Reading
Rethinking packaging
C Anybody who shops online is aware that each ordered item is individually packed and then protected by more packaging to prevent damage in transit. Are the biggest e-commerce companies doing anything to stop this overpackaging? Amazon® have eliminated more than 665,000 tons of packaging materials by using recyclable packaging and selling products in their original boxes. Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant that ships one billion packages a day, has set up 75,000 recycling centres to reuse boxes and wrapping material. Dell®, the computer company, uses packing materials made from natural and recycled materials. D A revolution in how items are delivered could also be underway. Consider Loop, which provides both a delivery and a pick-up service. Brand products are sold in refillable and reusable packaging – glass, stainless steel or durable plastic – and delivered in reusable shipping bags. Once the products are consumed, the packaging is picked up and transported to a regional cleaning facility, where the containers are cleaned and products recycled. Will this system finally change consumers’ habits regarding single-use plastics? E Zero-waste shops are also springing up in high streets across Europe. It’s a return to the old days, when grocers served products from large containers, but with a modern look and feel. Customers fill their own bottles with cleaning materials and serve themselves dried foods. Shop owners buy in bulk from eco-friendly enterprises, which supply products in recyclable plastic packaging. F Consumer choice is undoubtedly making the way we shop greener, but nothing is as simple as it seems. Susan Selke, Director of the School of Packaging at Michigan State University, points out that making glass uses more fossil fuels than plastic. Glass is also heavier so it’s more polluting to transport. Paper bags also have higher carbon emissions than plastic bags and are more difficult to reuse. We need to focus on finding solutions which work in the long run and we need to find them quickly.
A Plastic packaging accounts for almost half of the plastic waste generated globally, according to a UN report in 2018. Everyone, from the public to the retailer and manufacturer , is aware of the challenge to reduce packaging waste and its impact on the environment. But is change on the horizon or is it already here? B There are signs that consumers’ shopping decisions are pushing retail companies to change and to persuade manufacturers to make more eco-friendly packaging choices. More and more retailers are offering bag- free options or alternatives to plastic bags. Helen Bird, from the waste reduction charity Wrap, says most UK supermarkets have committed to eliminating single-use plastics by 2025. Some companies are aiming to sell as many of their products as possible packaging-free: the cosmetics retailer Lush sells around half of its products with no packaging at all.
1 Read the article and match the paragraph headings 1–6 to paragraphs A–F.
3 Match the underlined words in the article with the definitions. 1 substances to put on your skin to improve its appearance 2 almost certainly 3 produce 4 not immediately, but at some time in the future 5 a person or company that makes a product Critical thinkers 4 Which goals for green packaging are not
1 Can a new shopping system make a difference? 2 Can consumer decisions be damaging for the environment? 3 Consumer-driven change 4 A no-waste revolution at a local level 5 How big a problem is packaging waste? 6 E-commerce giants and sustainable packaging 46 Read the article again. Are the sentences True (T) or False (F)? 1 Fifty percent of waste comes from plastic. T / F 2 Approaches are changing because consumers are putting pressure directly on manufacturers. T / F 3 At least one online company is using packaging made from innovative materials. T / F 4 With Loop, a new shopping system, users borrow containers in a waste-free circle. T / F 5 Zero-waste shops have similarities to shops in the past. T / F 6 Glass is always preferable to plastic. T / F
2
mentioned in the text? Choose two. 1 To reduce packaging and eliminate it where possible 2 To make sure packaging is easy to recycle 3 To increase the use of reusable materials 4 To increase the use of renewable energy sources 5 To use materials that break down easily and go back into the earth 6 To promote working together in the community
Unit 10 85
Made with FlippingBook Publishing Software