Would more energy be conserved if plastic packaging were replaced by non-plastic alternatives?
No. In fact, the total energy used in manufacturing plastic packaging is considerably less than the energy used to produce non-plastic alternatives — even when the inherent energy value of plastics’ raw materials is factored in. This means that without plastics, the equivalent of an additional 58 million barrels of oil or 325 billion cubic feet of natural gas would have been required to meet America’s packaging needs in 1990. That’s enough to meet the energy needs of 100,000 homes for 35 years.
