According to a recent report prepared by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, “[g]reenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface air temperature and subsurface ocean temperature to rise. While the specific impacts of global warming are uncertain, many scientists believe that significant changes to weather patterns, agricultural patterns, and water resources will occur over time. These changes are expected to impact human populations, particularly those living in coastal areas. Economic and societal risks associated with global warming justify action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Much of this action should be focused on U.S. industrial activities, because the United States produces nearly a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Significant quantities of known greenhouse gases (GHG), including carbon dioxide and methane, are produced as a direct result of the manufacture of new industrial packagings. Reuse of industrial packagings limits GHG production by reducing the environmental burdens associated with packaging manufacturing operations. To date, reductions in natural resource and energy demands, as well as waste generation associated therewith, have been quantified for the steel drum.
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTIM) defines industrial packagings as “…packages used for the transportation or storage of commodities, the contents of which are not meant for retail sale without being repackaged.” In excess of 100 million industrial packagings are sold annually in the U.S.
All manufacturing sectors in the U.S., including those producing chemicals, paints, adhesives, oil, lubricants and foodstuffs, use industrial packagings to store and transport finished and unfinished commodities. RIPA and its partners are working to educate industrial packaging users about the environmental, energy, and cost benefits of reuse.
The information shown below provides detailed information about industrial packagings and climate change issues. Just click on the document links of interest and learn why reuse is good for the environment.
|
