This MP3 player is encased in "green" Natralock packaging made by MeadWestvaco. The company makes several versions of its paperboard and plastic package, which is supposed to cost less than the traditional oyster.
It can also be made with recycled materials and plant-based plastics. One version tears open, another is tear-resistant, and another will tear once a nick is made along the edge. This writer found that the plastic blister pops out easily once the board is cut.
Software and music companies are experimenting with biodegradable plastic wraps and cases. Downloading their products, however, eliminates packaging entirely.
Standards are lacking for consumer labels to explain the ecological sustainability of product packaging. However, some paper items that meet conservation standards of the Forest Stewardship Council brandish the FSC logo. And plastic packages labeled with the numbers 1 or 2 can be recycled in some regions. The numeric system identifying plastic resins was developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry.
Photo by MeadWestvaco
