Most Pet Treats Do Not Come in Eco-friendly Packaging
Plastic bags are the standard for most pet treat packages. Society seldom actually recycles these packages due to economic constraints, despite any recyclable symbols printed on them. The few that come in boxes typically have plastic windows and plastic liners, pretty much making them extremely difficult to recycle. So, the vast majority of pet treats DO NOT come in eco-friendly packaging.
Ever since the mid-20th century, people have recognized plastics as amazing materials with lots of potential; remember that scene in The Graduate? Plastic is so ubiquitous because it is durable, long-lasting, and cheap. However, it is these very traits that are source of its hazardous nature. Durable and long-lasting is great for a product that needs an airtight seal and needs to sit in a warehouse for months. It is not so great for the environment: especially when you have one-time-use packages made out of practically indestructible materials. Its low-cost results from its source: primarily fossil fuels, which, although are critical to today’s society, are the bane of fresh air and environmental conservation.
A Planet Full of Plastic
Much of it Due to Non Eco-friendly Packaging
Mother Earth Drowning In Plastic
Plastic was actually invented in the latter half of the 19th century as a noble solution to a conservation problem: to find a replacement material for ivory, which was not only expensive, but also was leading to the massive hunting of elephants. Once developed though, the genie was out of the bottle. Plastic became the Go To material for many different applications.
By the latter of half of the 20th century, people were realizing that this amazing material had a dark side with plastic debris observed in the oceans by 1960. There was too much momentum though to stop producing and using it. The material was too useful. It was too inexpensive. And, companies invested too much money into it.
So, now our planet is saturated with plastics. Plastic is in the air we breathe. And, it continually rains down on us.
I lead an extremely healthy lifestyle and am a health junky. So, after reading about all this plastic in our environment I had my blood tested for plastic. Despite my crazily healthy lifestyle, the plastic concentration in my blood was off the charts… That’s how ubiquitous plastic is in our environment. Imagine if we could shift to more eco-friendly packaging?
Oceans Full of Plastic
Plastic Oceans
Mother Earth’s oceans are full of plastic. How much? Well, based on sampling, it is estimated that the Pacific Ocean “Patch” of garbage alone contains almost two TRILLION pieces of plastic weighing 176,370,000 (that’s over 176 MILLION) pounds!
Of course, all this plastic affects the beings living on land and in the oceans. We have all seen the pictures of dead whales, including pregnant animals and other animals full of plastic. Often animals, such as sea turtles, mistake plastic bags for their natural food: jellyfish.
Much of this damage is due to society’s use of non eco-friendly packaging.
Sea Turtle Eating Plastic
Much of this plastic is thrown directly into the oceans. However, a lot of it gets there from landfills and other garbage dumps, where it finds its way into the environment through strong winds, storms, and human-caused disasters.
Because it is so durable, it lasts in the environment from decades to hundreds of years…
Think about that the next time you buy a one-time-use item that does not come in eco-friendly packaging!
How Do You Reduce Plastic Use?
How About Eco-friendly Packaging?
Can We At Least Commit to “Less Plastic?”
It is practically impossible to completely eliminate plastic from one’s life.
However, there is LOT we can do. We can try our best to purchase products made with recycled & recyclable materials. When products do come in plastic packages, we can buy larger containers so that we use less plastic for each unit of product consumed. We can think twice before we buy something with lots of one-time-use plastic packaging. And, we can support companies that are trying to make the world a tiny bit cleaner and better.
At Chews Happiness we are proud of our total commitment to Mother Earth. From partnering with Bhutan, the only carbon negative country on the planet, to offsetting our carbon footprint, to using sustainably sourced organic, and “beyond organic” and pristine ingredients, to supporting indigenous, low carbon footprint lifestyles, to designing eco-friendly packaging, we go well beyond the norm to be gentle on our home planet.
Due to our commitment to our global neighbors and to the planet, Chews Happiness earned a spot in the Pet Sustainability Coalition’s Top 20 Pet Company Ranking for 2020! The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) BioPreferred® program has approved our Barkaron Decadent Doggie Desserts packaging. Crafted from handmade, recycled paper and reclaimed cotton, Barkaron Decadent Doggie Desserts packaging is a USDA Certified Biobased package and contains 99% USDA certified biobased content.
So, why not start reducing your plastic use by gifting something special for that furry special someone!
THIS Is What Dog Treats In Plastic-Free, Eco-friendly Packaging Looks Like!