5 Advantages to Sustainable Packaging

4 minute read

Increasing sustainability and striving to “go green” is nothing new. In fact, many companies these days and for the last several years have been making a conscious step towards trying to reduce waste and increase sustainability and a public promise to do so. Achieving this goal doesn’t always have to be a radical change in the way a business or an individual operates. We have previously discussed the ways in which you can reduce packaging waste, but today we are going to look at a few benefits to sustainable packaging.

1. Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint is defined as the total greenhouse gas emissions – primarily carbon dioxide – caused by a product, individual, company, etc. which gets released into the environment. The amount of matter and material one uses directly correlates to the amount of energy required to produce it, thus directly impacting how much carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Opting for lighter weight packaging material or less material means less gas emissions are released.

2. Savings in Many Forms
Being that sustainable products and packaging materials are more lightweight, that leaves a company with savings on material and costs. Lightweight means lower shipping costs and less money spent on materials. In addition, alternative packaging solutions such as banding can save on production costs. Banding is a quick and efficient way to package certain goods and can often be used as a way to repurpose labor, saving a company time and money.

3. Increase Branding Possibilities
It takes approximately 7 seconds for a consumer to form an impression of a brand. Companies who pledge to go green and maintain sustainable packaging are offered a new level of brand recognition. Consumers are getting more energy and environmentally conscious and these companies can be transparent about the sustainability of their materials, adding attractive and desirable eco-friendly assets to their packaging.

4. Versatility
Sustainable packaging can be quite versatile. It can be multi-purpose and reusable, even compostable and bio-degradable in certain cases. Whether it’s the primary packaging itself or the secondary packaging, some materials allow for flexibility in terms of its use. Traditional packaging not only can harm the environment, but it also puts a limit on creativity in package design. We have seen more and more companies releasing products that are packaged in things such as banana leaves, soap, cork, bamboo, etc. These materials, albeit a little quirky, adds a layer of uniqueness while leaving the environment in a happier place.

5. No Harmful Materials
Traditional packaging methods and materials contribute to a slew of environmental issues – consumers not recycling, or not knowing what and how to recycle, these materials ending up in our oceans, not to mention things like frustration incurred from opening difficult packaging. Using non-sustainable resources and materials requires a lot of energy. More natural materials are safer for the environment and reduce issues such as health problems when used with food, and less trash in our oceans.