With the world shifting toward sustainability, businesses must also make this shift. It includes using www.pharmapac.co.nz sustainable packaging materials.
Look for recyclable materials that can be sourced sustainably. For example, using corn-based packaging, look for raw inputs grown without excessive fertilizers or pesticides.
Recycled Materials
Recycling is an effective solution for many materials – glass, paper and metals. These materials can be reshaped and reused to create new packaging. For plastics, however, this is not the case. Plastics are downcycled into lower-quality plastic products and can only be recycled so many times before they reach the point where they can no longer be used. It is why it’s so important to choose compostable packaging whenever possible.
The good news is that sustainable packaging is more readily available today than just a few years ago. Major writing-paper manufacturers have carried recycled stock for decades, and companies like Rubbermaid offer a full line of janitorial products made from recycled plastics.
Purchasing managers are also making it a priority to source recycled products. American Airlines, for example, has saved $100,000 by sourcing its computer division’s printing needs through recycled paper. These savings were achieved without higher prices, and the company holds more than just its printing costs.
It’s still essential for businesses to consider how they source their recycled commodities. It’s a buyer’s market for all recycled materials, and it’s up to the end buyers to ensure they’re procuring the best products at the most competitive price. It is especially true for recycled plastics, competing with the overcapacity of virgin HDPE resins that has driven their price down in the past two years.
In addition, businesses should ensure they’re sourcing their recycled materials from suppliers within a reasonable distance of their facility. It is important because it reduces the energy and resources needed to transport these materials. Sometimes, these efficiencies can even be passed on to the end buyer.
This last point is crucial for companies that want to incorporate sustainability into their supply chain. For example, vegan cosmetics brand Sheyn uses a kraft mailer box of 80% recycled material for e-commerce orders. It helps the environment and gives customers a great unboxing experience and is an example of www.pharmapac.co.nz sustainable packaging in action.
Minimizing the Amount of Packaging
It’s one thing to use eco-friendly materials, but reducing the amount of packaging used is even better. It’s essential to sustainable product packaging, reuse, recyclable material and avoid toxic chemicals.
Making packaging from earth-friendly materials less harmful than traditional plastic or cardboard is possible. For example, some manufacturers use cotton, new artificial fibres or cellulose, which are all sustainable. They also turn to sustainably-sourced forests for the wood needed to manufacture cardboard or paper.
Other factors that can help to make a package sustainable include coatings, printing methods and the combination of different materials. These are all things that can be determined by conducting a life cycle assessment of www.pharmapac.co.nz sustainable packaging and its raw materials. This information is then compared to the amount of energy and resources used to produce the box, and then the result is a score that indicates the package’s sustainability.
The goal of any company should be to use as little packaging as possible while still providing a safe and secure container for the product. It will reduce the company’s environmental footprint, lower shipping costs, and improve customer satisfaction. It will also increase the customer’s perceived product value and create brand loyalty.
In addition to using less packaging, a business should consider how it manages waste within its facilities. It includes educating employees on the importance of minimizing waste and following proper waste disposal procedures. It’s also a good idea to communicate with the company’s customers on how they can further reduce waste by reusing or recycling the packaging materials.
The best way to practice sustainability is to start with a comprehensive assessment of the entire supply chain. It involves the raw material suppliers, manufacturing companies producing the packaging, and logistics providers transporting it to customers.
A great example is a US laundry detergent company that partnered with an upstream substrate producer and a packaging converter to redesign the product’s packaging for greater sustainability. The resulting design uses a single-material film with both high barrier properties and printability and a higher level of recyclability.
Educating Your Customers
As a business owner, you can help educate your customers about eco-friendly packaging. Consumers are often unaware of their purchases’ impact on the environment. Educating your customers can increase brand loyalty and positively impact the planet.