Paper VS. Plastic Packaging: Which Type Of Packaging Is Right For You

You may have seen the argument about the paper vs. plastic question plenty of times, when each person is extolling its virtues while decrying its shortcomings. Plastic is convenient and economical to produce, while paper is commonly regarded as environmentally friendly. But this topic is more complicated than it seems. Let’s take a closer look at the differences between paper vs. plastic.

Paper Packaging

Paper packaging has been around for thousands of years, and it provides an attractive appearance and few safety concerns or environmental concerns. Paper packaging is often utilized to transport items commonly used in take-out and grocery store settings like bread paper bags for bake shops, but it is difficult to ensure a good seal, which is problematic for many food products or other items susceptible to contamination.

ADVANTAGES OF PAPER PACKAGING

Paper packaging can provide a number of advantages for products. These include:

• Can be reused and recycled: Paper packaging can be reused and recycled to help reduce the amount of waste that is produced. Paper packaging can be recycled by breaking it down into its individual components, such as fibers, plastic, and paper. The different components can then be used in new products or recycled back into new paper packaging from corrugated cardboard boxes to airsickness paper bags found in planes.
• Safer than plastic packaging: Paper bags are safer, and they aren’t likely to mess up the environment, because of the absence of hazardous substances or suffocation hazards.
• Attractiveness: Significant benefits of paper packaging include its attractiveness for marketing and advertising purposes. By carrying along paper bags with logo, consumers may be thought of as walking advertisements.

DISADVANTAGES OF PAPER PACKAGING

Some of the drawbacks of paper packaging include:

• Higher production requirements: Paper bags consume over five times as much energy as plastic bags, use 20 times as much water, and weigh significantly more than plastic bags, increasing their greenhouse gas emissions during transportation.
• Not waterproof: Paper bags are not ideal for liquid storage. Paper is not waterproof, which causes it to disintegrate when exposed to high temperature or humidity.
• Expensive: The price of paper products from China gradually increased since December 2020 because it required more raw materials due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the high-emissions regulation.

Plastic Packaging

Plastic is one of the most common materials in the overall packaging market, nowadays. With single-use product packaging, plastic is closely linked. It can be used for everything from food packaging to bottles and grocery bags, as well as a number of different products. Plastic packaging includes a vast selection of materials and styles, and also proves to be an excellent value. If you need to work with different types of products, such as liquids, hygienic medical items, or items that can get damaged by a number of factors.

Advantages Of Plastic Packaging

Here are some of the benefits of using plastic packaging:

• Ease of production: Plastic packaging is easily made, energy-efficient, and easy to use to make into packaging. It can be shaped into a variety of industrial shapes for design versatility, offers several choices for colors, transparencies, and printing for brand recognition, and is very adaptable. It can also be made to use in a variety of potential product packaging applications, such as tamper-evident and child-resistant seals.
• Lightweight and durable: Due to its light mass, plastic packaging is simpler to handle and transport. This results in reduced fuel use, lower emissions, and cost savings for the business.
• Protective properties:
• Recyclable: Some plastics can be recycled up to 10 times before quality starts to degrade, making them good for the planet and for repeat users who want to get involved.

Disadvantages of Plastic Packaging

Plastic packaging is a great choice for lots of reasons, but there are also some considerations to keep in mind.

• Environmental concerns: Plastic packaging poses environmental threats, especially in post-consumer disposal. With improper disposal, the material can clog up waterways or fill landfills.
• Safety concerns: Some plastic packaging may cause adverse health effects, most commonly through transmission to ingredients in food products. Disposable bags can also pose a suffocation risk to children and animals.
• High cost of recycling: Recycling is a highly beneficial practice, but it can have a hefty cost, and equipment is often necessary to effectively recycle all materials. Contamination from waste residue makes many plastics unrecyclable.
• Low melting point: The low melting point of plastic packaging means that it can be pulverized if set near a flame source and can cause a fire problem in some situations.

WHICH IS MORE SUSTAINABLE: PAPER OR PLASTIC PACKAGING?

    While many consumers believe the most custom packaging are paper, the answer to that question does not boil down to a simple yes or no answer. Instead, you should look at the total lifespan of the packaging.

    The process of making paper calls for lots of electricity and water and creates more solid waste and greenhouse gases, making it more harmful in production than paper. In contrast to that, paper is made completely from renewable energy, while plastic is manufactured using petroleum, a finite resource. Thankfully, only 4 fossil resources are employed in the production of plastics, and other requirements like energy and water, are dramatically reduced. Moreover, fossil fuel is more costly to transport than wood chips. Before it reaches the market, paper is heavier and occupies more space, making it costly to transport.

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tells us that paper is more environmentally friendly to recycle, with 67% of paper making it through the recycling system. Paper is easier to work with at a recycling plant, because there are fewer factors to consider along with contamination. On the other hand, plastics recycling and production technologies are always evolving for greater outcomes.

    Both paper and plastic are inferior to each other in several key areas related to sustainability. Thus, the search for an ideal substitute to this popular form of packaging still exists.