Oil Prices Force Manufacturers To Switch From Plastic To Cardboard Packaging

According to an article recently published in the New York Times, high oil prices have manufacturers and big retailers reconsidering the use of so much plastic, and some are aggressively looking for cheaper substitutes.

Target has removed the plastic lids from its Archer Farms yogurts, has redesigned packages for some light bulbs to eliminate plastic, and is selling socks held together by paper bands rather than in plastic bags.

Wal-Mart Stores, which has pledged to reduce its packaging by 5 percent between 2008 and 2013, has pushed suppliers to concentrate laundry detergent so it can be sold in smaller containers, and has made round hydrogen peroxide bottles into square ones to cut down on plastic use.

At Home Depot, Husky tools are going from clamshell to paperboard packaging, and EcoSmart LED bulbs are about to be sold in a corrugated box, rather than a larger plastic case.

Other firms, such as MeadWestvaco, are working on alternatives to still prevent theft, but use less plastic. Its Natralock product reduces plastic by 60 percent on average and is 30 percent lighter, cutting down transportation and fuel costs

Read More at New York Times