Lesson video

This lesson is called "Advantages and disadvantages of plastic food packaging" and is from the unit Climate change and biodiversity.

Hi there, my name's Mrs. McCready and I'm here to guide you through today's lesson.

So thank you very much for joining me today.

In our lesson today, we're going to describe advantages and disadvantages of plastic food packaging and consider whether we should be using it or not and how to make our decisions on that.

In our lesson today, we are going to come across a number of keywords, and they're listed up here on the screen for you now.

You may wish to pause the video to make a note of them, but I will introduce them to you as we come across them.

So in our lesson today, we are going to first of all consider plastic food packaging and its impact on biodiversity, before we consider how we can make choices about food packaging and which foods to buy depending on the food packaging that they have.

So are you ready to go? I certainly am.

So let's get started.

Now, you will almost certainly be aware of the fact that lots of the food that we buy is sold packaged in plastic.

And here are a couple of examples.

Fruits in plastic boxes and meats plastic wrapped and perhaps on a plastic tray as well.

And there are plenty of other examples of foods that are wrapped in plastic in one way or another.

Now, Lucas says, "I've seen online that plastic pollution is a big problem and kills wildlife." And you can see what he's thinking there of a turtle in the ocean with a bag of plastic rubbish attached to its flipper.

He says, "Plastic food packaging is bad.

I think we should ban it to help save the planet." But what do you think? Do you agree with Lucas? Well, there are advantages and disadvantages to using plastic food packaging.

So let's have a look at those and see if we can come to a more robust decision.

So let's consider some of the disadvantages first.

Firstly, plastic persists in the environment for many, many years after we have thrown it away.

It doesn't just disappear, and it doesn't break down naturally or very quickly.

And so it often ends up in landfill sites and in oceans.

And you can see all of that plastic rubbish littering the beach in that picture on the right there.

So Lucas was right about plastic being a pollutant because it sticks around and doesn't get broken down naturally.

And that means that because of these features, which are features of a manmade material, it does not belong in an ecosystem.

Plastic in any ecosystem is bad news because it is a pollutant.

Now, you can see there in the picture on the right that plastic is a pollutant in the ocean and they're just a couple of bags floating in the water.

And that's just one example of all of the plastic pollution present within the oceans.

Now, in 2023, scientists used data to estimate that there are 121 trillion pieces of plastic in the Earth's oceans.

So the Earth's oceans cover about 70% of the Earth's surface, and suspended in them are 171 trillion pieces of plastic.

So what does that number look like? Well, it's 171 followed by three, six, nine, twelve zeros.

That is enormous as a number.

And if you counted one piece every single second, it would take you five and a half million years to count them all.

That is a lot of plastic in the oceans.

Now, if we don't do anything about this, there could be a staggering three times more than that in our oceans by 2040 if we do nothing to reverse this trend.

Goodness me, that is a lot of plastic.

So when is a plastic a pollutant? Is it when it is used to package food, when it is released into an ecosystem, or when it is made by natural processes? I'll give you five seconds to think about it.

Okay, so plastic is a pollutant when it is released into an ecosystem.

Well done if you chose that option.

So plastic is a pollutant, and that means that it can harm living organisms when it is released into an ecosystem.

So we've already seen how it can get tangled around marine life like turtles.

And here's another example of that, of a turtle trapped in plastic netting and injured because of it.

Also, animals, if they eat the plastic, if they swallow it, they can choke on it or they could starve by it because it can fill up their stomachs and make them feel like they're full and prevent them from eating any other food, but actually has no nutritional value and therefore they can starve from it.

Or if it is moved through their digestive system, then they can be poisoned by the toxic chemicals that are released as it is broken down in their digestive system.

So whether it traps them, chokes them, starves them, or poisons them, plastic is a nasty pollutant that can harm many different types of living organisms if it is released into an ecosystem.

And all of this will harm the biodiversity of an ecosystem by killing animals and plants that live within it.

Now, most of the plastic food packaging that we use is not biodegradable.

That means it cannot be broken down by natural processes and living organisms. So let's have a look at that.

How long does it take for various different types of plastic packaging to break down in an ecosystem? Bearing in mind that they are not being broken down by living organisms. So a plastic bag can take 20 years to be broken down.

A polystyrene cup, so one of those thermal plastic cups, 50 years.

A crisp packet, 80 years.

And a plastic bottle, 450 years.

So all of these types of plastic food packaging take an incredibly long period of time to be broken down, some much longer than others, and all of them are much longer than natural products take to be broken down in the environment.

And during that time, during the time taken to break these plastics down, they can be causing damage and harm to the living organisms within the ecosystem and harming biodiversity as a result.

Now, most of the plastics that we use in food packaging have been made from fossil fuels.

So oil extracted from deep underground have been processed and turned into plastics.

Now, these are both fossil fuels and are finite in their quantity, and therefore will run out eventually.

That may take a while, but we can use them up eventually.

Now, plastics from fossil fuels, as well as being a pollutant in their presence in the environment, are also pollutants by the processes used to manufacture them in the first place.

So turning oil into plastics that can be used to wrap food, be that hard plastics which are made into pots to put strawberries and grapes into or softer packaging, which is like cling film or the plastic that peels off of the top of ready meal foods, all of those plastics, when they are being manufactured, release emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, including greenhouse gases.

So these pollutants then contribute to global warming, leading to climate change, and also to other issues such as acid rain.

And all of these pollutants are damaging biodiversity because of their impact on the environment, on the ability for living organisms to survive.

So most plastic food packaging is biodegradable.

True or false? Okay, so you should have said that that is false, but why? So you should have explained that by saying that most plastic food packaging is not biodegradable, which means it cannot be broken down by living organisms, but it can harm them.

So let's summarise that so far about how plastic food packaging impacts biodiversity.

So Aisha's parents regularly buy apples, and supermarket A sells them loose from a box, whereas supermarket B sells them in plastic bags.

So what I'd like you to do is to explain why buying apples from supermarket A could help to protect biodiversity.

So pause the video and come back to me when you are ready.

Okay, let's review your work.

So why would buying apples from supermarket A help to protect biodiversity? Well, you might have said that buying loose apples will mean that there is no plastic bag to get rid of afterwards.

And if more people buy apples without plastic bags, then fewer bags will be made, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit climate change.

And of course, because there are fewer plastic bags ending up in landfills and oceans, there will be less harm to biodiversity because there are fewer pollutants in the environment causing harm to animals and plants.

So well done if you've said any of those points.

Do add to your work if you need to.

Okay, let's move on to have a look at the choices that we can make about food packaging.

So let's consider this term, sustainable, before we carry on.

So a sustainable activity can be carried out over a long period of time with little or no negative impact on the environment.

So when we are producing sustainable fuels, for instance, we are producing fuels that can be made over a long period of time with little or no negative impact on the environment.

If we are travelling in a sustainable way, we are using a type of transport that has little or no negative impact on the environment, such as using a bike or walking.

So sustainable activities have little or no negative impact on the environment.

Now can we say that about food packaging? Probably not, because most plastic food packaging has been made from fossil fuels.

And this is not sustainable because it contributes to climate change and biodiversity loss, and the fossil fuels are not renewable, and therefore they will run out because we cannot reform them in our lifetime.

So plastic food packaging is not sustainable because of the impacts on climate and biodiversity, and also because they cannot be replenished.

Now, traditional plastics, so these are plastics made from fossil fuels, could be replaced with bioplastics, and bioplastics are made using biological molecules, starches and from cellulose, which are made by plants such as corn.

And so we are taking a plant-made substance, starch and cellulose, and we are processing it and turning it into a bioplastic.

And then that bioplastic can be used for food packaging, such as the plastic which is wrapping those salad leaves in, or other types of packaging for various different types of food.

But how sustainable is bioplastic? Now, we've already seen that plastic made using fossil fuels is not sustainable, but is bioplastic any better? Well, if we are considering the sustainability of bioplastic, we have to consider the things that are contributing to the sustainability of it and also the things that are reducing its sustainability.

So let's have a look at those now.

Well, the fact that bioplastic is renewable, because it is made from natural resources that can be regrown, so it's made from corn and other crops, which are then grown the following year, so constantly replenished, means that it is renewable.

It is also biodegradable because it is made from natural resources, from cellulose and starch, which are easily digestible and degradable within the environment.

And this means that they will be less harmful to the biodiversity, to the range of animals and plants in the ecosystem if that packaging manages to reach its way into the ecosystem if it isn't put in the bin properly and if it isn't recycled properly.

So it is renewable, it is biodegradable, and it will be less harmful to biodiversity as a result.

So they're good things about the sustainability of bioplastic.

But what about the cons, the negative arguments? Well, often bioplastic is made or rather grown, I should say, on land that was previously forest.

So land has been changed from one use, forestry, to another use, growing crops to make bioplastics.

And this means that the rich biodiversity of the forest has been replaced by the poor biodiversity of the crop field being grown to make the bioplastic.

However, we can reduce this impact if instead of growing new crops to make bioplastic, we harvest waste plant material instead and use that to make bioplastics because after all, it is waste and so it wasn't going to be used for anything.

And if we can turn it into packaging, then all the better, especially if it doesn't involve turning land from forest into fields for growing for bioplastics.

So we have pros and cons, benefits and problems to weigh up before we can decide whether bioplastic is sustainable or not.

So who is it, out of Andeep, Izzy, and Laura, who identifies a reason why bioplastic food packaging is more sustainable than traditional plastics? So Andeep says, "Bioplastic is biodegradable, so it is less harmful to wildlife." Izzy says, "Bioplastic packaging is made from plants, which are a renewable resource." And Laura says, "Making bioplastic involves deforestation to grow crops." But who has identified a reason which makes bioplastics more sustainable? I'll give you five seconds to decide.

Okay, so you should have said that both Andeep and Izzy have identified reasons why bioplastic food packaging is more sustainable than traditional plastic.

Well done if you decided on both of those.

So let's have a look at this with some data now.

Now, in the process of making food, there are lots of different stages, including farming, processing, transport, retail, and packaging.

So let's have a look at the packaging section of that in the graph here.

So this graph shows a variety of different types of food listed on the left and their carbon footprint from all of these various different sections of the food manufacturing process.

And you can see that for all of these different types of food, making the packaging part emits polluting greenhouse gases, that's what's making up the carbon footprint bar, but doesn't release a great quantity of them when compared to the rest of the processes involved in making that food.

So when food is made and processed, yes, the food packaging is emitting pollutants, greenhouse gases, but it is a relatively small portion of the overall set of emissions coming from making that food.

So if we want to reduce our carbon footprint for the food that we are consuming, the best way to do that is to reduce the amount of meat that we are eating.

And you can see on the left there highlighted in blue are different meat products, most of which have fairly large carbon footprints, the number at the end of the bar, whereas fruit and vegetables have relatively small carbon footprints and are largely listed below the meat items in this list.

So even if the fruit and vegetables are wrapped in plastic, it would still be better to eat them than it would be to eat meat because of the significantly smaller carbon footprint that fruit and vegetables have compared to meat.

Now, another thing that we could consider doing is to reuse or recycle the food packaging, and that will help to make it more sustainable by reducing emissions.

Now, glass and metals like aluminium and steel cans are easily recycled and can be recycled many, many times over and over again.

Some types of plastics can be recycled, but the ability to recycle them is much more limited, so they can only be recycled a few times, changed from one purpose to another on a couple of occasions or so before that pathway comes to an end.

And then some packaging might look sustainable, like cardboard, for instance.

But when it's used for food, it's often covered in a plastic layer, and that makes it much harder to recycle because the plastic has to be removed from the cardboard before the two different streams get processed and recycled.

So recycling and reusing plastic packaging is possible, but in some cases it's really quite tricky to do.

So what other things do we need to consider when we are choosing whether to buy food which has been plastic wrapped or not? Well, we also need to consider why the plastic was being used in the first place, because some foods are wrapped in plastic because they help to extend the shelf life of the food.

If the food wasn't wrapped in plastic, then the food would go off far faster, and that would be worse because the food would go to waste.

So thinking about that, if you buy a loaf of bread, for instance, and it is wrapped in a plastic bag, the plastic bag is helping to keep the bread fresh and edible for longer, and therefore we can use it over a longer period of time.

We don't have to eat it all up in a day or two before it goes mouldy.

And there are lots of other examples, like many fruits and vegetables which are packaged in plastics, especially things like strawberries and raspberries, where if you don't have them packaged in a protective covering, then they can go mouldy very quickly, and they might also get bruised and battered when they're being moved around and handled by shoppers and shop assistants, for instance.

Now, if we are throwing away food which has either gone mouldy or is bruised and battered and squashed, then that food contributes to our carbon footprint.

And in fact, our carbon footprint increases because it's then made up of all of the emissions from the food that we've thrown away because it was mouldy or bruised, plus all of the emissions from the new food that we've bought and eaten instead.

So actually, putting food inside plastic packaging provides a layer of protection to that food, and that means that we can reduce food waste to some extent, and that will make food more sustainable.

So there are good things about packaging food in plastic that need to be considered when we're deciding whether to buy food packaged in plastic or not.

So let's consider that again, how do we decide whether to use plastic food packaging or not? So what are these advantages and disadvantages, the pros and cons? Well, some of the negatives include the fact that the plastic food packaging is not biodegradable.

That means it cannot be broken down in the natural environment, so it persists in the environment for a very long time.

Also, when we are making plastic food packaging, we are releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as part of that manufacturing process.

To make plastic food packaging, we have to use non-renewable fossil fuels because that is what the plastic is made from.

And all of these are contributing to harming biodiversity because of the impacts on climate change and the pollution that is added either into the atmosphere or into our land and oceans because of these pollutants, be them the actual plastic itself or of the gases that are released during the manufacture and the breakdown of these plastics.

So they're all of the negative reasons why we should not be using plastic food packaging.

But what about the advantages? Now, some plastics can be made from renewable resources.

So if we are just talking generally about plastics rather than about the non-renewable plastics made from oil, then we know that plastics can be made using renewable resources.

Also, some plastics, be them traditional plastics or biodegradable plastics, can be reused and recycled.

We've also seen how wrapping food in plastic can help to reduce food waste because it keeps food fresh and stops it from going mouldy or being squashed and battered as it's being moved around.

So that is also a really important feature because that in itself will reduce the carbon footprint of our food.

So these are the pros and the cons.

It's quite a complex picture, and we have to balance that up before we decide whether to avoid plastic-wrapped food or not, or even if that's possible to do.

So true or false? An advantage of plastic food packaging is that it reduces food waste.

Okay, so you should have said that that is true.

But why? And you should have explained that by saying that plastic packaging keeps food fresh and edible for longer, and this reduces food waste and the emissions associated with it.

Well done if you said that.

Okay, let's summarise the second part of the lesson.

So Sam says, "I don't know anyone who works in the food packaging industry.

What can I do?" And what I'd like you to do is to write some advice for Sam.

Can you include in your answer ways to help reduce emissions from plastic food packaging and how to protect biodiversity and some of the advantages of using plastic food packaging? So pause the video and give this some good consideration before you come back to me when you are ready.

Okay, let's review your work.

So what advice have you given Sam? Well, you might have said that if you don't have much choice in what you eat or how it is packaged, try talking to the people who do provide your food and see if they can help.

You could also consider replacing meat with fruit and vegetables in your diet because this is the best way to reduce emissions, even if they are packaged in plastic.

And you could also try to buy foods which are loose if they don't need to be packaged to stay fresh, like apples, for instance.

You could try to buy foods packaged in biodegradable plastics.

You could try to reuse or recycle any clean plastic food packaging that you do use.

And you should not feel bad if some of your food comes in plastic packaging because an advantage of this is that it helps to keep the food fresh and edible, which reduces food waste.

And this is really important because this reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases from the wasted food.

You might also have said that Sam could try to make sure plastic food packaging is not released into ecosystems where it can harm biodiversity and therefore always put your litter in a recycling bin.

But have you come up with any other ideas? I expect you probably have.

Well done, great effort there.

Okay, we've come to the end of our lesson today, and what we've seen is that many foods are sold in plastic packaging, which is usually made from non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels.

And the plastic waste in landfills and in oceans is a pollutant that takes a very long time to break down and can also harm the biodiversity of those environments.

Now, biodegradable bioplastics are made from renewable resources and are a more sustainable alternative to traditional plastic packaging.

But plastic packaging doesn't have all bad aspects to it because it helps to prevent food spoilage and therefore reduces food waste, which is a really important aspect to consider.

So when we are deciding whether to use plastic food packaging or not, we need to weigh up all of those advantages and disadvantages before we come to our decision.

So I hope that's given you lots of food for thought and maybe some ideas about how you can influence your choices and the choices of the people that you live with.

So thank you very much for joining me today.

I hope you've enjoyed the lesson, and I hope to see you again soon.

Bye.