Polybags tool provides fun way to compare green credentials of packaging options
How eco-friendly is the packaging that you buy?
Businesses and consumers alike have never been more switched on to the ecological impact of the packaging they use but, in what is a very complex area with a myriad of options, it’s not always clear what the most eco-friendly choice is.
So it is refreshing to see one leading UK manufacturer take a new and engaging approach to help clear things up, as Polybags launches a brand new eco-comparison tool to help customers choose the right kind of packaging for them.
Compostable, bio-additive, paper and recycled polythene bags all feature, alongside regular polythene bags, bags for life and cotton bags, as well as glass and metal packaging.
Customers choose two products to compare head-to-head across a series of eco-factors over their entire life cycle – from their carbon footprint in production to their recyclability – with the results presented in an eye-catching and informative way.
The snazzy animated tool scrolls through the various eco-factors, with each product awarded either a smiley, straight or sad face, depending on their eco-credentials for that factor, whilst a fun Batman-style zap declares the winner for each.
It’s a fun and interesting way of breaking down a complex argument and the results – explained in detail for those interested – will no doubt surprise some customers and challenge a few misconceptions.
For example, a paper bag may be recyclable, but how many people know that its higher carbon footprint means it must be used at least three times to make it more eco-friendly than a traditional carrier bag used just once?
Or that an ‘eco-friendly’ cotton bag needs to be used a staggering 320 times to have a lower global warming potential than a traditional carrier bag reused just once?
Weighing one eco-factor against another is invariably difficult – e.g. how important is a product’s carbon footprint compared to its compostability or its litter impact? – and the answer will often come down to personal choice.
Polybags have used a simplistic approach to tackle a very complex argument and so the results should be viewed with a degree of caution.
But with eco-friendly choices becoming increasingly important in all aspects of our everyday life, this new eco-comparison tool provides a useful, fun and engaging way to get people thinking about the true environmental impact of the packaging we use on a day-to-day basis.
Main image screenshot courtesy of Polybags.co.uk.
