximately 255 million tons of recyclable plastic enters our landfills and oceans every year. Those who are involved in plastic production cannot ignore those numbers.”
AeroFlexx is leading the change in the liquid packaging industry by thinking outside of the bottle. Its AeroFlexx Pak excels in the area of sustainability by focusing on source reduction, which is the most immediate and impactful approach to reducing any product’s environmental footprint. Source reduction describes efforts to reduce waste at the source. In essence, the aim is to eliminate waste before it is created. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has labeled source reduction as its preferred method of achieving greater sustainability.
Companies seeking to achieve source reduction employ a variety of strategies. Buying in bulk, which often decreases the amount of packaging that must be used, is one; lightweighting, which involves redesigning products to use materials that are lighter, is another. In many cases, source reduction not only reduces the amount of overall waste that is produced, but also reduces the toxicity of the waste.
According to the EPA, waste reduction has a considerable impact on sustainability. It results in a reduction of greenhouse gases and pollution, as well as conserving energy and natural resources. “When you combine creativity with a commitment to sustainability, you can achieve huge gains for the environment,” says Meyer. “The AeroFlexx packaging that we have developed takes source reduction to new heights, suggesting that by using 2.5 billion units of AeroFlexx Paks over the next five years we can eliminate nearly 980.8 million pounds of waste. In addition, our innovations decrease our carbon footprint by more than 256.8 million pounds over the same time period, as well as decreasing fuel needs by 65.3 million gallons of gas and 599.4 million kilowatt-hours of energy.”
It should not be assumed that packaging that is more environmentally friendly is less reliable. In fact, design innovations that drive sustainability can also increase reliability. Example of this include AeroFlexx innovations that improve the reliability of plastic packaging by transitioning from caps to integrated self-sealing, spill-proof valves. By doing away with the cap, plastic bottles can be used with one hand instead of two. The valve allows more precision dispensing of the product, further reducing potential waste.
As sustainability becomes more of an issue in the global marketplace, the value of initiatives like source reduction becomes more evident. Products that take sustainability initiatives to heart will undoubtedly stand out as the best option, both for their improved environmental footprint and their potential for increasing overall financial efficiency. “The reality is that initiatives like source reduction should not be considered optional,” says Meyer. “We have an unwavering obligation to society and future generations to do our part without compromise to achieve greater sustainability and environmental health.”
