MAGNO CONSUMER INSIGHTS – Month 9: Promoting Non-Use and Sustainable Packaging
In the ninth chapter of our Consumer Awareness Campaign, we shifted the focus from disposal to prevention. Because the most effective packaging is often the one that is never used.
This month, MAGNO explored what it really means to reduce reliance on packaging: when it is safe to buy food unpackaged, why reusable systems are not a futuristic fantasy but something we once mastered, how different materials compare across their life cycles, and why so-called “biodegradable” plastics may not be the miracle they promise to be.
The key message? Sustainable packaging is not just about choosing better materials — it is about questioning the system that makes single-use the default.
Through four articles, we examined packaging from different angles, from everyday consumer decisions to structural economic models:
1. PROMOTION OF NON-USE OF PACKAGING: REDUCING RELIANCE THROUGH INFORMED CHOICES
We opened the month by asking a simple but powerful question: when is packaging truly necessary? Written by Phil Rosenow, this article unpacked the difference between containers and packaging, and highlighted how many foods — from loose produce to dry staples — can safely be bought without disposable wrapping. By examining portioning, barcodes, and protective functions, the piece encouraged readers to look closely at what packaging actually does. In many cases, it serves convenience more than protection. The message was not to eliminate packaging blindly, but to make informed decisions that balance shelf life, food safety, and waste prevention.
2. IT IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE: SUPPORTING REUSABLE PACKAGING
The second article reminded us that reuse is not innovation — it is memory. From glass milk bottles to textile bread bags, reusable systems were once common practice. This piece explored why single-use packaging became dominant and why recycling alone cannot solve the waste crisis. It called for community engagement, business leadership, and stronger policy frameworks to normalize deposit-return schemes, refill systems, and durable packaging models. The takeaway was clear: reuse is not complicated. It requires political will, infrastructure, and a shift away from convenience-driven business models.
3. SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING ALTERNATIVES: COMPARING MATERIALS
Plastic often dominates today’s shelves, but is replacing it automatically better? This article took readers through the life cycle of packaging materials — glass, metal, paper, fossil plastics, and bioplastics — examining resources, manufacturing, transport, and durability. It showed that every material comes with trade-offs. Glass and metal are energy-intensive to produce; paper uses large amounts of water; plastics are lightweight but persist in the environment. The piece encouraged readers to move beyond simplistic judgments and understand that sustainability depends on context, system design, and reuse potential.
4. THE PROS AND CONS OF BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS
We closed the month by addressing one of the most controversial topics in packaging: biodegradable plastics. Marketed as a miracle solution, these materials often require specific industrial conditions to break down — conditions rarely met in everyday environments. While they can offer benefits in controlled systems, without proper infrastructure and regulation they risk becoming another form of greenwashing. The article challenged consumers to look beyond labels and called for systemic change rather than material substitution alone.
At MAGNO, we believe that reducing packaging waste starts long before disposal. Month 9 highlighted that the most powerful action is often prevention: refusing unnecessary packaging, supporting reuse systems, and demanding accountability in how materials are produced and marketed.
Because sustainability is not about swapping one disposable material for another. It is about redesigning the systems that make disposability seem inevitable.
Stay tuned as we continue exploring how informed citizens, responsible businesses, and forward-thinking policies can turn packaging from a problem into an opportunity for circular change.
