Now, major brands are facing increasing pressure from public opinion to get rid of plastic packaging and explore options that consumers consider to be more environmentally friendly.

If you currently use plastic packaging materials, switching to alternatives may face many problems from an environmental and practical point of view. One expert said: "We've spoken to many people who have done their homework on alternative packaging materials, and although their products do not have suitable alternative packaging, they are still facing enormous pressure to get rid of plastic. Put the blame on a certain material It’s a very simple solution, but plastic is not the only problem, and a total ban on plastic will only divert the problem.”

Consumers are clamoring to stop plastic packaging in stores, however this could actually be harmful to the environment, as many of the materials considered to be more environmentally friendly are in fact more damaging to the environment. While glass can be fully and extensively recycled, it is much heavier than plastic and therefore causes more pollution in transportation. From a practical standpoint, changing the way a product is packaged also poses a significant risk to manufacturers. Even small changes can have knock-on effects in the production process.

Are the benefits of plastic packaging overlooked?

If we are trying to understand and solve the plastic problem, we must analyze the advantages and disadvantages of plastic packaging.

1.Light weight plastic – The 750ml plastic bottle used by Garcon Wines weighs only 63 grams, which is 87% lighter than ordinary glass wine bottles. This reduces shipping costs and increases customer availability.

2.Resource efficiency of plastics - virgin plastic production consumes about half as much energy as alternative materials. Although plastic is a by-product of the oil industry, it consumes only 4% of global oil production.

3.Plastic is cheap to produce - easy to package and distribute products, reducing consumer spending.

4.Plastic is an excellent barrier material - wrapping food in plastic extends shelf life during transport and storage, helping to reduce food waste.

In theory, all plastics are recyclable. But in practice, due to limitations in recycling facilities and the problem of separating layers of material, very little plastic is actually recycled. There are three basic rules to follow when designing for recyclability:

1. Use a single material - Multiple layers of plastic are difficult to recycle, and most home recycling programs do not recycle them.

2. Use natural plastics instead of coloured plastics – adding colour affects recycling; coloured plastics also have lower resale value and are therefore less attractive to commercial recycling service businesses.

3. Use widely recycled materials such as PET, polyethylene and polypropylene and avoid less recycled materials such as polystyrene, PVC and ABS. Creating a stream of pure recyclable plastic waste will improve the overall quality of PCR, allowing companies to use a higher percentage of PCR in new products. Not long ago, Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical and a packaging material manufacturer jointly developed a plastic bag that can degrade in seawater, which can be completely degraded in just one year, which will contribute to reducing marine plastic waste.

As a professional cosmetics packaging manufacturers, Jinyi will also try its best to contribute to environmental protection.