Band 7+: Some people feel that manufacturers and supermarkets have the responsibility to reduce the amount of packaging of goods. While others argue that customers should avoid buying goods with a lot of packaging. Discuss both views and give your opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

There is a debate over whether companies and supermarkets should reduce the amount of packaging they use on their products, or whether it is customers who should start buying products with less packaging. Although customers should be responsible and try not to buy products full of packaging, I firmly believe that companies and supermarkets should lessen their production of heavily packaged products, as they are the main catalysts of global pollution and overconsumption.

On the one hand, it is true that humanity should stop buying products with a lot of packaging. This is owing to the fact that this tendency causes a severe pollution of the environment. Packaging of such products is often made out of plastic, which is very harmful to the environment. Not so many people even realize that with each of their used products, more plastic is left to decay for years, or even decades, causing serious damage to nature. For instance, chips’ packaging is mostly too big, with a lot of empty space left inside. And due to the popularity of chips, especially among teenagers, tonnes of plastic packaging is wasted, leading to water and soil pollution. And people can contribute to the environment by avoiding products with a lot of packaging.

On the other hand, I believe that companies and supermarkets are more responsible for the consequences caused by heavily packaged products, as they are the ones who are able to stop the production of these products. By changing the packaging to more environmentally-friendly alternatives, or simply to start making less packaging, I believe that it is possible to make a change in terms of the environment, and also contribute more to commercial success, as there are people who are unsatisfied with the products’ packaging and can leave bad customer reviews.

In conclusion, while I agree that customers should start buying products with less packaging, it is crucial for commerce itself to prohibit the production of heavily packaged products because they cause environmental issues as well as companies’ long-term success.