Environmental Protection Agency: Sustainable Packaging
On this page:
- What is Sustainable Packaging?
- How does Sustainable Packaging relate to Sustainable Materials Management?
What is Sustainable Packaging?
Packaging materials are some of the most ubiquitous and easily recognizable items people use in our daily lives. Packaging includes plastic bottles, metal cans, food wrappings, corrugated cardboard boxes and many more materials. Understanding the production and disposal of these materials is crucial in making economic and environmentally conscious decisions.
How does Sustainable Packaging relate to Sustainable Materials Management?
By applying sustainable materials management principles to this sector, the US can reduce environmental impacts while recovering potentially lost economic revenue. Encouraging the shift in packaging construction towards more lightweight or efficient materials helps companies save money while decreasing the amount of waste generated when the packaging is discarded. Also important is the recovery of the packaging discards; not only is there high commodity value in these items, but recycling keeps these goods out of landfills.
Additional Resources
Read more about EPA’s work in Sustainable Packaging in our Sustainable Materials Management Program Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2017 – 2022.
Memorandum of Understanding with the American Chemistry Council
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On this page:
- What is Sustainable Packaging?
- How does Sustainable Packaging relate to Sustainable Materials Management?
What is Sustainable Packaging?
Packaging materials are some of the most ubiquitous and easily recognizable items people use in our daily lives. Packaging includes plastic bottles, metal cans, food wrappings, corrugated cardboard boxes and many more materials. Understanding the production and disposal of these materials is crucial in making economic and environmentally conscious decisions.
How does Sustainable Packaging relate to Sustainable Materials Management?
By applying sustainable materials management principles to this sector, the US can reduce environmental impacts while recovering potentially lost economic revenue. Encouraging the shift in packaging construction towards more lightweight or efficient materials helps companies save money while decreasing the amount of waste generated when the packaging is discarded. Also important is the recovery of the packaging discards; not only is there high commodity value in these items, but recycling keeps these goods out of landfills.
Additional Resources
Read more about EPA’s work in Sustainable Packaging in our Sustainable Materials Management Program Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2017 – 2022.
Memorandum of Understanding with the American Chemistry Council