[Special Article] Confront Greenwashing 3, Greenwashing in the World of Packaging
Greenwashing is deeply intertwined in many areas than we think. Last year, the International Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) found about 40% among 500 websites surveyed were misleading consumers with vague and ambiguous descriptions such as ‘eco’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘natural.’
How about containers and packaging? The purpose of packaging is to protect and preserve the contents of the product. Surely, the design on the packaging attracts consumers by showing the features of the product and exceptional container that is made with exceptional materials directly affects the sales. As we can see, packaging of a product plays a big role in marketing. So, let’s take a look at some greenwashings in the world of packaging.
Dilemma of Cosmetics Container
We often go to the mall to buy a gift on a special occasion for someone special. Even before you test them, you find yourself mesmerized by the upscale cosmetics with luxurious packaging or containers displayed under the lighting. There is a phrase in the cosmetic world, ‘feeding your skin’, which explains how cosmetics are in direct contact with skin, thus, cosmetics require very delicate packaging.
Due to the nature of the product, cosmetics are deteriorated by light and heat, and no preservatives can be used. So, the containers play a very critical role in this industry. Particularly, upscale cosmetics that cost hundreds of dollars per 100ml, containers are made with distinctive materials with designs and colors to portray the concept of the main ingredients and purposes of the product. This is understandable since the container is the identity of the product that directly links to sales.
Hence, cosmetic brands use composite materials rather than a single material, and even for preservation purposes, different materials are used. Plus, to avoid similarity with other brands, cosmetic brands choose exclusive materials and designs for their container. Because of these reasons, cosmetic containers are harder to recycle.
That is why recycling is hard. Yes, you may think it will be possible to recycle coffee pods if you properly separate and discharge each material, but it is not as easy as it sounds to invest time to dispose and separate coffee grounds. Moreover, the waste materials have to be a certain size but since the size of the coffee pods are too small. Recently, there are openers that help with separating the materials, but there still needs to be urgent changes because some coffee pods have sturdy structures that cannot be separated even when struck with a hammer. There are single-cup coffee pods companies with a collection system so they can be turned into waste resources, but the number of these companies are very few that many raise their voices to supplement the mandatory system.
Now, what we need to know is that no matter how eco-friendly a product is, it is impossible to recycle if it is made with composite materials.
Overflowing Green(?) Household Products
How about containers and packaging? The purpose of packaging is to protect and preserve the contents of the product. Surely, the design on the packaging attracts consumers by showing the features of the product and exceptional container that is made with exceptional materials directly affects the sales. As we can see, packaging of a product plays a big role in marketing. So, let’s take a look at some greenwashings in the world of packaging.
Dilemma of Cosmetics Container
We often go to the mall to buy a gift on a special occasion for someone special. Even before you test them, you find yourself mesmerized by the upscale cosmetics with luxurious packaging or containers displayed under the lighting. There is a phrase in the cosmetic world, ‘feeding your skin’, which explains how cosmetics are in direct contact with skin, thus, cosmetics require very delicate packaging.
Due to the nature of the product, cosmetics are deteriorated by light and heat, and no preservatives can be used. So, the containers play a very critical role in this industry. Particularly, upscale cosmetics that cost hundreds of dollars per 100ml, containers are made with distinctive materials with designs and colors to portray the concept of the main ingredients and purposes of the product. This is understandable since the container is the identity of the product that directly links to sales.
Hence, cosmetic brands use composite materials rather than a single material, and even for preservation purposes, different materials are used. Plus, to avoid similarity with other brands, cosmetic brands choose exclusive materials and designs for their container. Because of these reasons, cosmetic containers are harder to recycle.
<clipartkorea>
How about shampoo, conditioner, body wash or hand wash that we use daily? Unfortunately, the situation here is not that different. The pump is made with composite plastic, the spring inside is made with metal, and the dropper is made with glass, rubber or plastic. To make it easy, hygienic, and economically, the containers have a multilayer structure design that is made of different materials that is hard to recycle.
According to the 2021 Ministry of Environment’s K-Circular Economy Implementation Plan, 64% of domestic distribution cosmetics packaging materials (total of 7,983 cases) were rated as “unlikely to recycle’ in the ease of recycling evaluation. A civil group called Cosmetic Attack Civil Behavior surveyed the recyclability of about 6,600 cosmetic containers that are distributed in Korea, and 82.3% of collected containers were found to be difficult to recycle.
The global cosmetic packaging is categorized by plastic, paper, metal, and glass depending on the material. As of 2018, plastic had the largest market share at 62.5%, and it is expected to show continuous growth. However, even if any part of the container is marked ‘easily recyclable’ or ‘biodegradable container’ and the recycling system cannot properly separate the materials, it should be recognized as companies trying to benefit from the ‘green’ image with greenwashing.
In recent years, despite the efforts of companies in many fields to develop single-material containers, recovery systems and refill stations as a response to voices of consumers, it seems that there is still a long way to go.
A Small Pods Causes A Large Swirl
As the supply of water purifiers increased and the time we spent at home due to the COVID-19, the home cafe market expanded as well. Euromonitor, a market research company, reported that the domestic coffee pods market in Korea has been growing at an annual rate of 20% for the past 5 years with sales about KRW 133.3 billion (about $10 million USD). The number of pod coffee machines in Korea increased about 480,000 units in 2019, which is a 100% increase compared to just 5 years before, 2014.
Not only in Korea, but the global coffee pod market is growing over $10 billion. Yet again, the problem is recycling. Globally, about 39,000 coffee pods per minute are produced and about 29,000 of them are dumped in landfills. In the midst of this, Keurig Canada was recently ordered to pay a penalty by Canada's Competition Bureau for greenwashing consumers. Keurig was the first to launch single-cup pod coffee, K-Cup pods, in 1997 and is still known as one of the top coffee companies in North America.
For misleading consumers about the recyclability, Keurig was ordered to pay a $3 million penalty, and also to change its recyclable claims and the packaging of the K-Cup pods. Keurig marketed that their K-Cup pods are recyclable and all consumers have to do is just peel the lid off after using the pod and emptying out the coffee ground. But, in reality, some local recycling programs require additional steps to recycle the pods. As such, it is not hard to find cases where leading companies in the market use the trust of consumers to greenwash them.
Single-cup coffee pods require controlling the water and pressure to preserve the taste and aroma of coffee. To do so, inside the pods are made with about four layers of composite plastic, silicon, aluminum and vinyl.
According to the 2021 Ministry of Environment’s K-Circular Economy Implementation Plan, 64% of domestic distribution cosmetics packaging materials (total of 7,983 cases) were rated as “unlikely to recycle’ in the ease of recycling evaluation. A civil group called Cosmetic Attack Civil Behavior surveyed the recyclability of about 6,600 cosmetic containers that are distributed in Korea, and 82.3% of collected containers were found to be difficult to recycle.
<Hankook Ilbo>
The global cosmetic packaging is categorized by plastic, paper, metal, and glass depending on the material. As of 2018, plastic had the largest market share at 62.5%, and it is expected to show continuous growth. However, even if any part of the container is marked ‘easily recyclable’ or ‘biodegradable container’ and the recycling system cannot properly separate the materials, it should be recognized as companies trying to benefit from the ‘green’ image with greenwashing.
In recent years, despite the efforts of companies in many fields to develop single-material containers, recovery systems and refill stations as a response to voices of consumers, it seems that there is still a long way to go.
A Small Pods Causes A Large Swirl
As the supply of water purifiers increased and the time we spent at home due to the COVID-19, the home cafe market expanded as well. Euromonitor, a market research company, reported that the domestic coffee pods market in Korea has been growing at an annual rate of 20% for the past 5 years with sales about KRW 133.3 billion (about $10 million USD). The number of pod coffee machines in Korea increased about 480,000 units in 2019, which is a 100% increase compared to just 5 years before, 2014.
Not only in Korea, but the global coffee pod market is growing over $10 billion. Yet again, the problem is recycling. Globally, about 39,000 coffee pods per minute are produced and about 29,000 of them are dumped in landfills. In the midst of this, Keurig Canada was recently ordered to pay a penalty by Canada's Competition Bureau for greenwashing consumers. Keurig was the first to launch single-cup pod coffee, K-Cup pods, in 1997 and is still known as one of the top coffee companies in North America.
<Keurig>
For misleading consumers about the recyclability, Keurig was ordered to pay a $3 million penalty, and also to change its recyclable claims and the packaging of the K-Cup pods. Keurig marketed that their K-Cup pods are recyclable and all consumers have to do is just peel the lid off after using the pod and emptying out the coffee ground. But, in reality, some local recycling programs require additional steps to recycle the pods. As such, it is not hard to find cases where leading companies in the market use the trust of consumers to greenwash them.
Single-cup coffee pods require controlling the water and pressure to preserve the taste and aroma of coffee. To do so, inside the pods are made with about four layers of composite plastic, silicon, aluminum and vinyl.
Now, what we need to know is that no matter how eco-friendly a product is, it is impossible to recycle if it is made with composite materials.
Overflowing Green(?) Household Products
PLA food waste strainer
Disposing food waste is always a hassle. To ease the hassle, a variety of food strainers have been on the market recently. Often, products are marketed as 100% PLA biodegradable strainers with solidity and stretchability, which also has 200°C heat-resistance. Unfortunately, this is too good to be true. This sounds like they do not know the characteristics of PLA. The biggest downfall of PLA is that it has relatively low heat resistance because PLA will deform starting as low as 70°C. Greenwashing much? If you just pay a little more attention, you might notice the invisibility or various certification or test results not properly displayed on the company’s website.
Some typical types of greenwashing are insufficient evidence, ambiguous claims, irrelevant claims, lies, and inappropriate certification labels. In some cases, they refer to testing institutions as certification authority. Not only that, they confuse consumers by recommending to dispose of it as general waste with the excuse of the different decomposition time. If a product cannot be put into a recycling system, it is not eco-friendly. Let’s not be fooled by the word ‘biodegradation’.
oxo-biodegradable plastics
Oxo-biodegradable plastics are when the plastic breaks down into small plastic pieces by oxidation when exposed to heat and oxygen. Truth to be told, oxo-biodegradation is not biodegradable. For that reason, it was banned in Europe last year and China also stopped using it.
The problem is that if the companies sell it as eco-friendly biodegradable vinyl (PLA), consumers will believe it without any suspicions and dispose of it with food waste, mixed with landfill, it will also contaminate other waste resources. Further, it will increase the waste output, which can adversely affect the environment. Since it can be recognized as the concept of general biodegradation, it can be considered an instance of greenwashing.
There are cases when the product descriptions state that they have been tested for a certification but they were never certified. They recommend consumers not to separate food when disposing, but if you are confident it is an eco-friendly product, as it is labeled, they should clearly state the appropriate treatment method for the product.
The Hankook Ilbo team conducted a 6 month composting test with PLA biodegradable cup lid, PET lid, PLA biodegradable vinyl, oxidized biodegradable vinyl, and LDPE vinyl. Of these various biodegradable products, none of them were capable of biodegradable, in other words home composting, under natural circumstances. The argument of biodegradation under special circumstances means very little, because not everyone has THAT special circumstances.
Disposing food waste is always a hassle. To ease the hassle, a variety of food strainers have been on the market recently. Often, products are marketed as 100% PLA biodegradable strainers with solidity and stretchability, which also has 200°C heat-resistance. Unfortunately, this is too good to be true. This sounds like they do not know the characteristics of PLA. The biggest downfall of PLA is that it has relatively low heat resistance because PLA will deform starting as low as 70°C. Greenwashing much? If you just pay a little more attention, you might notice the invisibility or various certification or test results not properly displayed on the company’s website.
oxo-biodegradable plastics
The problem is that if the companies sell it as eco-friendly biodegradable vinyl (PLA), consumers will believe it without any suspicions and dispose of it with food waste, mixed with landfill, it will also contaminate other waste resources. Further, it will increase the waste output, which can adversely affect the environment. Since it can be recognized as the concept of general biodegradation, it can be considered an instance of greenwashing.
There are cases when the product descriptions state that they have been tested for a certification but they were never certified. They recommend consumers not to separate food when disposing, but if you are confident it is an eco-friendly product, as it is labeled, they should clearly state the appropriate treatment method for the product.
The Hankook Ilbo team conducted a 6 month composting test with PLA biodegradable cup lid, PET lid, PLA biodegradable vinyl, oxidized biodegradable vinyl, and LDPE vinyl. Of these various biodegradable products, none of them were capable of biodegradable, in other words home composting, under natural circumstances. The argument of biodegradation under special circumstances means very little, because not everyone has THAT special circumstances.
<Hankook Ilbo>
You can check out rePAPER’s home composting test video on our blog.
Have We Really Not Known?
When you look at online eco-friendly stores, you can see a lot of comments with pride and praise. Do they really believe those affordable eco-friendly products are actually eco-friendly, or just turn their blind eyes and choose to believe it? Or are they pretending to be naive to compromise on a cheap price to use plastic products?
Of course, not every consumer is like this. Many civil groups and individuals are considering what they are consuming, keeping a lookout not to damage the ecosystem, delivering information to warn and help people distinguish the information not to be fooled by greenwashing.
Researching greenwashing products and gathering consumer’s responses, made me realize greenwashing seems to exist not only in products, but also in some consumers’ perception of consumption.
If those overflowing biodegradable products selling online can actually be biodegradable, just like they claim, do the countries around the world really need to spend this much money and energy on plastic regulation?
Buying eco-friendly products is one of the ways of MEANING OUT, but not buying greenwashing products is another way of green MEANING OUT.
PLA coated paper cup / RP coated paper cup
Have We Really Not Known?
When you look at online eco-friendly stores, you can see a lot of comments with pride and praise. Do they really believe those affordable eco-friendly products are actually eco-friendly, or just turn their blind eyes and choose to believe it? Or are they pretending to be naive to compromise on a cheap price to use plastic products?
Of course, not every consumer is like this. Many civil groups and individuals are considering what they are consuming, keeping a lookout not to damage the ecosystem, delivering information to warn and help people distinguish the information not to be fooled by greenwashing.
Researching greenwashing products and gathering consumer’s responses, made me realize greenwashing seems to exist not only in products, but also in some consumers’ perception of consumption.
If those overflowing biodegradable products selling online can actually be biodegradable, just like they claim, do the countries around the world really need to spend this much money and energy on plastic regulation?
Buying eco-friendly products is one of the ways of MEANING OUT, but not buying greenwashing products is another way of green MEANING OUT.
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