Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World

The deceptively simple supermarket choice echoed in the title symbolizes the dilemma of a society on a collision course with the planet’s life-support systems. About one-third 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 and timely book, author Daniel Imhoff unwraps the packaging problem and gives consumers, product designers, and policymakers the information they need to take steps toward a more sustainable future.