Can you name a material that seems impossible to live without? No doubt, it’s plastic.

From the water bottle you are drinking from to the packaging you are using in your business, everywhere is plastic. It’s no secret that these plastics don’t degrade quickly. As a result, it is affecting our water, soil, and food chain. Here’s when sustainable packaging becomes essential for life. Especially, as a business owner, you have the responsibility to educate and motivate your customers for a sustainable living. It not only benefits the environment but also enhances your brand value. Want to know how? Keep reading and you’ll get the answer.

What does Sustainable Packaging Mean?

Simply explained, it is packaging that lowers its environmental impact over time. This can occur in a variety of ways: by using 100% recycled or unprocessed materials, by lowering the cost of production, the length of the supply chain, and the carbon impact, establishing a circular economy around packaging by extending its life cycle and usage.

For example, eco packaging, as the name implies, is all about the environment. You must focus on economic and social aspects too. Another type of sustainable packaging is plant-based packaging.

It’s common that people cultivate crops by removing threatened rainforests. It is unhealthy for our environment. In a broader way, creating a chaos among the environment will not bode us good result.

Hence, you should also consider the economic aspect of green packaging. It must be cost-effective as compared to standard oil-based/single-use packaging choices.

Advantages of Sustainable Packaging

So, why should your company invest in environmentally friendly packaging? The main goal of these eco-friendly packaging solutions is to protect the world’s ecosystems, ensuring the quality and viability of human life in the long run. Other advantages include:

• Efficiency in Production: Recycled materials are frequently used in eco-friendly and sustainable packaging, decreasing resource waste during manufacture. The production process is also more efficient, lowering resource consumption and the negative impact your company has on the environment.

• Enhanced Brand Image: Environment-friendly packaging will enhance your business image by demonstrating to customers that you are a responsible company that values the environment. This might result in more sales, boosting your company’s income and earnings.

• Adaptable Packaging Solution: Sustainable packaging is extremely adaptable, and it may be employed in practically any significant business that currently uses traditional packaging. Whatever you need to package or transport, there is an environmentally friendly alternative that can suit your demands.

Key Factors to Look in Sustainable Packaging

If you want to develop or use sustainable packaging solutions, you must consider a few key factors before start using them. It is more of a quality check for your business – both the environment and your business should receive benefits.

Durability:

Down-gauging will be supported by stiffer and stronger materials, which will allow converters to cut through the material with less waste and product damage. As a consequence, smaller, more convenient packaging is created that is optimized without sacrificing security.

Processability:

Materials that allow for more efficient processing and output can reduce labor and material costs while lowering energy and waste.

Recyclability and Renewability

Using recyclable materials may save you money while also demonstrating to your clients that you care about the environment. Full life cycle management may also incorporate effective recycling into manufacturing, lowering both environmental impact and total costs.

Weight

The weight of packages has the potential to improve distribution and transit efficiency, with lighter packages being the best option. Millions of tons of packing materials are consumed each year, so even saving a few grams on the weight of your goods may rapidly add up for both your bottom line and the environment.

Creating Sustainable Solutions

There is no such thing as a perfectly sustainable package, thus developing a sustainable packaging solution is a process. Instead, the objective is to gradually increase package sustainability over time in order to lessen the package’s total environmental effect. Keep the following suggestions in mind when creating a new sustainable packaging solution:

Think of Natural Materials:

Over the last several years, sustainable packaging has been more popular than ever, as many businesses have realized that environmentally friendly materials appeal to a rising consumer base. These materials may be recycled, dye-free, or virgin, and they are less harmful to the environment than other possibilities.

Examine Your Distribution System for Space-Saving Options:

Excess materials, storage, handling, and transportation can all be a result of wasted package space. To reduce the size of a package while retaining its integrity, first determine the known size of the preferred means of delivery, and then lower the package size to fit everything at the lowest cost.

Make Your Packaging Recyclable or Reusable:

Recycling is one of the most efficient techniques to conserve energy used during the production process. While certain materials, like paper, are commonly recyclable, other elements that may be added to your product for functionality may not be. As new alternatives emerge on a regular basis, it’s critical to keep them in mind when creating your packaging solution.

Use Corrugated Materials

Corrugated paper goods, often known as cardboard, are among the most recycled materials on the earth. These containers and boxes are simple to recycle, and they are often reused by both consumers and companies for transferring and storing a variety of things.

Conduct Sustainability on Your Packaging:

Understanding the lifetime of your packaging materials and goods may aid in process improvement. An audit can assist you in identifying the source of your packaging issues and examining the genuine performance of your packaging system.

Final Thoughts

Sustainable packaging will help you save money by reducing the quantity of packaging you use and will lower the environmental impact. There are several methods to make your packaging more environmentally friendly, and the best strategy depends on your company. You must guarantee that your initiatives stay, whether you want to employ eco-friendly products, change vendors, or streamline your supply chain operations. Doing things one step at a time, measuring the outcomes, and then expanding from there is the best approach to go about it. However, if you are not ready to create sustainable packaging solution, bioplastic companies like EcoVia, are always ready to serve you.