5 Ways to Make Your Packaging More Sustainable

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Last Updated on May 12, 2023

URL: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/box-delivery-package-parcel-5766346/

URL: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/box-delivery-package-parcel-5766346/

Unsustainable packaging utilizes plastic and other unnatural materials, which end up in the ocean, landfills, and littering landscapes. This threatens marine, avian, and human life. Plastic packaging also pollutes the environment and is unsafe for animals. However, investing in eco-friendly packaging can be quite rewarding. It reduces carbon footprint, is biodegradable, easily disposable, and has no harmful toxins, including crude oil, which makes most plastic.

Green packaging can be recycled or reused, is versatile, enhances brand image, reduces shipping costs, and expands customer base. This article outlines five ways to make your packaging more sustainable.

  1. Utilize biodegradable materials

Biodegradable packaging is the epitome of sustainability because it’s made using natural materials, meaning it entirely deteriorates upon disposal. It’s made from materials you can compost commercially or at home. Biodegradable packaging is usually plant-based, offering a healthier option to plastic and foam. This packaging is dissolvable and compostable, making it quite eco-friendly.

Compostable materials are a smart way to ensure your packaging positively impacts the environment. Alternatively, you can buy ready-to-use environmentally-friendly take out containers and other packaging solutions if you find making sustainable packaging costly and time-consuming.

  1. Collaborate with packaging manufacturers with eco-friendly supply chains

How your packaging is made and transported is crucial to ensuring its sustainability. Consider partnering with manufacturing plants that procure essential materials from sustainable sources (preferably local) and are mindful of not damaging the environment and local communities via their processes. Eco-friendly suppliers also utilize healthy technologies, including renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, and don’t release hazardous emissions during production.

Eco-friendly packaging practices imply that your manufacturer maximizes energy and water efficiency and recaptures them for reuse. Transportation is another supply chain stage that can negatively impact the environment via pollution. You reduce your carbon footprint by buying packaging from manufacturers that use environmentally friendly distribution options like electric vehicle fleets and rail.

  1. Consider edible packaging

Edible packaging is a sustainable packaging option created from plant-based materials which can be eaten and is biodegradable and natural. It’s an excellent way to minimize dependence on plastic while generating minimal waste as opposed to other packaging solutions. Using edible packaging for your company can help meet consumer expectations. This packaging is also diverse, which makes it valuable.

  1. Ship in smaller packages

Minimizing the packaging you utilize can help reduce your carbon footprint. This implies using small boxes, containers, and bags for your items, helping you become more sustainable and lowering your shipping expenses. Reducing your shipment’s size begins with buying small packing supplies and applying fewer filler materials.

Where possible, explore your product’s positioning and size to determine if they can fit in small packages. For instance, if you deal in items that can be disassembled, like furniture, play around with different ways for positioning the various components to pick the one that saves maximum space.

  1. Design your packaging for reuse

Reusable packaging is multipurpose, which helps ensure it doesn’t end up in landfills but is repurposed. For example, you can use attractively designed cardboard boxes to deliver products and reuse them for other things like keeping them on display or using them for storage.

Endnote

Green packaging is an excellent way to support eco-friendly living. Consider using these tips to make your packaging more sustainable. 

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