{"id":17381,"date":"2018-10-22T16:05:14","date_gmt":"2018-10-22T14:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/igcat.org\/?p=17381"},"modified":"2021-01-05T16:43:19","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T15:43:19","slug":"eat-your-food-and-the-package-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/igcat.org\/fr\/eat-your-food-and-the-package-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Eat your food, and the package too"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a tremendous acceleration in the demand for packaging alternatives as the unintended consequences of plastics become more visible, both locally and globally,\u201d says Kate Daly, of\u00a0Closed Loop Partners<\/a>, a social-impact investment fund that focuses on waste.<\/p>\n Of the 78 million metric tons of plastic packaging produced globally each year, a mere\u00a014 percent is recycled<\/a>. Lightweight and floatable, plastic that escapes collection\u00a0flows into our oceans<\/a> \u2014 nine million tons annually \u2014 most of it from developing nations that lack the infrastructure to manage it. The problem is expected to get worse as those nations grow richer and inevitably start consuming more packaged foods, and as many others in an increasingly convenience-obsessed world continue to purchase meal-kit and grocery services \u2014 which generate considerable packaging \u2014 and take-out foods.<\/p>\n More conscientious recycling would be a boon, but it\u2019s no panacea. Recycling requires energy, water, and the transport of materials. Most recycled plastics get shredded, melted, and reformed into goods \u2014 like lumber, fleece, or carpeting \u2014 still eventually bound for landfills. Manufacturers continue to make bottles and shrink-wraps ever thinner, but the fact remains: plastics are made from nonrenewable resources, either oil or natural gas, and most never see a second life.<\/p>\n But plastic is quite good at what it does, which makes replacing it so devilishly difficult.<\/p>\n