Packaging can make up about one-third of all municipal solid waste. Mindful of the environment and their bottom lines, companies are trying to reduce that.
British supermarkets are selling beer in glass bottles that are a third lighter than they were a few years ago. Unilever, which makes products like Dove cleansers and Sure deodorant, has pledged to reduce its packaging by a third by 2020. Dell is cushioning computers and server parts with wheat straw and a compostable, mushroom-based material, instead of polystyrene.