We live in a world of rapid change. This fact has never been more evident than over the past half century as globalization and growth in emerging markets has led to higher standards of living, broader access to advanced healthcare, the rise of global commerce and improved lives for millions of people.

At Sealed Air, we are proud to have created products and services that help make the world a better place.

Now, in the early part of this century, we are faced with the renewed and growing challenge of guiding our customers and consumers in making “sustainable” choices in their business and purchasing decisions. Making “green” decisions is particularly difficult when it relates to packaging – especially for the millions of consumers who are often presented conflicting information and are limited in choices because of affordability.

Sealed Air’s commitment to sustainable products is rooted in eliminating the obstacles of information and price so our customers – and their customers – can make the right choices.

One of our goals is to demonstrate how packaging technology prevents waste and is not just solely a source of waste.

Consider these examples of how packaging prevents waste:

– Food that is wasted
before it is consumed requires ten times more energy and materials to produce than the packaging used to protect it. This includes food that spoils during storage before it reaches the kitchen table or food that clings to the wall of packaging and is thrown away.

This number is much higher in developing countries where food supplies are often adequate at the national level but large portions of hard-won harvests are often lost and fresh foodstuffs never reach the table because of poor transportation or deterioration and spoilage during storage.

From a sustainability standpoint, product wastage and energy usage are vital to consider when addressing the environmental impact of packaging. If the product inside the package is wasted, the environmental impact is more pronounced.