Environmental Activism (ENVIR239)
INTRODUCTION
After carrying around my trash for a week for the first Personal Sustainability Assignment, I became aware of all the items I use daily that have to go to a landfill. For instance, a tea bag with a metal staple in the tag can't be composted. And a business card with a plastic coating can't be recycled. Little things I use for less than five minutes might stay on this earth longer than I am alive.
Some companies are so large and powerful that it feels like their decisions cannot be influenced by a single consumer like myself. I often find myself frustrated at the ruthless drive towards lower production costs that companies possess. We are trapped by an infrastructure that doesn't provide alternatives: the products we buy are packaged in single-use plastic that is cheap to make because its consequences have been externalized to the environment and future generations. In Tim Jackson's book The Challenge of Sustainable Lifestyles, he calls this the "infrastructure of consumption". This infrastructure "sends all the wrong signals, penalizing pro-environmental behavior, making it impossible even for highly motivated people to act sustainably without personal sacrifice." I looked at the bags of trash my family produces each week and wondered if this was really the best we could do without bending over backwards like Colin Beavan in his zero-waste adventures in his book No Impact Man.
ACTIVISM
So, I spent a few minutes writing up a message encouraging six companies to reduce or eliminate single-use plastic from their packaging: Starbucks, Bob's Red Mill, Bank of America, Capri-Sun, Apple, and Nestlé. Here's the message.
Dear [COMPANY]
More than 9.1 billion tons of plastic have been made since it began to be mass-produced in the 1950s. Half of this total has been produced in the last thirteen years. The current system of packaging products is unsustainable, harmful, and irresponsible. Every day, [COMPANY] contributes to the approximate 5.5 billion tons of plastic waste currently in landfills and nature.
The world must reduce its plastic consumption drastically in order to slow the overuse of our planet’s resources. As a large multinational company, you have an incredible amount of power to curb the production of plastic. I urge you take full responsibility for your own trash by reducing or eliminating single-use plastic packaging on your products.
As a customer concerned about the environment, I refrain from buying products from companies who package in plastic. Plastic packaging is a convenience that is forced into the hands of the consumer. Your product’s packaging is not my trash; it is yours. I encourage you take responsibility for it by eliminating single-use plastic packaging.
Thank you, and have a nice day.
Dear [COMPANY]
More than 9.1 billion tons of plastic have been made since it began to be mass-produced in the 1950s. Half of this total has been produced in the last thirteen years. The current system of packaging products is unsustainable, harmful, and irresponsible. Every day, [COMPANY] contributes to the approximate 5.5 billion tons of plastic waste currently in landfills and nature.
The world must reduce its plastic consumption drastically in order to slow the overuse of our planet’s resources. As a large multinational company, you have an incredible amount of power to curb the production of plastic. I urge you take full responsibility for your own trash by reducing or eliminating single-use plastic packaging on your products.
As a customer concerned about the environment, I refrain from buying products from companies who package in plastic. Plastic packaging is a convenience that is forced into the hands of the consumer. Your product’s packaging is not my trash; it is yours. I encourage you take responsibility for it by eliminating single-use plastic packaging.
Thank you, and have a nice day.
I submitted the messages through the contact page on each company's website. Some contact pages were so systemized that it was difficult to send a message that wasn't a complaint about a product. One company I tried to contact wouldn't allow any feedback about their product.
Most of the responses I got were auto-replies based on the subject of my message, but I did receive a few personal responses from members of the customer service team. Here is one from Nestlé (She's talking about Baby Ruth bars because I had to choose a product to complain about - there was no 'general suggestion' option). Part of the response was automated, so here's the part that matters:
Thank you for your email concerning our packaging and the environment. We at Nestlé® USA applaud your concern and commitment to the environment. We, too, recognize our need and responsibility as a major American corporation to actively address environmental concerns. Our company is committed to an on-going program of solid waste reduction and control through packaging reduction, recycling, and packaging technology. Most of our product packaging is either recyclable or made of recycled materials (this includes aluminum, glass, paper, and steel). In addition, we developed a series of internal recycling plans for use at various company facilities, including our headquarters in Glendale, California. Examples of our recycled/recyclable packaging include:
Products packaged in recycled* and recyclable steel
Products packaged in recycled* and recyclable glass
Products packaged in recycled* paperboard boxes
Corrugated/Folding Case Cartons
At Nestlé USA, our ultimate goal is to develop and utilize packaging that reduces the amount of materials used, contains already recycled materials, and/or can be recycled or disposed of in environmentally sensitive ways. We are constantly working to better meet that goal and are pleased that you share a similar interest in and dedication to the environment.
REFLECTION
I was impressed with Nestlé's initiative to reduce their impact on the environment. Also, they gave me two coupons for free candy bars. I may be biased. That said, Nestlé still has a long way to go before their packaging could be considered sustainable.
In their response Nestlé did mention their efforts to reduce packaging and solid waste production. They also mentioned they use recycled and recyclable materials. Many companies pride themselves in using recycled material, yet they still create products with excessive packaging that is only partially made of recycled material. Although plastic is recyclable, strikingly little of recycled plastic is actually used again in products. These charts from the EPA's 2012 Municipal Solid Waste Report demonstrate the difference in plastic generated versus plastic recovered (reused in a new product). Of the 251 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated in 2012, 12.7% - about 31.9 million tons - was plastic. But of the 87 million tons of MSW recovered, only 3.2% - 2.8 million tons - was plastic.
So, what do we do about this? Simply urging companies to recycle more isn't going to make a big difference in plastic production. To make a bigger impact, companies could reduce the amount plastic in their packaging, or they could eliminate plastic altogether and use only compostable materials, or recyclable materials with a higher recovery rate, like paper and cardboard.
A) reduce plastic in packaging
Reducing plastic in packaging can benefit both the company and the environment. It is feasible, but has high upfront costs. Nestle has reduced the plastic in its bottles by 60% of the original mid-1990s version. They now use 80 million less pounds of plastic per year than before. The company also worked to reduce its secondary packaging, removing the cardboard side walls from its 24-packs of bottled water. To reduce the plastic used in their bottles, Nestlé had to design a new bottle, test it for strength, and negotiate the adjustments with their packaging supplier who will eventually make the new bottles. While Nestlé is keeping the cost it took to make this change confidential, it couldn't have been cheap.
B) switch to other materials
While it would reduce total plastic use, switching to entirely compostable or recyclable plastic isn't always a perfect solution. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition analyzes the environmental costs and benefits for companies wishing to switch to less environmentally harmful packaging. While working with Stonyfield Organics, who were considering switching from petroleum-based polystyrene to nontoxic plastic made from corn, the Coalition found that the latter would reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions, but consume the same amount of water that petroleum-based plastic did. Because there are so many ways the environment can be impacted, it is difficult to measure the total environmental impact of a product. Also, creating an entirely new packaging isn't exactly cheap. The company must pre-design a product, pay the SPC or something like it to analyze the environmental impact of their current and proposed product, then complete the design process. They must consider factors like the total cost of materials, tamper-proofing, ease of handling, durability for transport, aesthetics, and the dreaded government regulations. Sending a new design into production means negotiating with their packaging supplier or hiring a new one. This requires time and money, two things companies do not want to be short on.
Now that's all very motivational, but I can't help but feel I went after the wrong giant. The trash I saw in my bag was not made by the company I bought it from. It was made by whatever supplier they hired to package their products. (Nestlé's bottle water packaging is actually made by Danone, a California-based company who makes bio-based bottles whose material comes from biomass feedstocks like used cardboard or sawdust. Perhaps Nestlé was not the best example to pick on). Companies and packaging suppliers work together to produce a final, packaged product, making the problem a little more difficult to tackle as a consumer. Sending my complaints directly to the company like I did with Nestlé may have allowed them to be amplified by the company to their supplier. However, if the company doesn't feel enough social or financial pressure to change their packaging, my angry little message might fall on deaf ears. If I had instead contacted Danone, the packaging supplier for Nestlé, that supplier might have been encouraged to work with all its clients to reduce plastic packaging.
Regardless of who I contacted, I like to think I made a small difference. Even if I didn't raise the importance of packaging in the eyes of the company, I gained an understanding of how to contact companies about issues I care about. It doesn't take much time and effort to contact many companies about the same issue (except, ahem, those who don't allow feedback). I think I might start to do this more often. When I run into a product I think is excessively packaged, I can take two minutes to send them the message I wrote. And you can too.
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| United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014 |
Where all that plastic is coming from becomes clear when you look at the chart below. Containers and Packaging make up 30% of all MSW.
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| United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014 |
So, what do we do about this? Simply urging companies to recycle more isn't going to make a big difference in plastic production. To make a bigger impact, companies could reduce the amount plastic in their packaging, or they could eliminate plastic altogether and use only compostable materials, or recyclable materials with a higher recovery rate, like paper and cardboard.
A) reduce plastic in packaging
Reducing plastic in packaging can benefit both the company and the environment. It is feasible, but has high upfront costs. Nestle has reduced the plastic in its bottles by 60% of the original mid-1990s version. They now use 80 million less pounds of plastic per year than before. The company also worked to reduce its secondary packaging, removing the cardboard side walls from its 24-packs of bottled water. To reduce the plastic used in their bottles, Nestlé had to design a new bottle, test it for strength, and negotiate the adjustments with their packaging supplier who will eventually make the new bottles. While Nestlé is keeping the cost it took to make this change confidential, it couldn't have been cheap.
B) switch to other materials
While it would reduce total plastic use, switching to entirely compostable or recyclable plastic isn't always a perfect solution. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition analyzes the environmental costs and benefits for companies wishing to switch to less environmentally harmful packaging. While working with Stonyfield Organics, who were considering switching from petroleum-based polystyrene to nontoxic plastic made from corn, the Coalition found that the latter would reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions, but consume the same amount of water that petroleum-based plastic did. Because there are so many ways the environment can be impacted, it is difficult to measure the total environmental impact of a product. Also, creating an entirely new packaging isn't exactly cheap. The company must pre-design a product, pay the SPC or something like it to analyze the environmental impact of their current and proposed product, then complete the design process. They must consider factors like the total cost of materials, tamper-proofing, ease of handling, durability for transport, aesthetics, and the dreaded government regulations. Sending a new design into production means negotiating with their packaging supplier or hiring a new one. This requires time and money, two things companies do not want to be short on.
CONCLUSION
Jackson points out that "the balance between altruism and selfishness is not hardwired into people at all. It depends critically on social conditions: rules, regulations, cultural norms and expectations, government itself, and the set of institutions that frame and constrain the social world." In other words, the institution can be changed to be less selfish by adjusting the above. The piece I attempted to change by contacting these companies was cultural norms and expectations. This is something we all have the power to change because we are the social world. By changing our own expectations and norms we can be part of the movement that takes down the "institution of consumption". Now that's all very motivational, but I can't help but feel I went after the wrong giant. The trash I saw in my bag was not made by the company I bought it from. It was made by whatever supplier they hired to package their products. (Nestlé's bottle water packaging is actually made by Danone, a California-based company who makes bio-based bottles whose material comes from biomass feedstocks like used cardboard or sawdust. Perhaps Nestlé was not the best example to pick on). Companies and packaging suppliers work together to produce a final, packaged product, making the problem a little more difficult to tackle as a consumer. Sending my complaints directly to the company like I did with Nestlé may have allowed them to be amplified by the company to their supplier. However, if the company doesn't feel enough social or financial pressure to change their packaging, my angry little message might fall on deaf ears. If I had instead contacted Danone, the packaging supplier for Nestlé, that supplier might have been encouraged to work with all its clients to reduce plastic packaging.
Regardless of who I contacted, I like to think I made a small difference. Even if I didn't raise the importance of packaging in the eyes of the company, I gained an understanding of how to contact companies about issues I care about. It doesn't take much time and effort to contact many companies about the same issue (except, ahem, those who don't allow feedback). I think I might start to do this more often. When I run into a product I think is excessively packaged, I can take two minutes to send them the message I wrote. And you can too.
REFERENCES
Jackson, Tim. "State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy." State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy. Worldwatch Institute, 2008. Web. July 2017.
United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Solid Waste and Emergency Response. Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2012. Environmental Protection Agency, Feb. 2014. Web. July 2017.
"Nestlé Waters North America Continues Plastic Reduction Efforts with New, Lighter Bottle." Nestle Waters. N.p., 15 Dec. 2009. Web. 30 July 2017.
"Who We Are." Sustainable Packaging Coalition. GreenBlue, n.d. Web. 30 July 2017.
"Nestlé Waters Danone Bio Based Bottles." Nestle Waters. N.p., 02 Mar. 2017. Web. 30 July 2017.
United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Solid Waste and Emergency Response. Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2012. Environmental Protection Agency, Feb. 2014. Web. July 2017.
"Nestlé Waters North America Continues Plastic Reduction Efforts with New, Lighter Bottle." Nestle Waters. N.p., 15 Dec. 2009. Web. 30 July 2017.
"Who We Are." Sustainable Packaging Coalition. GreenBlue, n.d. Web. 30 July 2017.
"Nestlé Waters Danone Bio Based Bottles." Nestle Waters. N.p., 02 Mar. 2017. Web. 30 July 2017.
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