It is a known fact that the population on our planet is increasing at an alarming rate. Over the last twelve years, approximately one billion inhabitants have been added to the world. As of now, the earth is home to a whopping 7 billion inhabitants. Every being that is brought into the world, is born with his own share of likes, dislikes, and preferences. He chooses what he likes and what he doesn’t like. He chooses what products he will use and what he will not.

To meet the demands of this ever-increasing population, innumerous industries worldwide produce massive amounts of commodities everyday. Whether its food and beverage, fashion and beauty, or household, millions of products are produced in all categories.

In this fast-paced age, every human being consumes a plethora of commodities in his life. Can you imagine the amount of packaging generated by all the products each human consumes in his entire lifetime?

What is product packaging made up of, you ask? Here’s our breakdown for the same:

1. Plastic: The easiest packaging material out there, approximately 53% of all products are packed using plastic materials.
2. Paper: 25% of all goods are packed using paper packaging.
3. Glass: A whopping 3.7 million tonnes of glass packaging is produced every year. Glass is used package around 10% of products.
4. Aluminium: Approximately 189,000 tonnes of aluminium packaging is used annually worldwide.
5. Steel: 13 billion steel cans are produced every year.

Now, out of all these materials, 38% of it in a person cannot be recycled. It is let into landfills and remains on the planet forever. According to environmental reports, packaging creates approximately 29 million tons of non-compostable waste to landfills every year.

Here are a few scarring examples of damaging, destructive and dangerous packaging that will blow your mind!

• The amount of fatal and unhealthy packaging that is thrown away every single year is as good as circling the earth 4 times.
• According to top environmental researchers, the oceans of the earth consist of more plastic and harmful packaging than wildlife. In fact, plastic packaging outnumbers sea life by six items for every one sea animal.
• That’s not all for causing a hazard to the sea, tiny pieces of injurious materials present in the ocean are consumed by innumerable creatures. Due to this, many diverse species of marine animals like sea are gradually getting extinct.
• Have you ever taken your preferred beverages in a disposable packaging on a hasty day? Well, you’re not the only one. Over 25 million people consume coffee and other beverage in plastic/paper cups every single day. Can you imagine all the 25 million cups accumulating as waste every day?
• Plastic Bottles account for one of the most threatening forms of plastic packaging. Over 20,000 plastic bottles are sold every second in the world.  Out of this unimaginable amount, only 50% of them are recycled. Not only that, the percentage of bottles that are turned into new packaging is just 7%.

What is Sustainable Packaging?

Sustainable Packaging is that outer covering of products that is safe and healthy for the ecological environment. This earth-friendly packaging is made from harmless, toxic-free materials that do not disrupt the soul of the natural ecosystem.

Why is Sustainable Packaging important?

Now that we know the calamitic ill effects of non-biodegradable, it’s time to explore a solution to this catastrophic concern.

As more and more people are becoming aware of the disastrous impact of packaging, businesses are adopting more and more greener ways on presenting their products. To create this eco friendly change, Pepaa is playing a major role in reducing the amount of waste generated due to product packaging.

Our eco packaging is handmade from biodegradable materials that disappear in the earth. When this meaningful packaging is utilised, it instantly instills your message of protecting and preserving the planet in the minds of the audience. Not only does it term you as a sustainable organisation, but also makes your audience feel proud of consuming a product with green packaging and contributing to saving nature.

To give packaging a further unique twist, Pepaa also introduced plantable seed paper packaging. This exceptional concept refers to a piece of packaging that is made of recycled paper and then infused with seeds. When this packaging meets soil, the recycled paper decomposes, leaving the seeds behind. In a couple of days, the seeds germinate and slowly grow into fresh, green plants. Thus, a product is wrapped into a magic that is a gift to nature.

Let’s take a step and let’s be the change.

Let’s opt for packaging for the new age that does not become garbage!

Billions and billions of years ago, when God must be creating our Planet Earth…

• Ample of fresh blue water – Check
• Tall, dark, and absolutely luscious green trees- Check
• Natural and pure air – Check
• Acres and acres of seamless clean land – Check
• Precisely enough sunlight – Check

God, truly was endowing on mankind. But, are we really thankful for everything that is granted to us? Maybe not. And, it’s time that we love and appreciate this beautiful planet that we were gifted. The basic rule of a healthy relationship is, when you take something, you must always give something in return. Yet, the alliance with our blue and green globe has been only of accepting everything that comes our way, to the extent, that we have begun destructing the only celestial body designed for our survival. It was made to provide us with food, shelter, and pure air. Unfortunately, today we use it to fulfill all our luxury and comfort needs. But, this is old news. We are all aware of the alarming rate at which our Mother Earth is deteriorating. The real problem is that we are all still in denial. Denial that we do not harm our environment on an individual level.

However, it is now time to clear this misconception:

Do you use paper?

Do you use plastic bags?

Do you use pencils?

If your answer to any or all of the above questions is ‘YES’ then you are equally responsible for the condition of our planet today. Why you may ask? Well, let’s start with paper. The thin crisp sheets of papers that we use on a daily basis are formed from shedding down thousands and thousands of trees. Sometimes huge acres of forest land are wiped out just to satisfy the endless paper demand. Even in this electronic age, the need for paper hasn’t subsided. In fact, has increased manifold. An extremely terrifying and shocking number of 2.47 million trees are cut down every day just for paper. Paper, which was used once and thrown away.

The sad part is that most of the times unused paper is treated as scrap. Children in schools, colleges, and other institutions use infinite paper every day. Paper is a constant element in the life of professionals like lawyers, doctors, and architects. The sole reason multinational companies function today is due to Paper. Countless numbers of thin sheets of papers are used every day, in every industry, at every home, and by every individual. Do you still believe that you do nothing to harm the planet? A simple piece of paper has the power to destroy our Earth forever.

Pencils- The most fond memories for anybody are their childhood ones. Where they scribbled and doodled their way to adulthood. Growing up lead pencils, colour pencils, velvet pencils have created a permanent mark on our lives, but also on the life of our Planet. A pencil’s best friend is paper. Just like paper it follows the same faith. Carries with it the guilt of a million trees that were killed to give the pencil a life.

Plastic Bags- Nature’s most feared enemy. Polythene is the main element used in manufacturing plastic bags. Countries across the globe have time and again banned products that incorporate this harmful substance that we so carelessly use. We are so accustomed to using plastic that we cannot avoid them even, on small trips to the supermarket or street shopping.

Did You Know- Plastic is the only material that never decomposes? And, even if it has one shot at partially decomposing it will be after 200-400 years. So, every single plastic bag that you’ve used till date is lying somewhere on the surface of the Earth, polluting our environment.

‘Unity is Strength.’ It’s time we stand united together with our Planet on this war against all products that are causing irreparable harm to it. Starting with the basic necessities.

Pepaa is here to provide you with plenty of alternate options, which are fancier and sustainable and eco-friendly at the same time.

For instance, Pepaa’s team develops smooth textured paper by recycling the endless paper available in every household and office. To top this, they even infuse this fine quality paper with seeds. So, when you are done using the paper, you can actually let it blossom into a beautiful flower plant with adequate water and sunlight. What a beautiful way to give back to nature! At Pepaa, pencils too, are made from recycled paper and can also be planted as they come along with seeds. To replace plastic bags, Pepaa has come up with an apt solution. Pepaa designs sturdy yet elegant recycled plantable paper bags.

If you really do want to live in a better place, then there are plenty of organic and nature-friendly options. Remember, the golden rule, ‘Give more, Live more.’