End Plastics
Plastic Packaging Is a Pain
April 16, 2025
Plastic packaging is everywhere. From grocery store shelves to mail deliveries and pharmaceutical products, fast food to fast fashion, plastic waste is becoming a serious and growing crisis.
Plastic is deeply rooted in consumerism, promising convenience, durability, and short-term cost-effectiveness. However, the cost of all this plastic on human health as well as wildlife and the environment is often ignored.
With 460 million metric tons of plastic produced every year and a staggering 20 million metric tons of it ending up in the environment, every single year. According to a report by the UN Environment Programme, 10 million tons of plastic waste enters our oceans every year.
Who are the main sources of all this plastic waste?
Supermarkets Are Fuelling A Growing Plastic Crisis
Supermarkets generate vast amounts of plastic waste from food packaging. In the U.S., food containers and packaging generate over 82 million tons of plastic waste, with much of it being single-use.
Over 100 billion plastic bags are used annually in supermarkets across the U.S. alone, and the majority of them end up in landfills or the environment, as only a small percentage are recycled.
In fact only 10% of all plastic is being successfully recycled across the planet. Plastic packaging not only contributes significantly to environmental degradation, polluting our oceans and waterways but plastics shed microplastics which hurt human health and wildlife, one recent study in China found that every single bird sampled in a one test had microplastics inside them. A staggering 416 microplastic particles were found in every gram of lung tissue studied in all the bird species examined.
These microplastics over time release toxic chemicals which are harmful to the health of animals and travel up the food chain affecting all levels of the ecosystem. In humans, these plastic chemicals have been associated with such health issues as cancer, Alzhiemers, and infertility.
Despite efforts by retailers to promote recycling, an investigation by National Geographic found that a large portion of soft plastics collected for recycling is actually incinerated instead. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of current supermarket recycling programs. UK supermarkets produce some of the highest levels of unnecessary plastic packaging in Europe, finding 29.8 billion pieces of avoidable plastic waste is used every year in Britain alone!
While some retailers are taking steps to reduce their plastic usage, such as encouraging reusable containers, these efforts remain insufficient compared to the scale of the issue. Experts argue that systemic change is needed, including stricter regulations on packaging and increased investment in sustainable materials. For instance, on February 11th, the European Union implemented a mandate to make all packaging be designed for recyclability in an economically viable manner, by 2030.
The Hidden Cost of Plastic in Mail Deliveries
The surge in e-commerce has significantly increased the use of plastic packaging in mail deliveries, with things looking set to get worse as e-commerce is estimated to increase by 8 trillion USD from 2022 to 2027. From bubble wrap to plastic air pillows, these materials contribute to the mounting plastic waste problem. In response to growing concerns, Amazon recently announced that it would phase out plastic air pillows in its packaging, a move praised by environmental advocates. But much more needs to be done.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has set sustainability targets for 2030, aiming to increase recycling rates and incorporate more recycled content in its packaging. They aim to divert 75% of the waste from landfills and increase their packaging recyclability to 88%. Despite these claims, widespread adoption of sustainable packaging solutions remains slow due to challenges with cost and market demand for recycled materials.
Pharmaceutical Plastic
It probably never crosses your mind where your pill containers go when they are empty, does it? While plastic waste from supermarkets and e-commerce receives significant media attention, the pharmaceutical industry’s contribution to the problem is often overlooked.
The industry produces millions of tons of plastic waste annually, much of it single-use and difficult to recycle. There are estimates that the pharmaceutical industry generates over 300 million tons of plastic waste annually, with half of it being single-use. Some firms are investing in recyclable plastics – for example Braskem reported in 2022 that it was producing an average of 440 million pounds of sustainable plastic each year. Which is equivalent to the weight of nearly 978 Statues of Liberty.
Meanwhile, one study outlines the broader environmental risks of plastic use in healthcare, emphasizing that while plastics are crucial for safety, there is a pressing need to develop environmentally responsible alternatives due to the association between plastic chemicals leaching from plastics and many serious health problems.
Paving the Way to Sustainability: Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Solutions
The transition to sustainable packaging across these industries presents numerous challenges. Cost remains a major barrier, with biodegradable and recyclable materials often being more expensive than traditional plastic. There is also the issue that sustainable packaging materials need to have the same quality as their plastic counterparts and the lack of regulatory guidelines for sustainable packaging. Despite these challenges, progress is being made.
Recent research from the National Library of Medicine highlights the potential of bioplastics in reducing packaging waste. Experts argue that governments must implement stricter regulations, including extended producer responsibility programs that hold companies accountable for the end-of-life disposal of their plastic products. The challenge now is ensuring that these efforts move beyond promises and into tangible action before it’s too late.
If you feel passionate about securing such a future, consider signing on to EARTHDAY.ORG’s petition for a Global Plastics Treaty. Then, think and act locally — meaning work together with your community to demand global change. This could mean writing to representatives at local, state, and national levels or organizing an event that educates others on the impacts of the plastic waste industry.
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