Sustainable Packaging: Why Should We Care?
With more and more companies looking for ways to reduce their ecological footprint, switching to sustainable packaging makes sense. Most businesses are looking to go green with their packaging and doing so does more than just help the environment. It can also help you save money while making your company more appealing to consumers.
In creating an environmentally sustainable packaging product, you’ll encounter different kinds of eco-friendly packaging. Many packaging products boast environmentally-friendly benefits such as “biodegradable” and “recyclable” materials. But what exactly do these terms mean, and what is the difference between them? Here’s an introduction to biodegradable and recyclable materials.
What does Biodegradable and Recyclable mean?
Biodegradable refers to the ability of materials to break down and return to nature. The right temperature, humidity and heat will trigger the biodegradation process. Materials that are biodegradable include corrugated cardboard and even some plastics. Biodegradable or compostable material is ideal for biodegradable pouch and biodegradable containers in packaging industry. Once the biodegradable packaging bags are produced, these conditions start to act very slowly, but only when they reach appropriate composting conditions, does the full degradation cycle begin to take place. While throwing biodegradable pouches into common household waste means it will end up in landfill, biodegradable pouch will still compost down to nothing in a year. This is compared to plastic which can take over 500 years to do the same.
Recycling is the process of taking a product and breaking it down to use it again, only mono type products are recyclable. Not only does recycling help to reduce the pollution of harmful chemicals and greenhouse gasses released by waste into the environment, it also reduces the need for raw materials, allowing for rainforests and other sources to be preserved. Aluminium and steel cans, cardboard, glass, newspapers and plastic bottles are all recyclable. Recycling plastics saves non-renewable resources, offsets the amount of waste that would end up in landfills, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Recyclable pouch is getting popular in flexible packaging. Recyclable pouch, made from mono type plastics, look and function just like regular poly laminated pouches. But they are fully recyclable while regular laminated pouches are not. Recyclable pouch is more cost effective than biodegradable pouch.
In the flexible packaging industry, biodegradable pouch is most eco-friendly packaging solution. Biodegradable pouches are still a step in the right direction. It does mean that the ingredients break down over time and when they do break down, the base components are not harmful to the environment.
Is your business using eco-friendly packaging materials such as compostable pouch or recyclable pouch? If not, here are a few reasons that might convince you to make the switch.
Reduce Your Company’s Carbon Footprint
This one is pretty obvious. By using eco-friendly packaging materials, you can reduce your company’s impact on the environment. Sustainable packaging is better for the environment because it’s made from renewable materials and requires fewer resources to produce. Because they’re biodegradable, eco-friendly materials won’t take centuries to break down in landfills.
Watch how a BIOBAG comes from nature and returns to nature:
Lower Shipping Costs
In addition to using recyclable and biodegradable materials, eco-friendly packaging supplies are designed with minimalism in mind. While they still provide effective protection for the items contained within, they are designed to be less bulky and require less overall material. This makes them weigh less and take up less space. Packages that weigh less are, of course, more affordable to ship. With less packaging, it’s also possible to fit more packages on each pallet and in each shipping container. This can result in requiring fewer pallets or containers to ship the same number of products, which also leads to decreased shipping costs.
Improved Brand Image
Consumers take a lot of factors into consideration when choosing which companies to support. They are increasingly seeking companies that do their part to reduce their negative impact on the environment. A large percentage of customers feel better about purchasing products with packaging that is made from recycled materials. By committing to using eco-friendly packaging in your business, you can improve your brand's image and appeal to more customers.
"Going green" is a major trend, and consumers are searching for sustainable, environmentally friendly products. Switching to eco-friendly packaging materials helps make your business visible to those consumers and can provide an exceptional return on your investment.
Versatility
While environmentally friendly shipping and packaging materials were once quite limited, they now are quite versatile. There are eco-friendly options suitable for every industry that uses conventional packaging. Whether you need to package and ship cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, clothing, electronics, food or anything else you can imagine, you can do it using eco-friendly materials.
They can also be reused and repurposed for a variety of applications. While “reuse” is the most underused element of “reduce, reuse, recycle” it is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. By reusing your eco-friendly supplies, your company can show even greater environmental responsibility.
Conclusion
As a business owner, it is more important than ever to take steps to reduce your impact on the environment. Switching to sustainable packaging is an easy and cost-effective way to lower your carbon footprint. Doing so also enables you to expand your customer base by showing that you are committed to environmental responsibility.
No matter what industry you are in, eco-friendly packaging materials are versatile enough to suit any application. Making the switch may require a bit of an upfront investment, but doing so could save you a lot of money on supplies and shipping fees in the long run.
If you also want to establish a better brand image for your product, welcome to contact BPS to switch your packaging to sustainable packaging.
Click the below link and connect with BPS that Offers a variety of sustainable packaging solutions:
Blog Editor: Jasmine Zhang