These days, the disposal of plastic waste into water and soil is one of the most pressing environmental issues, which is largely caused by excessive product packaging. It is often said that companies and supermarkets are responsible for minimizing the amount of material used. However, I side with those who think that consumers themselves should reduce their consumption of products with excessive packaging.
Some people place the responsibility for avoiding buying products with too much packaging on consumers. This can be reasonable as the decision on a micro-level is much easier to implement than on the level of companies. People can relatively quickly change their daily habits and choose products that have less packaging. Moreover, demand serves as a signal to manufacturers: if people buy products with excessive packaging less, producers will change the design and will try to match people’s demand for eco-friendly products.
Others, however, believe that the decision regarding less packaging lies with companies and supermarkets as the scale of their impact is larger than that of individuals, and I agree. Stores and manufacturers can create powerful marketing campaigns that raise awareness of customers about harm that packaging can do to the environment. By advertising eco-friendly habits, they can persuade more consumers to choose products wisely, taking the amount of packaging into account. It can become fashionable to buy products from refill stations or choose reusable packaging. Besides, the existence of such options totally depends on business decisions made by producers.
In conclusion, despite the fact that consumers may quickly change their habits in favor of the products with less packaging and signal producers about their preferences, I believe that companies and supermarkets can make more difference by increasing awareness across the whole population.