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Paper or plastic? That’s not an easy answer any more
Paper is not always the green choice that advocates seek or claim, and can be worse than plastic in some cases
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Paper has become a favoured alternative to plastic. But it’s not always the green choice that advocates seek – or claim.
PHOTO: PEXELS
Adam Minter
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Paper is the environmentally superior alternative to plastic. Except, what if it’s not?
In a series of recent studies, researchers presented hundreds of shoppers with two granola bars, and asked which is more environmentally friendly: the one in a plastic wrapper enclosed in an additional layer of paper, or an identical plastic-packaged bar, minus the paper.
