3 ms·
But it isn't as simple as plastic is a net bad. It prolongs the shelf life of fruit and vegetables.
by bennysomething 5y ago
But it isn't as simple as plastic is a net bad. It prolongs the shelf life of fruit and vegetables.
- runarberg 5y agoLets take this further: 1. Plastic containers need to be manufactured from raw material, shipped to the packaging site, and recycled or disposed of after use. So there is that. 2. Increased shelf life of food products also have an induced demand behavior (similar to highway lanes) which might result in more overall food being shipped and spoiled then if the shelf life would have been shorter. 3. Increased shelf life allows food to be shipped further, which might sound like a good thing, but not if you factor in the same product is available from a closer source. This also encourages large scale mono-culture as local farms have a harder time competing against larger farms farther away. So it is definitely not as simple as increased shelf life == better carbon footprint.