Introduction To Sustainable Packaging

What is sustainable packaging?

Sustainable packaging refers to the development and use of packaging solutions with minimal environmental impact and will not cause pollution.

In short, sustainable packaging is environmentally friendly and will not further consume natural resources.

The Sustainable Packaging Consortium (SPC) provides the following 8 standards for packaging as sustainable packaging.

1. It is beneficial, safe and healthy for the individual and the environment throughout the life cycle.

2. It meets the market standards of performance and cost.

3. It uses renewable energy for production, transportation and recycling.

4. It uses renewable or recycled raw materials.

5. It adopts cleaner production technology and best practice manufacturing.

6. It is made of healthy materials in the life cycle.

7. It is physically designed to optimize materials and energy.

8. It can be effectively recycled and used in biological or industrial recycling.

Advantages of sustainable packaging

We just talked about what sustainable packaging is, but what can you get from sustainable packaging? Let's look at the advantages of sustainable packaging.

1. Increase the number of your customers and increase brand loyalty.

More sustainable packaging can help you attract more customers and increase customer loyalty. A number of studies have shown that consumers are paying more and more attention to sustainability when choosing which brands to buy.

A survey of 1,000 American consumers found that nearly 70% of them believe that sustainability is at least somewhat important. And nearly half of them (47%) said they are willing to pay 25% more for sustainable products. In addition, a survey found that 48% of consumers are willing to change their consumption habits in order to reduce the impact on the environment. Many people do not just talk in words, but put them into practice. According to the analysis, since 2014, sales of sustainable products in the United States have increased by nearly 20%.

2. Consolidate storage.

Reducing packaging materials and reducing waste are the two main components of sustainable packaging. When implemented correctly, they can increase storage efficiency, so you can limit the space required to accommodate products, thereby reducing storage costs, or open up more space to store more products.

3. Reduce transportation costs.

As mentioned earlier, shipping smaller packages is a good way to practice sustainability. The advantage of this is that it can also reduce your transportation costs. We all know that the cost of transportation is calculated according to the volume and weight of the package. If the package is smaller and lighter, the corresponding cost will be lower.

Sustainable packaging strategy

Now that you know what sustainable packaging is and its advantages, let us look at strategies that can be implemented to make packaging more environmentally friendly.

1. Pack the product in a smaller package.

2. Use recyclable packaging materials.

3. Use compostable and biodegradable plastic alternatives.

4. Avoid excessive packaging throughout the supply chain.