Reciprocal Effect in Packaging Policy and the Environment by Levy - Book Report/Review Example

Abstract This book, Packaging Policy and the Environment is all about the nature, process, and definition of packaging. As the latter plays a vital role in the society (individuals, economy, and environment), policies are implemented to prevent the likelihood of further political, public, or any environmental problems. This book addresses various topics related to packaging including critical areas on producer and shared responsibility, Packaging’s role in the society, several false notions and misconceptions about packaging and the correct way to deal with packaging, and sustainable environmental development. Book Review on Packaging Policy Environment Introduction This book entitled, ‘Packaging Policy and the Environment’ is all about the discussion of the importance of Packaging in the society. Packaging is significantly the major focus of this context since it is mostly taken for granted by major population of the world. Due to the lack of information, various individuals often miscalculate the result of poor knowledge in Packaging. In so doing, several diverse society also have several misinterpretations with regard to the significance of packaging and its relationship or reciprocal effect in the environment which further leads to problems and lack of supplies for packaging is often misused because of the inadequacy of information dissemination concerning the aforementioned subject matter (Levy, p. 1). Packaging Policy and the Environment Packaging Policy and the Environment purports to be an evaluation of the legislative/governmental, political, and environmental policies surrounding on the major focus of discussion which is about Packaging or the packaging of products. Upon researching and collecting detailed information about the subject matter (Packaging), the editor of this book, Geoffrey M. Levy navigates several significant areas of the world together with the other expert researchers of the packaging issue to also examine the major, salient, political and public matters regarding the apparent, or the current packaging policy and in the present day environment. This book indeed explains the vitality of an ‘integrated product policy’ and the result of the policies in several countries including Japan, North America, Australia, Europe, South Africa and even Brazil when maintained and sustained (Levy, p. 3). Moreover, such environmental, political policies and other significant issues to be tackled in this book include the following: the effect or the impact of economic instruments and government developments, the life cycle assessment or the evaluation of the significance of packaging, materials reusing or recycling, incorporated management of solid wastes, and last but not the least, the topic of Packaging most especially. Thus, it is more proper to say that this book, Packaging Policy and the Environment investigates the essentiality and the importance of Packaging—and the major role it plays in the ecosystem, or much simpler to say—it plays a major role in the environment and in each diverse, homogenous or heterogeneous societies across the globe. Relatively, the topic on packaging and its relationship with the environment has been long a controversy as years go by. In addition, the proliferation of the creation and implementation of such various policies and principles, instruments and standards have been prevalently of use to operationally define the significance of knowledge about packaging (Levy, p. 5). As emphasized by the author/editor of this book, Levy focuses on discussing about the topic of Packaging—extending from the broad and extensive policies, rules, and guidelines of Packaging in different countries all over the world. Furthermore, relative and similar concepts regarding packaging like Recycling, Reusing and Recovering, Disposing and Packaging wastes are also illuminated and explained in the book. Last but not the least, the maintenance and sustenance of consumption are also discussed plus the important concept of production (Levy, p. 3). Put into account that two major concepts have aroused and changed in the latter part of the twentieth century and those are which made an impact on the procedures of packaging chain. These two concepts are IPP or Integrated Product Policy and the EPR or Extended Producer Responsibility. The two concepts are explicitly and implicitly operationally defined in the book discussing its significance and impact on Packaging (Levy, p. 2). The concept of packaging, the policy, and the environment had very much evolved in the latter part of the years, 1980 and 1900—according to records in the United States of America. However, in Europe the peak of such environmental concern regarding the packaging, policies, and environment reached 5 – 10 years when it was addressed by concerned environmentalists and experts of the subject matter. Retrospection indeed I a helpful tool for evaluating the packaging issue and the problems it may cause in the ecosystem (Levy, p. 4). Subjective is the best adjective which describes the notion on the concern about packaging and the environment. In other words, the related instruments and attention of activists or even the media, with regard to the public concern on packaging and environment is indeed opinionated and one-sided. Moreover, several chapters in this book, ‘Packaging Policy and the Environment’ purport to share vital information about packaging when it tackles the issue on such environmental policies on several countries like Australia, South Africa, Brazil, and Japan (Levy, p. 4). Although the book was able to present what several countries may say on the packaging issue and its impact in the environment of every society, it was still shown that the topic packaging has only taken a small amount of attention from consumers, media ,and the entire population all over the world. Therefore, it only goes to show that packaging policies and the environment is not in every priority list of every government of countries across the globe. It scores very low in media and consumers—it scores low on overall society’s attention (Levy, p. 4). The significance of packaging is highlighted in this book as it must be put into account by every country worldwide. Furthermore, this book ‘Packaging Policy and the Environment’ reviews the vitality of packaging and the best way to do this is the comparison of spent packaging per capita. In addition, put into account that significant variance existing focuses on packaging and that such value spent per capita is not relatively adjusted for parity with purchasing power. Thus, there is no indicated variance in the magnitude of packaging spent per capita among all the areas of the countries across the globe (Levy, p. 3). For the countries Japan, Europe, and North America, records say that a percentage of sixty four percent (64 %) or two thirds (2/3) of their packaging consists of paper or paperboard. In fact, it was in year 1996 that these estimates were evaluated to have reached an amount of five hundred billion dollars ($500 billion). However, most of the time, there exist a tendency to shift the focus of discussion mainly on the topic of used packaging—since it becomes part of a waste. Furthermore, this used packaging topic should not be the sole and prior issue to put emphasis alone (Levy, p. 3). Sad to say, in most developing and newly industrializing countries (specifically among the Western developed nations), the concept of packaging is often associated with waste. This phenomenon is likely to occur for the reason that consumers usually gains awareness or basic knowledge about packaging when they are to notice the packaging during purchase, opening, and the process of throwing the package away after use. Moreover, the issue of packaging during the process when it has not reaches the consumers is seldom given an important emphasis and it is most likely to be unappreciated or devalued (Levy, p.3). In addition, also put into account that the priority list of nations that has to be attended depends on the economical status of the nations or countries itself. It is saying that poorer nations prioritize public health and sanitation in their list and the wealthy nations or society members are those who serve responsibility of handling packaging wastes (Levy, p. 27). As for probing some of the countries’ packaging and environmental policies all over the world, the country of Brazil for instance, shows the best example of those countries categorized as being poor--in such a manner that it assists in the creation of recycling in significant levels and that such reason which accounts to scratch a living instead of a cause for improving the environment (environmental development and improvement) (Levy, p. 13). Waste: Primary Concern in the topic of Packaging In this book, Packaging Policy and the Environment, it is noticeable that for the countries evaluated, Waste, is the primary environmental concern—as it is relatively associated and linked in packaging. On the contrary, the United States of America and some countries do not fall in this category. In fact, several other multiple national approaches to address the packaging policies and environmental issues are said to come out and have materialized concerning the legislation or governing policies in several areas in Europe—the Eastern, Western, and Central Europe (Levy, p. 3). Moreover, the establishment of such national governing legislation structure purports to address concerns in packaging and packaging wastes. Furthermore, packaging and packaging wastes are issues that have become a major interest in most countries across the globe as recorded from packaging companies/organizations; yet, what is fascinating is the organization of initiated formats to implement to put national legislation and governing policies into operation. Perhaps, in Europe, several packaging chain companies address such environmental issues with sense of frustration and somewhat the feeling of oppression for the reason that they exert so much effort by doing so and also, it causes companies major costs in expenditures making the topic on such environmental improvement a continuous and controversial matter among countries that is worth the debate (Levy, p. 6). The Packaging Problem and the problem with packaging It is also spontaneously emphasized in this book, Packaging Policy and the Environment that the apparent and incoming policies consistently reflects the concept of sustainability when major concepts used in this book are mainly grounded on improvement, development, and sustenance of the environment through proper use of packaging. Moreover, most politicians and other activists find and treat packaging problem as synonymous and interchangeable with Packaging. Therefore, such existing policies of the similarity of concepts as initiated by such mentioned active groups are not coincidental. In brief, Packaging is rather treated as a luxury instead of an essential subject matter which needs to be dealt with much attention for environmental and societal cause (Levy, p. 4). To site an example, several opinionated politicians express their ideals in the concept of packaging and according to them, they view packaging as an existing ‘environmental problem’ in which resources used are put into waste. Further, politicians often disregard the importance and vital functions of packaging; plus, they also disregard some of the essential functions of packaging and if it is absent, may result to the following: 1) the dramatic rise of environmental lads and 2) products being spoiled; damaged, or even lost. Unfortunately, politicians also mostly assumes their full knowledge about the subject matter of packaging as they speak and communicate their ideas into public and informs the latter that the occurring waste management problem currently, could no longer be dealt by designated local authorities for funds are no longer available (Levy, p. 8). This book Packaging Policy and the Environment explicitly explains that Packaging in reality, fills every household’s trash bin; thus, packaging is a possible candidate for present and future environmental problems. The major problem is, misinformed politicians perceive that Packaging problem or the problems caused by packaging are just an easy problem which can easily be resolved. Consequentially, proposal of such packaging policies in legislation persists to be utilized and disseminated for its principal or underlying concepts are based on conservative and mythical ideals on the primary role and functions of packaging at a larger scale or macro-society. Moreover, when such conservative and mythical policies as described in the statement above are implemented in the legislation of local/national level, what happens is that the policies that are recently legislated turn out to be oftentimes passé, misleading, erratic, and erroneous at worst (Levy, p. 180). Importance of Convenient Packaging On the contrary, it was also mentioned in this book that convenient packaging is also topic worth to deal with for it is a major requirement for consumer satisfaction. From the past twenty (20) years, Packaging has evolved upon being treated as a progressively sophisticating instrument for marketing purposes. Perhaps, packaging is being widely agreed to be a necessity especially in the latter part of years 1980 and 1990. Further, packaging was coined as a ‘necessary evil’ during the 80s until 90s era for having been a cause of producing too much, unnecessary waste. Of course, concerns about the environment never cease, it is continuous and it progresses as time goes though most consumers got tired of such unending, irresolvable waste packaging issues. In fact, it was in 1990s when the consumers’ satisfaction is inclusive of meeting the demand of such convenient, user-friendly features (easy-to-use) containers of various types of packaging. Relatively, it is therefore at the same time reasonable to give adequate attention in recycling and packaging recovery. Thus, ensuing policies concerning packaging chain are foreseen to be going good as year 2000 progresses. In conclusion, Levy says that sustainable and environmental improvement is envisioned to be attainable as what the current industry indicates—for everything in the ecosystem or in the environment is connected and everything else is interrelated; meaning, one affects the other (Levy, p. 181). Conclusion This book on Packaging Policy and the Environment is dedicated to tackle every issue related on packaging and the topic of packaging itself in its entire context. The book focuses on describing the world of packaging which is currently evolving and continuously changing as time progresses. The attitudes of people, specifically activists or politicians also change with regard to their concern on the essentiality of packaging: as their information regarding the topic of packaging increases, the more they gain awareness and so as their concern regarding the possible factor of an environmental problem if taken for granted and left unattended. Packaging Policy and the Environment aims to discover, comprehend, and to act upon or respond in the current various pressures brought about by packaging nowadays. This book has the objective to re-evaluate and correct false notions and mythical conceptions regarding some factors which plays a role and poses impact on the environment and society. The structure and focus of this book of this book are carefully created in such a way that it identifies and explains the essential, contemporary issues (political, public, or environmental issues) concerning the subject matter of packaging, policies, and the environment and the actions made by people: individuals, politicians, or any other members of the society in response to the current issue of packaging all over the globe. In brief, Levy purports to explicitly impart to the readers that packaging plays a vital role in the economy and society. References Levy, G. (2000). Packaging Policy and the Environment. 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