Why is Eco-Friendly Packaging So Important?
Hello hello!
With so much going on since the rebrand back in April (again thank you so much to all of you for helping the transition go so smoothly), it’s been a while since my last blog post.
So starting the month of June (half way through the year whaaat!) off with all things eco-friendly packaging, our values and some pretty scary plastic facts. With the almighty impact that single use plastic has on the world.. there’s no doubt that we need to reduce plastic use as much as we can.
Here are some daunting plastic packaging facts:
According to Protega Global, 50% of plastic is used only once. Incredibly, half of the plastic that is negatively impacting our ecosystem is created for single use. This could include plastic bottles, coffee cup lids and product packaging. With such a throwaway culture, only 5% of plastic is recovered from what is produced.
As I’m sure you’re aware of by now, I’m a huge animal lover so the idea that plastic outnumbers sea life by six to one completely baffles me!
There is more plastic in the oceans than wildlife. In fact, plastic outnumbers sea life by six pieces for every one animal. Furthermore 90% of the pollution floating in the ocean is plastic which depressingly accounts for 46,000 pieces of plastic in every single square mile.All sea turtle species have traces of plastic in their bodies. Due to the tiny fragments of plastic in the ocean, all sea turtle species and 44% of seabird species have been found to have plastic in their system or around their bodies. This also includes a depressing 22% of cetaceans too.
Only one-third of UK plastic packaging is recycled. Consumers in the UK still only recycle one-third of their plastic packaging. Two-thirds of plastic packaging is taken to landfill while a small proportion is incinerated. With this in mind, less than half of the plastic goods that are recyclable are actually recycled. Much of this wastage comes down to a lack of recycling infrastructure due to austerity cuts from central government being passed down to local councils, and also by individuals not being sure whether a product can be recovered or not.
The amount of plastic packaging that is thrown away every single year is enough in length to circle the globe four times over. This stat will only grow as the rate of plastic wastage is growing at a rate of 9% every year. Naturally, landfill does not help the problem, it just delays the problem for future years.
Shocking right? That’s why Little Roglets endeavours to minimise it where possible. It would be inaccurate to say we are working at 100% zero waste, but through compostable sleeves for cards, paper bags that can be reused and recyclable postal tubes for the larger prints, we’re doing as much as we can, and are constantly looking for more ways to improve our eco-friendly packaging. It’s not just through our packaging that the environment is considered though - local printers are used where possible to reduce our carbon footprint (because I walk there!), and when sourcing other suppliers, we look for them sharing the same values when it comes to their own packaging too.
I very much believe in the importance of beautifully packaged products and making the customer experience a beautiful one from ordering right up until receiving, however I don’t go overboard with tissue paper for example, and like to keep things simple to reduce the overall waste.
Giving back is important for Little Roglets:
If you didn’t know, we give back. For every map purchased (the animal world map and the British Isles print), one tree gets planted somewhere around the world. This location gets changed every month after donating.
And to finish, I’m leaving one of my favourite quotes below by Anne-Marie Bonneau, who although focuses on all things food, also has some great tips on reducing plastic that you can apply to your daily lives here.
Lots of love as always. Lex xx
