Case Study

Background

Over recent decades, plastic cling wrap has become an important staple in many kitchens: it is primarily used to seal food in containers, thereby helping to keep that food fresher for longer. However, and as the name suggests, plastic cling wrap comes with a significant drawback: it is made from plastic, which means that the wrap will not naturally decompose for hundreds of years. Plastic cling wrap is also ultimately made from oil, so using products like plastic cling wrap helps to continue our dependence on fossil fuels.

Product

Great Wrap is a Melbourne-based brand that makes plastic-free, compostable cling wrap.

Product design

• Great Wrap is a bioplastic that is made from potato waste. Great Wrap is therefore made from what would otherwise be thrown away.
• By virtue of being made from bioplastic, Great Wrap is BPA free. BPA is found in some plastics and has been linked to a range of health issues in humans.
• Great Wrap is 100% compostable; when added to your compost bin, it will fully break down in under 180 days. If Great Wrap is instead sent to landfill, it will break down in 1 - 3 years.
• Great Wrap has been certified by DIN CERTCO (an independent, international accreditation agency) as meeting two Australian compostable standards: Home Compostable AS 5810 and Compostable AS 4736.
• Great Wrap is microwave safe.
• Great Wrap is fridge and freezer safe.
• Each roll of Great Wrap contains 30m of cling wrap.

Product positioning

Great Wrap is targeted at people who are interested in minimising their plastic waste and reducing their environmental impact more broadly.

Product pricing

A 30m roll of Great Wrap cling wrap is available for AU$7.48.

Question 4.

Background

According to Glad, one of the leading manufacturers of plastic cling wrap in Australia, around 9 in 10 Australian households buy plastic cling wrap.

Compared to plastic cling wraps, Great Wrap is much more sustainable:

• Great Wrap is made from potato waste that would otherwise be thrown away.
• Great Wrap is free of plastics.
• Great Wrap quickly decomposes when placed in a compost bin.

Nevertheless, Great Wrap is not a completely environmental impact-free product. For example, just like plastic cling wraps:

• Energy is required to accumulate the raw materials used to manufacture Great Wrap, and to transport these raw materials to Great Wrap's manufacturing facility.
• Energy is required to manufacture Great Wrap.
• Energy is required to distribute Great Wrap to retailers and consumers.

More broadly, Great Wrap and plastic cling wraps are typically single-use products, which means that any energy used in the creation and distribution of the product is lost after just one use. Before plastic cling wrap was invented, households found other solutions for keeping food fresher for longer, such as by placing lids on containers or using beeswax wraps. More recently, other solutions have been identified, including reusable silicon food wraps. These alternative food wraps also require energy to manufacture and distribute, but if they are reused over an extended period, they may result in lower environmental impacts.

Ethical analysis

Drawing on the material provided in the Question 4 background:

• Useutilitarianism to evaluate the ethicality of Great Wrap's environmental impacts relative to the environmental impacts of its competitors.
• UseKant's categorical imperative to evaluate the ethicality of Great Wrap's environmental impact relative to its competitors.
• Compare the outcomes arising from your application ofutilitarianism andKant's categorical imperative, and drawing on this comparison, outline which approach you agree with and why.