Excessive packaging of consumer products especially over festive seasons is still rampant - despite repeated calls to protect the environment.
An ardent advocate of sustainable consumption, the Consumer Council has continued its vigilance with a study to examine the extent of excessive packaging during the Chinese New Year.
Included in the study were several dozens of popular items such as chocolate, sweet treats, biscuit, pastry and noodle gift sets that vied for the attention - and precious money - of consumers shopping for a big festive season.
The Council found widespread use of over-packaging mostly in three forms: (1) use of excessive packaging materials for auspicious designs, (2) use of bigger than needed container to store the content and, (c) use of multiple layers of packaging materials.
Excessive packaging, in whatever form, is often as wasteful as it is misleading, creating a false impression of the content of the product.
In one of the samples examined by the Council, a chocolate gift box contained 24 pieces of chocolate was arranged in a windmill pattern. (Windmills are believed to bring in good luck in Chinese tradition.) To showcase this design, it used a clear plastic container bigger than needed to pack the chocolate pieces, leaving a lot of space in the tray holding the chocolate, as well as materials that ultimately go to waste when discarded.
In another sample, a chocolate gift set was packaged in a bucket shape container. Consumers at a glance of the gift set would assume the container was filled full. In actual fact, the 30 odd pieces of chocolate inside the bucket were elevated by a nearly 5.5cm high plastic "platform". Without the "platform", the chocolate came up to only about half the height of the container. The container was far too big for the content and excessive plastic material was used and wasted in the packaging process.
In yet another sample, a total of 27 packaging units were found in a cracker gift box containing a mere 18 pieces of individually paper wrapped crackers. The packaging was subdivided into 3 trays and 3 plastic bags to form 3 individual packages each containing 6 pieces of crackers. In fact, a much smaller paper box could have served the same packing function, instead of this elaborate gift box using up a whole lot of paper unnecessarily.
Currently there is no legislation regulating the packaging of products in Hong Kong. In 2005, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) introduced the "Guidelines on Environmental Mooncake Packaging Design" to the trade. The Government is urged to consider expanding the scope of the environmental guidelines to other consumer products.
The Council wishes also to call for manufacturers to take the environment in their consideration when designing the packaging of their products. Simple packaging or use of recyclable packaging materials is encouraged. Printing waste separation logos or reuse message on packaging materials is also suggested to help waste reduction.
Consumers can also play a crucial role in discouraging the practice of excessive packaging that not only harms the environment but also helps save money. It stands to reason that merchants lavishing their products with packaging will recoup the cost in the price paid for by the consumers.
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- 2013.03.18