08. Some ESG Thoughts valid in current times - Part 2

In continuation of the previous article on this topic, I would like to point out some of the wrongful practices of our society that aims to destabilize the aims of sustainable development.

1.      VAPES

What used to be a refuse of paper and tobacco is now becoming plastic/battery/coil and residual chemicals.

We do not have an inexhaustible supply of raw materials of metals and hence we have to be careful about where we deploy them and also have to consider leaving some for the next generation for their R&D. It is painful to see single-use and throw vapes of various colours and sizes strewn in the streets!

2.      FOOD WRAPPING/PACKAGING

I saw a package of chewing gums where –

-          The individual chewing gum is wrapped in some paper

-          The stack of 5 gums were wrapped up in a stiff paper and

-          Finally, the outer packaging with brand and name details is seen covering the inner wrapping.

-          A stack of 10 such gums are again packaged into a single SKU using paper and cellophane.

What a waste of a very essential resource like paper! And not to mention that it is just to cover a single SKU of chewing gums.

In many food wrappings, we are able to see this kind of overuse of packaging materials and focus should be to have a sustainability focussed packaging practices.

The most economically viable and environmentally sensitive packaging options should be chosen for each and every food consumables – one at a time! Consumers should prefer food with less packaging to the one with elaborate and wasteful packaging.

3.      DISPOSABLE SYRINGES/NEEDLES

I do not differ when we adopt the use of disposable syringes/needles on clinically identified vulnerable groups. But if we use it on each and every visiting patient, we are talking about millions of units each day that consists of needles, pipes, vials etc.,    whose plastic/metal constituents can be deployed elsewhere where the value outcome is on the higher side. Consider the nightmare of disposing them after use. I have seen articles where the medical waste of one country is dumped into the port of a poor country where it is recycled by spurious elements of the society as brand new!    

Why can’t we improve and adopt sterilizing practices? May be modern heating technologies and chemicals can provide us with better options around sterilizations.

https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/disinfection-sterilization/sterilization.html