Every shopping bag, every takeaway cup, every tube of sunscreen adds up to planetary harm. Packaging, once discarded, ends up in landfills, polluting land, air, water and affects living things adversely.
It’s difficult to see packaging for the harm they cause when it’s woven itself into every aspect of our lives. But once you start noticing, it’s hard to stop. Consumers are more informed than ever before and are riddled with climate anxiety, unable to do much to reduce waste on their part because everything they buy comes in many layers of packaging. As a business, it is your responsibility to make a top-down change. The answer lies in sustainable packaging.
What is Sustainable Packaging?
Sustainable packaging looks different for every business based on the product and its needs. It takes into consideration the entire life cycle of the products from the prototyping stage to the consumer receiving it in their hands. Some try to reduce it to a simple matter of recyclability, but it goes far beyond that. Put simply, sustainability is the process of ensuring that we make wise use of the limited resources we have for the long-term viability of a society dependent on said resources.
Unsustainable practices abound in every stage of the supply chain. The product could be manufactured overseas and sent in excessive packaging from where even more packaging material is used to send off to retailers. Packaging prototypes are often discarded as they’re ill-fitted for the vision you have for your product or business. When you go for e-commerce, even more packaging is added for shipping purposes. Then there are matters of excess inventory, return of used products, damaged packaging, etc.
Packaging is not the be-all and end-all of corporate responsibility in the environment-friendly space, but it is the most visible to customers and hence the most scrutinized.
Businesses are in a hurry to present themselves as eco-friendly to customers, but end up slapping on ‘eco-friendly’ labels without making any meaningful efforts. This is a dishonest measure bound to disappoint customers. But it’s also a missed opportunity for businesses to make their operations more cost-effective. To learn how you can make meaningful changes, you first need to know about sustainable packaging materials.
Why Successful Businesses Use Sustainable Packaging?
- Environmental Impact– Sustainable packaging helps you reduce the amount of waste your business contributes to the planet. It reduces resource wastage in the production process, opening up funds for other parts of your business.
- Eco-conscious customers– Packaging that’s excessive or made of unsustainable material can brand your business as ‘wasteful’ and ruin your brand’s reputation. It can also reduce purchases as customers feel anxious about the amount of waste they’re generating through repeated purchases of your product. You want your product to make customers feel good, not guilty.
- Cost reduction– More packaging means more production, which means more money spent that could go to better use. It also adds to the cost of labour, performing waste management and landfill dumping costs per tonnage.
- Corporate Social Responsibility– Environmentally friendly business practices are part of your corporate social responsibility. It makes for a better landscape for your business to operate in. It also cultivates quality stakeholder relationships by showing that you’re a trustworthy partner who thinks beyond short-term solutions.
- Legal compliance– Every emirate has its own laws regarding use, production, and disposal of wastes. Sustainable packaging is absolutely necessary to adhere to the laws of the Emirates where you operate.
- Business sustainability– It’s hard to continue business in a world where the resources required are diminishing, to create a world where your business can no longer operate.
- Innovation– Thinking sustainably can lead to new ideas in packaging that can reduce costs and help your products stand out in a competitive marketplace.
- Supporting local businesses– Not only is it important to use sustainable packaging, but also to reduce the carbon footprint of acquiring said packaging. If your product is made or sold in the UAE, you do the planet a huge favor by not moving the items across the sea just for packaging. Find packaging solutions nearby and reduce cost, emissions, and have more control over packaging design.
Sustainable Packaging Materials
- Compostable materials– These are materials that decompose back into the earth without leaving behind harmful chemicals. It’s usually made of plant materials like corn, wheat, and bamboo.
- Corrugated packaging– This is the most recycled packaging material as most of them can be recycled up to 7-10 times. Most corrugated packaging is already recycled. It is easily collapsible for transportation to recycling facilities. It’s also easy to separate additions like staples. It can often be made from residual products in the paper-making industry and so makes utmost use of resources and reduces waste. It is lightweight while also being the best option for protecting the contents, bringing down shipping costs and shipping fuel use.
- Glass packaging– Glass is the oldest form of reusable packaging. Customers feel a sense of luxury using glass packaging as opposed to plastic, adding brand value. It is however not so sustainable for shipping because of its weight. This can be counteracted by offering refill pouches or refill stations at stores to reduce their carbon footprint while offering packaging that’s eco-friendly and luxurious.
- Paper packaging– Paper bags and packaging are biodegradable, recyclable, and lightweight. It causes much less harm than plastic packaging and is available more readily compared to other eco-friendly options that need to be shipped from longer distances, negating any benefits. It’s also more cost-effective and accessible for smaller businesses that cannot afford niche eco eco-friendly materials that aren’t yet available on a large scale.
- Paper tape– Rather than using plastic tape to seal your products, opt for paper tape. It is more eco-friendly and can elegantly incorporate branding.
- Stone paper– It is composed of 80% calcium carbonate (limestone) and ecological binder 20%). It is naturally white, meaning there is no adverse effect from paper bleaching for vibrantly colored packaging. It’s more durable, waterproof, and oil resistant. But beware, not all producers use eco biners, going instead for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) – plastic.
- Air Pillows– They’re used to fill voids in packaging and facilitate the safe transportation of fragile items. They’re more environmentally friendly than packing peanuts and bubble wraps as they use less plastic and rely on air. Packing pillows arrive uninflated from suppliers, reducing their weight and space required for lower transportation costs. They’re also more elegant than other void fillers, making for a better customer experience.
- Eco-friendly ink– Ink often goes under the radar when you’re considering the sustainability of your packaging. Traditional printing ink is made of petroleum-based pigments. Opt instead for plant-based inks, UV inks, algae ink, and water-based inks. Innovations in the field have made way for good quality inks in vibrant colors of your choice. They can have a unique finish, giving your packaging a distinctive appearance.
These are only a few alternative packaging materials. Each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages that will be better understood by having a conversation with your local packaging experts. You would’ve noticed that no material is fully eco-friendly, all of them coming with caveats. So here are 7 easy pointers that you can use to reduce the environmental impact of your packaging:
The 7 Rs to Make Sustainable Packaging
You’ve heard about the 3 Rs- reduce, reuse, and recycle. But sustainability in packaging goes beyond that from a business standpoint. Businesses are the decision-makers and so empowered to be change-makers in the industry. This practical framework can guide you in making the most sustainable packaging you can for your product type:
- Rethink– It is the conventional methods of packaging that have been contributing to pollution and climate change. Thinking outside the box rather than following industry trends can help you innovate to reduce the use of material, incorporate more recycled material, lower the emissions in the custom packaging production process. Minor errors in packaging production can create large amounts of waste. Refuse to waste them completely by offering them at a reduced cost to customers. They’d appreciate it more than you think.
- Remove– Refuse to overpack your products. Eliminate unnecessary elements that add material, layers, weight and make for a poor user experience. See if you can merge different elements of packaging into one element that performs all of their functions.
- Reuse– Single-use packaging is the main culprit in packaging waste. By implementing return programs for packaging, you can get back packaging that can be sterilized for safe reuse in production.
- Reduce– Small steps to reduce the weight, size, and quantity of packaging material goes a long way as we’re speaking of a large scale of operations. Refill packaging that can be placed in the original attractive packaging is a great way to reduce costs and incentivize customers to be loyal to your brand.
- Repurpose– By using packaging that can be used more than once, you make significant contributions to a greener future. Packaging made with functionality and appearance in mind incentivizes customers to repurpose rather than discard them. When using customized packaging for your brand, it also makes for free advertisement in their home.
- Recycle– It may be difficult to get consumer-level packaging back for recycling. Plus, transportation really adds up to cost and fuel use. Recycle packaging items in the other stages of the supply chain that are easier to collect.
- Rot– It is always better to go for packaging that decomposes when you can. It makes things easier both for you and your customers, creating convenience.
This is only a beginner’s guide to sustainable packaging. You’ll find a lot more solutions customized to your business’s unique needs when you consult with a professional packaging company.
