Evian moves to environment-friendly packaging<\/p>\n
By T. Sima Gunawan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A French company recently started bottling its
\nmineral water in environmentally friendly packaging.<\/p>\n
Evian, the brand name of the mineral water, has spent US$40
\nmillion in the investment of the bottles, according to Pascal
\nBardoil, area manager of its mother company, Danone International
\nBrand.<\/p>\n
Made of polyethylene terephthalate, the bottles contain 15
\npercent less plastic than the bottles the company previously used
\nand can be recycled, Pascal said.<\/p>\n
The bottles can be made into various products, ranging from
\nfiberfill for sleeping bags to polyester carpets. But the problem
\nis they cannot be remade into bottles.<\/p>\n
The plastic can be recycled several times. Then it will come
\nto a certain point when the recycling process is not economically
\nfeasible because of the high cost.<\/p>\n
The plastic is recycled by melting the bottles, screening out
\ncontaminants, like caps, and then solidifying the purified
\nplastic into small pellets. The pellets are then sold to plastic
\nmanufactures, which blend them with new polymers to make new
\nproducts.<\/p>\n
Evian does not have the facilities to recycle its bottles
\nhere, but local PT Aqua Golden Mississippi has. Since 1993, Aqua
\nhas held environmental awareness drives, which includes the \"buy
\nthe bottles back\" program. Under this program, the company buys
\nthe polyethylene terephthalate bottles back and crushes them
\nbefore sending them to recycling centers.<\/p>\n
Aqua used to buy between four and five tons of bottles a day,
\nbut today the amount has dropped because many of the bottles go
\nto other companies which are interested in the business.<\/p>\n
A 500 ml plastic bottle is bought back for Rp 10, while a
\n1,500 ml bottle fetches Rp 20.<\/p>\n
From this program, Aqua has so far earned Rp 800 million
\n(US$347,800), which it then donated to the Dana Mitra Lingkungan
\nFoundation to fund environmental activities.<\/p>\n
The foundation's executive director, Eka Budianta, praised
\nAqua for its efforts in preserving the environment. He said in a
\nrecent discussion on green consumerism that entrepreneurs and
\nindustries should serve as moral guides to realizing the green
\nconsumerism ideal.<\/p>\n
While many companies still consider the environment to be a
\npublic relations exercise, Aqua has made concrete efforts to save
\nthe environment, according to Eka.<\/p>\n
\"The bottles can be made into polyester thread, striping band,
\nzippers and various other things. But we can't use them to make
\nbottles for our products because the clarity will not be the
\nsame,\" said Usman, deputy head of Aqua's environment awareness
\nprogram.<\/p>\n
Compared to plastic bottles, glass bottles are more
\nenvironmentally friendly because they can be reused.<\/p>\n
\"Yes, that's true. We are discussing the possibility of
\nproducing glass bottles,\" Usman told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
There are several types of plastic resin. The most degradable
\nones are polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate and high-
\ndensity polyethylene. Soda pop bottles are typically made of
\npolyethylene terephthalate, while milk and water jugs are often
\nmade of high-density polyethylene.<\/p>\n
In the United States, containers which are recyclable are
\nlabeled with the symbol of recycling -- three arrows forming a
\ntriangle encompassing a number. The higher the number, the more
\ndifficult the recycling process. Products made out of
\npolyethylene terephthalate have the number one inside the
\ntriangle. Number two is for products made out of high-density
\npolyethylene.<\/p>\n
Number three is for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), of which water
\nbottles are typically made; number four for low-density
\npolyethylene of which thin bags and sacks are generally made;
\nnumber five for polypropylene products such as food containers
\nand lids; number six for polystyrene made products such as clear
\ntrays, and number seven products like expanded polystyrene
\n(styrofoam) from which disposable cups are made of.<\/p>\n
More than 20 states in the United States have banned expanded
\npolystyrene for packaging and many European countries are
\nfollowing this step, Asia Business magazine reported in January.<\/p>\n
Styrofoam is banned because it is nondegradable.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, however, styrofoam is very popular. It is used
\nin food packaging and is used by most supermarkets and
\nrestaurants.<\/p>\n
\"We use styrofoam because it is strong. We use lots of sauce
\nin our food. If we use cardboard boxes, I'm afraid it would be
\nmessy,\" an employee of a Japanese fast-food restaurant said.<\/p>\n
Sunoto, a staff member of the assistant to the minister of
\nenvironment who is in charge of business matters, said Indonesia
\ncould not just ban styrofoam, saying that \"things must be done
\nstep by step.\"<\/p>\n
\"We can't take drastic action such as banning styrofoam. What
\nwe should do is increase public awareness of the environment,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Edible<\/p>\n
Some developed countries are using edible packaging made of
\nstarch.<\/p>\n
The Chemical Department, School of Mathematics and Natural
\nSciences, University of Indonesia, is doing a study on the
\npossibilities of making packaging from starch, said Asmu Wahyu,
\nhead of the department.<\/p>\n
The study is being done in cooperation with the Agency for the
\nAssessment and Application of Technology.<\/p>\n
Developed countries are trying hard to reduce the use of
\nplastic packaging. Paper bags are widely used.<\/p>\n
On the contrary, the use of plastic bags in Indonesia is
\ngrowing. Supermarkets, department stores, small shops and
\nsidewalk vendors package sales in plastic bags.<\/p>\n
A factory located in Delanggu, Central Java, recently stopped
\nproducing jute sacks because it could not compete with the
\npopularity of plastic bags. The company officially closed down on
\nApril 1, and its 400 employees were laid off.<\/p>\n
According to head the Center for Research of Human Resources
\nand the Environment, University of Indonesia, Retno Soetaryono,
\nthe use of styrofoam, plastic and other packaging which is not
\nenvironmentally friendly is against the law because they pollute
\nthe environment.<\/p>\n
\"It is clear that the law prohibits people from polluting the
\nenvironment. Therefore, using such packaging is against the law,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
The popularity of plastic depends on consumer patterns.
\nTherefore, it is consumers who are expected to play the biggest
\nrole in the reduction of environmentally harmful packaging.<\/p>\n
\"If you want to buy food and take it home, the best thing to
\ndo is to bring your own food containers. But people, especially
\nrich ones, are too embarrassed to take along food containers,\"
\nRetno said.<\/p>\n
People like plastic because it is light, strong and cheap, but
\nthey forget about the environmental factors.<\/p>\n
Budi Supriyanto Adiputro, an environmental biologist of
\nUniversity of Indonesia, said that it takes 400 years for PVC
\nproducts to completely breakdown.<\/p>\n
\"You think that plastic is cheap, but you are wrong because
\nyou don't consider the environmental cost,\" Budi said.<\/p>\n
Anyone can help save the environment. Here are some tips for
\nconsumers who want to go green:<\/p>\n
* Buy products which are naturally grown. It is difficult to
\ndifferentiate vegetables and fruits which grow well because of
\nchemical substances. It is safe to buy vegetables which look less
\nthan perfect, imperfection does not necessarily mean rottenness.<\/p>\n
* Buy products with environmentally friendly packaging.<\/p>\n
* Buy products in refillable containers.<\/p>\n
* If you go shopping, take your own shopping bag.<\/p>\n
* Don't buy food in styrofoam packaging. For food to go, take
\nalong your own food container if possible.<\/p>",
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