Environment

The modern chip bag took decades to evolve from a single sheet to a complicated mix of plastics and aluminum. The design, referred to as a multilayered package, is used in everything from juice boxes to ketchup packets to yogurt pouches. The use of so many materials means the packaging is almost never recycled.

Most of the world's sugar comes from sugarcane. But the plant is so difficult to harvest that farmers often set their fields on fire first to get rid of leaves and unwanted pests. That's how most sugarcane is harvested in Florida, the largest producer of sugar in the US. Residents who live near the fields say the giant smoke clouds are is making them sick.

In a tiny Kentucky town, Maker's Mark produces one of America's most famous bourbon whiskeys. Known worldwide for its bottles' iconic red wax, the company sells over 3 million cases of bourbon each year.

Sand is the most mined resource in the world. But extracting it from lakes and rivers comes at a deadly cost — and could have dire consequences for the environment.