Q: Are we all being Greenwashed?
Green washing can be defined as the misleading act of companies, industries, governments, organisations and individuals trying to promote unjustified environmentally friendly practices, products and services through branding, mislabelling, packaging or public relations.
A: Yes we are, whilst paper based products offer a more biodegradable option we still face challenges to develop packaging materials that replicate the barrier that plastic performs. It just cannot be achieved overnight. What we require is barrier packaging without the use of a PE or plastic laminate and it is therefore able to be recycled in any paper waste stream, or it can indeed degrade in compost or landfill conditions, back to natural fibres without any harm to the environment. If it ends up in our oceans, it will harmlessly break down to natural fibres. There are materials available that satisfy this requirement!
