Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World (Paperback)

by Daniel Imhoff (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The deceptively simple supermarket choice echoed in the title of this timely book looms large in a Western consumer society that is clearly on a collision course with the planet's life-support systems. Do we clearcut forests, process pulp, and bleach it with chlorine to make paper bags? Or do we make a pact with demon hydrocarbon, refining ancient sunlight into handy plastics? About half the total volume of America's municipal solid waste is packaging-at least 300 pounds per person each year-and the "upstream" costs in energy and resources used to make packaging are even more alarming. In this fascinating look at the world of packaging, writer Daniel Imhoff and photographer/designer Roberto Carra give consumers, product designers, and policymakers the information we need to take steps toward a more sustainable future. They delve into the histories and life cycles of packaging materials and look at the countless ways that packaged goods shape our culture. Using case studies, they explore the positive trends that are changing packaging, including producer responsibility and "take-back" laws being enacted in Europe; the eco-design movement; plant-based plastics; labeling to disclose the ecological and social impacts of products; and producing and consuming locally and in bulk versus the wasteful global exchange of single-serving containers. Carra's remarkable color photographs illustrate both the important functions of packaging and its many unintended consequences around the globe. Despite recent advances, the packaging problem keeps growing, Imhoff warns. Real solutions must incorporate new (or rediscovered) ways of producing, distributing, packaging, consuming, reusing, and reprocessing products and materials. As consumers, there's much we can do, and Paper or Plastic? offers a checklist for consumer action, along with resources for information on products, programs, and policy options. It's one book that is truly worth the recycled paper it's printed on. Illustrations: 30 color photographs, 30 duotones

From the Inside Flap
"Pull the right thread and the whole world unravels its secrets. Dan Imhoff has found a terrific one in the packaging of industrial civilization, everpresent yet invisible, and, in his capable hands, endlessly fascinating."--Michael Pollan

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Sierra Club Books; 1 edition (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578051177
• ISBN-13: 978-1578051175
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #269,881 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #34 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Environment > Recycling
  #54 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Civil > Environmental > Solid Waste Management

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overwhelming statistics that will shock you into action, April 9, 2006

By	Purple Shades (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I really liked this book for telling me about things that I haden't thought of before, although I thought myself to be an evironmentally aware person. Some of the statistics are breathtaking. Facts are supported by visuals and an attractive layout. As a general reader with no specific education in the environmental science field, it was a bit dry for me at times, but well worth the read. I made lasting changes in my every day life due to the book, and can't get the statistics about plastic bottles and only small amounts of the actually recyclables making it to a "next life" beyond the garbage dump out of my head. Quite life changing.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-organized and informative, July 5, 2006

By	AvidReader "sportsfan25" - See all my reviews

If every person in America understood the energy, chemicals, natural resources and money that went into creating packages, it's likely our consumption habits would dramatically change. Imhoff does a great job of detailing the hazards and challenges of packaging, without being preachy - he lets the statistics and facts tell the story. This book informs, amazes, and startles the reader.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I would recommend this book., January 11, 2007

By	J. Pauly - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is excellent and a very easy read. It does a great job of breaking down the different products and their impact on the environment. There are great examples of companies that are doing their part to help reduce the negative impact on the environment.