In a comparison of other material’s energy consumption, Selke refers to a study performed by
Gaines and sponsored by the United State Department of Energy. Follows is the results of the
study as presented by Selke on page 24 of her book:
“Plastic was found to generally require less energy to product than equivalent
paper products, though the paper was found to actually use more oil and natural
gas than manufacturing paper from wood. Refillable glass bottles had by fat the
lowest energy requirement for single service beverages, though recycled aluminum
cans used less energy than recycled glass bottles. In family-size beverages, polyester
plastic bottles used less energy than glass bottles unless the glass bottles were
refillables that were refilled a number of times.”
At the end of her book, Selke makes some recommendations about what she thinks should be
done to make packaging environmentally friendly. Foremost she mentions that all toxic components
of packaging need to be removed. Then she stresses the importance of using reusable packages
as they help with waste reduction and energy savings. When reusable is an option, recycling
must be viable. In order to help the recycling cause, Selke suggests that as many packages be
made from the same material as possible. This would help consumers to know what and how to
recycle as well as eliminate costly steps in the recycling process. If one material can not be used,
Selke notes that a material which is easy to separate offers the same recycling potential. Since
nothing can be done with recycled materials if there is no market for it, Selke stresses the importance
of using recycled materials whenever possible (Selke 171).
Between the two sources some very clear ideas of what it takes to be a green package, according
to experts, is formed. Now, what are we doing to go in that direction?