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Sustainable packaging design is becoming a must for many brands around the world. The goal is to package products in a way that does the least harm to the environment. A more sustainable packaging design can be achieved by using eco-friendly alternative materials, using less packaging, and making the recycling of the packaging easy. Of course, the packaging still needs to be functional and fully protect its contents.
There are significant advantages to sustainable packaging and sometimes just a few simple changes to the design can make a difference.
Reduce Waste and Carbon Footprint
One of the most obvious reasons to implement sustainable packaging materials and processes is to reduce the impact on the environment. By packaging with fewer materials, less packaging waste is created. The use of eco-friendly materials that are lightweight, compostable, plant-based, 100% recyclable, biodegradable, or made of other recycled waste material reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emissions and energy used to process your products.
Improve Brand Image and Reputation
One of the most obvious reasons to implement sustainable packaging materials and processes is to reduce the impact on the environment. By packaging with fewer materials, less packaging waste is created. The use of eco-friendly materials that are lightweight, compostable, plant-based, 100% recyclable, biodegradable, or made of other recycled waste material reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emissions and energy used to process your products.
Paying attention to how you are affecting the environment and making a positive social impact is both necessary and beneficial to your organization. A 2021 survey by the Boston Consulting Group found that 57% of consumers are less likely to buy products in packaging that is harmful to the environment. The focus on brands that are committed to sustainability will only continue to grow. By making green changes to your products and packaging, you are improving your image and creating additional ways to market.
Decrease Material and Shipping Costs
Using eco-friendly materials or a reduced amount of materials results in a lighter overall package. This can reduce the overall cost of packaging material as well as shipping costs. Lighter smaller packages result in less weight, less space, and fewer transports.
Sustainable packaging doesn't mean having to use a boring brown box. Here are examples of a few creative sustainable packaging designs from various industries.
Sustainable Beer Packaging
The beer industry has historically been a non-environmentally friendly business. The process of brewing beer uses a large amount of energy, water, and other ingredients in itself. Then there are the transportation emissions and the packaging waste. Sustainable practices and guidelines are becoming more common in the industry along with new packaging materials and strategies emerging.
Breweries are proudly displaying sustainability seals on their beer packaging, ditching plastic ring can carriers for plant-based alternatives, and increasing the amount of recycled content used in bottles, cans, and shipping materials.
A true innovator in the industry, the world-famous Danish brewery Carlsberg has gone all-in on sustainability. Every multi-pack of Carlsberg is covered in shrink wrap made from 100% recycled material and every six-pack uses an innovative glue technology to create a Snap Pack instead of using carrier rings. This had led to Carlberg’s packaging being 100% post-recycled content and removing an estimated 2400,000 pounds of plastic per year.
Sustainable Beauty and Cosmetic Packaging
The cosmetic and beauty industry uses a lot of packaging. An average of 120 billion units of packaging, most of which are not recyclable, are produced by the industry each year. It’s also an industry where consumers are becoming more conscious of not only what is in the products they buy, but also the environmental practices of the brands they use.
Innovation with materials, eliminating blended materials, and creating more packaging that is fully recyclable are top goals of the industry. Common Heir, a maker of higher-end skin serums, is a prime example of a company making huge sustainability strides. The serum comes in single-use capsules that are made from algae and plant-based starch. After applying the serum, users can drop the 100% biodegradable capsules in hot water and they completely dissolve. The outer carton and shipping packaging are also 100% recyclable.
Sustainable Ecommerce Packaging
The pandemic brought a huge surge in online sales and the industry continues to grow at high rates. Ecommerce now makes up over 20% of all global retail sales with 75% of the world population placing at least one online order per month. To avoid excessive packaging waste, many companies are searching for new ways to make their product packaging and shipping packaging as eco-friendly as possible.
Do you know how many plastic tubes of toothpaste are thrown out every year? Over one billion! Bite is trying to change this by "ending plastic waste, one healthy smile at a time". Bite's toothpaste bits are far from traditional toothpaste. Instead of a paste, this toothpaste is in tablet form and is chemical-free. The tablets come in a refillable, recyclable glass jar. For shipping, Bite uses kraft envelopes padded with post-consumer recycled newspapers instead of poly mailers. For larger orders, the company uses boxes that are made of fully recyclable corrugated cardboard and sealed paper tape.
Sustainable Snack Packaging
Single-serve and on-the-go snack packaging has become popular as consumers look for more convenient snacking options. Many of these options come in single-use plastic bags or foil-lined pouches, but more brands are looking to make both their product and their packaging more sustainable.
Sun & Swell produces a variety of snack options and since changing to compostable packaging for all their products in 2018, has been encouraging other snack brands to question "what happens AFTER the consumer uses our products?". Sun & Swell have also addressed the issue of some consumers being unable to compost, so have also introduced a Send-Back program so consumers can easily send their used Sun & Swell bags back to be properly composted.
If you’re interested in a custom sustainable packaging design, sustainable packaging materials, and how to reduce your footprint, contact us to get started.
Want to know what Rocket Industrial is doing to further packaging sustainability? Learn more about our sustainability efforts and our mission to Package With Less.