Reducing Packaging 1

Lesson Plan

Activity/Activities

Pupil Activity 1

o   In small groups the pupils should list ways of reducing the amount of packaging we use.

    They should try to think of strategies that can be adopted by the Government, manufacturers and consumers.

    The ideas can range from new laws to goods being sold in refill packs to individuals choosing items that have not been over-packaged.

o   The groups should feedback their ideas to the rest of the class.

Pupil Activity 2

o   One of the most important things to consider is how to change the shopping habits of the customers.

   In their groups the pupils should plan an advertising campaign aimed at persuading the shopper to purchase items with reduced packaging. The advertising campaign should be in the form of a poster, or a radio or television advert.

o   Pupils perform or present their campaigns to the rest of the class.

Additional resource

Industry for Packaging and the Environment: www.incpen.org

INFORMATION SHEET: Packaging

More and more of the goods we buy are covered in packaging- boxes, bags, packets, trays, jars, tubes and tins.

Packaging is costly for the manufacturer and the shopper- about 10% of the average food bill pays for the packaging, not the food. It greatly adds to the amount of waste we produce- about a third of the rubbish we throw away each week is packaging. So why do we use it?

o   Packaging preserves

Packaging ensures that foods retain their nutritional value so that they last longer and are sold in good condition. Packaging can prevent things like light, air and bacteria from coming into contact with the food.

o   Packaging Protects

Packaging protects the contents from damage so that they do not get broken and spoiled. Packaging also prevents children from opening harmful products such as bleach, poisons and medicines.

o   Packaging describes and identifies

Our shopping is almost entirely self service so it is important for the customer to be given the relevant information about the product that they are buying. The packaging gives information such as: how to prepare, cook or use the product; who made it; how much there is; the sell by date. Sometimes the packaging tells you if it is recyclable.

o   Packaging Presents the Product

Clever designs make products easy to use e.g. roll- on deodorants, loo cleaners and squeezy ketchup bottles. Manufacturers aim to display their goods as attractively as possible, helping to build an image for the product and giving people choice.

Packaging is important for the above reasons, but some of it is excessive and could be reduced. The Dutch have redesigned their glass milk bottles so that they use 35% less glass. Sainsbury’s have changed packaging on their ‘own brand’ products such as removing unnecessary plastic trays from pizza packs. It estimates that this change alone will save 100 tonnes of plastic per year and reduce costs by £150,000! In Germany a new law means that shoppers can leave behind excess wrapping at the supermarket and the packaging industry has to clear it up! The companies therefore have an incentive to reduce the amount of packaging they use.