I live in Europe but sometimes shop at Asian supermarkets here. One of the things I notice with almost everything I buy there is that plastic packaging feels a lot thicker than that on European products. Is there a rational reason for this? Are plastics simply cheaper? Or do people worry more that products might spoil? Are these different types of plastics?
I sometimes wonder why anything is wrapped in plastic at all. So many products are wrapped in plastic for seemingly no other reason than to indicate that it’s unopened.
If it’s edible, plastic help with preserving the food a bit longer. If it’s wet or moist, the plastic will prevent the product from making a big mess.
You could use paper or cardboard too, and that would be good for the environment but bad for everything else. You could use metal or glass containers too, but that’s really expensive and inconvenient. Plastic is the most appealing option as far as manufacturing, shipping, storage and sales are concerned.
In order to change that, you would need to vote for politicians who make plastic more expensive for the companies.
Mostly plastic is used because it’s cheap and convenient, but paper alternatives are completely feasible.
Are those products imported from Asia?
If so the transport might require packaging them to survive the trip.I doubt that. For one, it’s not just exported foods — similar types of packaging are used at least in Japan domestically.
For two, I’d presume that in either case, domestic and export, the retail packaging is shipped within a carton within a carton and then wrapped in cling foil and placed on a palette. Iow, the packaging shouldn’t need to be hardier for export, because the outer layer(s) of corrugated cardboard and extra plastic should take any occurring damage.
It can be a signal for caring and cleanliness. I know I’ve experienced restaurants in China where they deliver the dishes and cutlery you will be eating off of in shrinkwrap to signal they are clean, plus provide you a bowl to “rinse” the dishes in tea to make sure they are hygenic. Always thought that was really strange.