This is a debate that has been going on for many years now. Today, we would like to carefully analyze both sides to see which material benefits the environment and the business more.

Advantages and disadvantages of plastic and paper packaging

First, we can confirm one thing: both types of packaging have good and bad effects on the environment. Their impact on the environment starts from the production stage and goes to the decomposition stage. So, first, let's go over the pros and cons of both.

Plastic bag

Plastic packaging has been popular since the 1950s. Produced from fossil fuels, a non-renewable resource. So, the more production, the less raw material resources. Because they are difficult to decompose, they are said to pollute the environment. However, people still use them for the following reasons:

Hard plastic packaging

PET plastic packaging

Advantage:

Low cost: Plastic is the cheapest of the packaging materials.

High durability: Plastic does not break or tear easily, and can be dropped without breaking. They are also hard to break when stacked, making them easy to transport.

Long lifespan: Plastic takes hundreds, thousands of years to degrade. So they can be kept for a long time without damage. However, this is both an advantage and a disadvantage.

Light: Compared with other materials, plastic packaging accounts for negligible weight. The energy used during transportation will be greatly reduced.

Great versatility: Plastic packaging can come in many forms. From flexible and flexible to tough and firm

Defect:

Energy used in the production process: plastic production from fossil fuels emits a lot of CO2, polluting the environment.

Not recycled well: although plastic can be recycled, research shows that 91% of the world's plastic has never been recycled.

Long lifespan: as noted in the pros, plastic can take thousands of years to degrade. So they pollute and destroy the environment if not recycled.

Pollution: Plastic pollutes both land and marine environments. Animals can also choke on them. Even when they decay, they still leave behind microscopic plastic particles, which are harmful to the environment.

Paper packaging

As can be seen, paper packaging in the eyes of consumers has many advantages over plastic. Currently, we are facing a shortage of cartons due to the development of e-commerce. The popularity of paper packaging is undeniable.