A slight diversion from plastic but most paper mills these days put great emphasis on environmental impact. It is true they consume large amounts of energy and that is not disputed but the days of mass pollution of rivers are coming to an end. Most have something called ISO14001 which monitors the mills environmental impact and most go much further than that in terms of ensuring water is returned to waterways in the same state it came in. Part of my job involves buying around 1000 tonnes of carton board every year and our customers demand that it is sourced from accredited mills. The ones I deal with range from Germany, Austria, the UK, Chin, Chile and the USA. All comply. The Chinese ones in particular are very forward thinking - they have to be as the end market users demand this. Recycled board has its place too but not for food packaging as our friends in Europe and the USA are worried that there may be residual deposits of harmful chemicals which may taint food. So cardboard has a very bright future but in my experience the retailers absolute obsession with plastic has to be overcome.
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