Guidelines for
the Environmentally Conscious Consumer
Irene Probasco
Joe E. Heimlich
The "greening of
America" has produced a new wave of individuals who want to be
environmentally "correct" in their purchasing decisions. As these
individuals are developing into environmentally conscious consumers, the flood
of information on what is environmentally "correct" is confusing and
overwhelming. Studies indicate that purchasing continues to be based primarily
on the availability of the product - when and where it is needed. Purchasing is
also based on the cost and relative convenience of the project, as well as the
value of the product for the cost.
Yet environmentally conscious
individuals wish to add another element to their purchasing decisions and strive
to learn to ask the right questions. They wonder if one product is truly better
for the environment than another as they become aware of the socioeconomic and
environmental costs of resource waste and waste disposal problems. They are
asking about the types of environmental impacts created from different products
and packages. They want to make a decision that is appropriate for both their
individual needs and the environment.
Currently, much research is
taking place to provide answers to these questions and give sound direction to
the environmentally conscious consumer, but no definition is clearly stated.
Individuals can person ally begin to advance toward making environmentally
"correct" choices if they ask methodical questions as they make their
purchasing decisions.
How much do I need this
product at this time?
The first question to be
addressed focuses on the person's level of need for the product. This choice
continues to be a personal one to identify what use the product holds and how
much personal need there is for it. The question of need also includes a
decision to determine the amount of the product to be purchased. For example,
this decision involves such things as identifying the probable use of
household paint when it is purchased in advance, the opportunity there is to
obtain the paint within a reasonable time frame for use, and the likelihood
that some or much of the paint will be discarded rather than used because it
will dry.
Stopping to determine the
personal level of need for a product is a conscious decision and marks the
prelude to understanding the impacts of the purchase from an environmental
perspective. Ultimately, the first step toward making an environ mentally
sound purchase is to ask the question, "Do I need this product enough to
purchase it in this quantity at this time?"
How much of this is
packaging waste?
Once a person decides just
how much of the product is needed and what potential there is for using it
completely, the next choice centers on the packaging. How much of this
packaging is necessary?
Packaging serves an
important function. For example, in the United States there is less than a
three percent loss of food prior to purchase. This is the lowest rate of loss
in the world! This low rate is due largely to efficient packaging and
transportation systems. Reduction in packaging could result in product loss
and increased costs. Some products appear to have excessive packaging and, in
most cases, some or much of that packaging can be redesigned to minimize the
amount of resulting waste. In other cases, the cost will increase because of
additional labor costs, product loss and alterations in design.
While some packaging is
necessary, the goal of an integrated waste management system is to ultimately
reduce the amount of material that becomes waste. Waste reduction and waste
minimization involve strategies for having less product and package for
ultimate disposal. But social customs, in addition to regulations, place many
constraints on the potential for reduction and minimization strategies in the
community as a whole. Even so, the potential for individual action is great.
Regulatory requirements
pose a major constraint and often make reduction difficult. Some products are
sized according to regulatory action, so economy in packaging is prohibitive.
By law, a small quantity of a pesticide is all that is allowed to be sold at
one time. Also, what is required by law to be disclosed on the exterior of a
package can, in part, determine the size of the package regardless of the
amount of content. Whether the increase is the package material itself or in
additional information for the consumer enclosed within the package,
information control and labeling regulations place a constraint on the
possibility of waste minimization or reduction. Small amounts of products are
often contained in large packages because space for printed explanations needs
to be provided.
Another constraint on the
long-term goal of waste reduction is related to consumer expectations of
packages and products. People expect packaging to guarantee the safety and
purity of the product, provide ease in storage and assure disposability.
Medicines are expected to be untainted and to remain secure over the life of
the medication. This is assured with several layers of protective packaging,
all of which is disposable. It is in the awareness of this additional waste
that a consumer becomes more environmentally conscious.
How many additional packages
were used for this product?
Waste is generated by both
the product and its package in extraction, transportation, manufacturing,
storage and use. For this reason, a product purchase has ramifications on
waste generation that far exceed the product and the package that the
purchaser obtains.
The primary packaging, or
the material that individuals normally consider "packaging," is just
the first layer. The package's product, however, is delivered to the retail
institution in secondary and tertiary packaging. These additional types of
packaging allow for transportation and storage of the product through the
distribution system without harm coming to the product itself.
When an item is purchased,
an environmentally conscious consumer begins to realize that a purchasing
decision includes both the generation of the product desired and the
packaging. The product and its packaging include multiple types of materials
designed for different uses and give rise to the next question.
Is this the most appropriate
use for this material?
There are many questions
that can be asked about the environmental appropriateness of the materials
used. These questions, once again, must be related to both the product and the
package. Today it is unlikely that any person could or would consciously ask
these questions at the time of every purchase. Realistically, what is desired
is to develop a deeper awareness of these issues and to gradually form a more
environmentally informed base upon which decisions are made subconsciously.
The initial question an
individual can raise relates to the source of the product. Is the material in
both the product and the package from a renewable (such as trees) ore
depletable (such as aluminum) resource? Those products that are created from
renewable resources are often the preferred choice environmentally, given no
other decision factor. The informed individual can then begin to ask if both
the product and its packaging can be economically recycled.
Is this product and its
package designed to be recycled?
Some products consist of
multiple materials that hamper the potential for material recapture.
Manufactured products are becoming more sophisticated and in many cases more
difficult to recycle. Many goods are made with increasing amounts of
nonrecyclable materials, such as thermoses plastics, safety glass and fabrics
that create disposal problems. An example is the interior of an automobile.
In addition, toxins that
can make recycling hazardous, such as lead, cadmium, PCB's and CFS's, are
found in a variety of consumer products. Ironically, many new products that
are intended to protect human life and minimize risks become themselves risk
inducing. One example is the automotive air bag, which uses a propellant that
is both explosive and toxic.
To the extent practicable,
consumers should avoid the purchase of goods and products that are designed to
use nonrecyclable and toxic materials. But when there is no available
alternative product the method of handling the material can be examined.
How is the material handled
in recapture or disposal?
This question relates to
the characteristics of the product and package content left for final
disposal. If the product includes the use of a hazardous material, is there an
appropriate mechanism for handling the material for recapture or for disposal?
Is this process environmentally appropriate? There are both laws and physical
limitations on various materials related to environmentally safe disposal.
Awareness of appropriate and feasible technologies for handling the materials
safely can help a consumer make an appropriate environmental decision. It must
be acknowledged that material recovery involves manufacturing just like the
initial product and package generation and all manufacturing has byproducts
that can affect the air, the water, and the land. When these byproducts are
negative, they are labeled pollution.
Concerned consumers now ask
"From what I know, or am willing to know, is this material as
pollution-preventing and natural as possible?" In many cases, this
question is one that is extremely difficult to answer since it requires an
understanding of the manufacture and remanufacture of products. Once again,
this includes the complex of actions that relate to the manufacturing process
used, the transportation requirements for the product, the byproducts, energy
and water use in recapture, remanufacture or disposal of the product and its
package.
A final question relates to
the impact of use of the product. In its use stage, is the product
environmentally appropriate or is an alternative material available and a
better choice? Further, in transportation, use and storage in the workplace
and the home, does the product create a threat to the environment or is it
benign? All of these questions require continuous education and investigation
for consumers to make environmentally "correct" purchasing
decisions.
How can I learn to make
environmentally "correct" purchases?
Long-term educational, as
well as promotional, programs must be undertaken to instill consumer
confidence and build assurances that support environmentally sound packaging.
These programs could provide an opportunity to illustrate the reusable,
renewable and depletable characteristics of a product and its package.
As indicated earlier, the
potential for individual action is very great. The act of separating materials
for recycling is an educational process that leads environmentally conscious
persons to better understand their consumption and disposal behavior. They
could begin to advance to the next plateau and make purchasing decisions to
buy recycled products whenever possible, for they realize that collecting
recyclables and purchasing recycled products are equal components.
Ongoing educational efforts
would bring heightened awareness of the environmental factors involved when
making purchasing decisions. When these factors become more focused for the
environmentally conscious individual - how to purchase, when to purchase it
and what to purchase - become clearer. People can become increasingly exposed
to opportunities for understanding how their decisions are related to the
environmental appropriateness of a product and package. They are better able
to ask, "Is this an environmentally sound product and package based on
what I know?"
Who is an environmentally
conscious consumer?
For every individual, the
ultimate purchasing decisions and rationale to reinforce what is
environmentally "correct" will vary. While individuals have
differing levels of need, values and knowledge related to various resources
and their uses, no single answer on "what is better" will satisfy
the values and beliefs of all people.
Being environmentally
responsible lies in understanding one's own values and beliefs, and acting in
accordance with those values and beliefs. It also includes allowing other
people the option to act on their sets of values and beliefs, but with an eye
toward increasing all people's environmental awareness. When an individual
truly commits to environmental decision-making, the commitment is toward a
lifetime of continuing to learn and challenge beliefs regarding products,
packages and the manufacturing of what it is we use to maintain our quality
and style of life.
Conclusion
The environmentally
conscious individual realizes that the ecosystem provides all that is used.
But, through current behavior patterns, natural resources are taken from the
earth, used and passed along in such a way that there are few beneficial
returns to that ecosystem. Toxins, noxious gasses, contaminants and
undesirable compounds are usually returned to the water, air and soil. These
materials are called "waste." Waste means that natural resources
have been diminished and less is available for use the next time around.
It has been estimated that
the United States generated about 195,000,000 tons of waste in 1990.
Approximately 15 percent of this waste was recycled; 85 percent of it was not.
This is a waste of 165,750,000 tons of natural resources, yet this waste does
not include the waste of water to process the manufacture of the products nor
the energy used to produce them. If the rest of the world begins to imitate
the types of consumptive behavior patterns now present in the United States,
what natural resources will there be to meet this demand?
Ohio State
University
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