The Plastic Problem and an Alternative Future

Grounded Packaging specialises in providing eco packaging, with the aim to help reduce plastic waste.

Plastics are a polarising subject

Plastics have been pivotal in shaping the modern industry.

They are cheap.

Extremely versatile.

And they have been put to use extensively in almost every corner of every industry.

As a result, plastic production has skyrocketed, with the annual total expected to reach 622 million tonnes by 2034, up from 311 million tonnes in 2014.

However, you can have too much of a good thing, and that is most certainly the case with plastic. 95% of packaging is used only once and then discarded, primarily in various packaging formats. And an enormous 32% of all plastic manufactured escapes collection. Of that 32%, a staggering 8 million tonnes end up in our oceans every year. The production of plastics also has a material effect on carbon emissions and thus climate change. Every year plastic production represents the same amount of oil usage as the entire aviation sector.

“95% of packaging is used only once and then discarded”

**Clearly, we have a significant problem. **

Thankfully this issue is starting to come to light and some incremental improvements are starting to be made.

In recent years, much has been made of the issue with plastic straws and plastic checkout bags, and they have become the visible face of the problems caused by single-use plastics. And as a result, we’re seeing a number of large and noteworthy businesses make public commitments to materially changing their practices.

This is obviously a great start to generating awareness and driving positive change from some of the biggest users/polluters. But it only scratches the surface of the problem, that being said single-use plastics proliferate well beyond those two items that have received the bulk of publicity.

They are in almost everything we touch; the average supermarket stocks 40,000 items and the majority of those are wrapped in plastic of some description, most items purchased online come in varying forms of plastic wrapping, almost every item of takeaway food packaging is either made of or lined with plastic, and the list goes on.

For all the harm they create, plastics are commonly used for a reason, that being their cost-effective and versatile nature that can add value to different parts of the supply chain.

The eco packaging material solutions

Grounded Packaging aims to replace the use of non-recyclable oil-based plastics throughout commercial production and retail environments. We have developed a wide range of alternative materials that meet the needs of different businesses and product sets. Depending on the exact situation these are either made from plants or recycled materials all designed to work within specific end-of-life systems that work.