Why Should Companies Go Green?

Plastic bags currently dominate the world of consumer packaging and are being consumed at a rate of 500 billion to 1 trillion bags annually and only 1-3% of plastic bags are recycled according to the Wall Street Journal. Those bags which are not recycled can take 1000’s of years to photo-degrade, a process where the chemicals leach out and contaminate the environment. Plastic bags are also devastating to wildlife, killing millions of animals a year from suffocation or intoxication.

Paper bags are often viewed as an earth friendly alternative however they are not. Paper bags take four times as much energy to manufacture as plastic bags and generate 70% more air and 50 times more water pollutants than their plastic counterparts. Plus according to the Plastic Recycling Directory, of the Society of Plastics Industry plastic bags take 17 BTU's to recycle whereas paper bags take 1444 BTU's.

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of their impact on the environment and because of this they are looking for environmentally friendly alternatives to the products they use such as the plastic and paper bags which are damaging our earth. Using biodegradable, earth friendly bags, allows your company to do its part and makes your customers feel good about their purchase.

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An Ipsos study sponsored by Tandberg recently polled 16,000 consumers in 15 countries to see how a company being "green" effects their opinion. Here are some highlights of the executive summary of the study:

More than half said they would prefer to purchase products and services from a company with a good environmental reputation

80% believe that working for an environmentally ethical organization is important

24% believe that their individual action should be a key to driving environmental change

32% admitted that they have not yet taken personal action to reduce climate change

Over half of respondents felt that government should take the lead in limiting the effects of climate change, with 47% percent citing national government and 11% citing international institutions as the key drivers in the environmental movement.

Government policies, subsidies, and incentives that were rated the most likely to change corporate environmental behavior.

Twelve percent of respondents felt that business/corporations should take the lead when it comes to limiting the effects of climate change.

http://www.seegreennow.com/GreenSurvey.aspx

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An article at ITbusiness.ca quotes Jay Illingworth, VP of Electronic Products Sterwardship Canada, a non-profit company that looks at "sustainable product management and disposal practices". He said 92 percent of Canadians say they would rather make purchases from socially responsible companies.

http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/Home/News.asp?id=41638

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If you're companies ready to look into environmental options in the packaging field please visit www.elmhirstpackaging.ca and speak to someone at Elmhirst Packaging Ltd. about biodegradable packaging options.