Life cycle thinking for packaging

Abstract

Unsustainable packaging practices are one of the leading problems in today’s world, leading to unnecessary resource consumption, increased waste generation, environmental pollution, and an overall negative impact on ecosystems. Global statistics show that 8 million metric tons of plastic ends up in the oceans every year. It has been estimated that approximately 79% of plastic produced since 1950 has been sent to landfills or otherwise released to the environment. With the current trends, the United Nations predicts that the plastic content will overweigh the fish in the ocean by 2050 [1].