Key points:
- More than 54% of consumers consider sustainable packaging when purchasing a product.
- 67% of customers believe that brands must adopt sustainable packaging.
- Using recyclable and bio-based packaging lightens shipments, reducing the amount of space wasted in cargo areas.
Concern about the environmental impact of pollution and non-recyclable packaging materials is critical. According to Trivium Packaging’s 2021 Global Buying Green Report, more than 54% of buyers consider sustainable packaging when purchasing a product.
Sustainable packaging has become increasingly successful as the world advances, particularly in the packaging business. With this in mind, eCommerce companies should make concerted attempts to transition to eco-friendly packaging to reduce pollution on the earth.
This blog post will cover all about sustainable packaging. This includes several packaging trends to look out for this year to keep ahead of the competition, from sustainable design to product personalisation and how to implement them.
What Is Sustainable Packaging?
Sustainable packaging is any packaging with a lower environmental impact than less sustainable options. Sustainable packaging is also environmentally friendly, as other types do not require additional depletion of natural resources. Sustainable packaging uses recyclable plastics and compostable packaging to help reduce the global carbon footprint.
According to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), for packaging to be called sustainable, it must be:
- Beneficial, safe & healthy for individuals and communities throughout its lifecycle.
- We are meeting market criteria for performance and cost.
- Sourced, manufactured, transported, and recycled using renewable energy.
- Optimise the use of renewable or recycled source materials.
- It is manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices.
- It is made from materials throughout the life cycle.
- They are physically designed to optimise materials and energy.
- Effectively recovered and utilised in biological or industrial closed-loop cycles.
Sustainable packaging Trends
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Biodegradable and eco-friendly packaging
The trend toward sustainable packaging is expected to continue in 2022. Sustainable and eco-friendly packaging not only benefits the environment but also helps businesses stand out from the crowd and creates a favourable brand image.
As customers become more conscious of their packaging waste, several firms are beginning to employ biodegradable, compostable, or recycled materials in their package designs. With the new plastic tax now in effect, reducing the number of harmful plastics your business uses is critical. As a result, beginning in 2022, utilising sustainable packaging will likely boost respect for branding and bring success to businesses.
Here are a few examples of environmentally friendly packaging solutions:
Paper Void Fill: Paper void fill is environmentally friendly, recyclable, reusable, and provides excellent protection for your items during transit.
Gummed Paper Tape: An alternative to standard packaging tape. Biodegradable, 100% recyclable, and highly secure.
Biodegradable Plastic Bag: Recyclable and more durable than standard plastic bags.
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Flexible Packaging
Flexible packaging is a method of packaging items that use non-rigid materials, allowing for more cost-effective and customised solutions. It is a relatively recent approach in the packaging business that has increased in popularity due to its excellent efficiency and low cost. This packaging method creates pouches, bags, and other malleable product containers using a range of flexible materials such as foil, plastic, and paper. Flexible packaging is beneficial in industries that demand versatile packagings, such as food and beverage, personal care, and pharmaceutical.
In 2022, flexible packaging will increase since it consumes less energy and water and allows businesses to customise it. This means that flexible packaging can be used regardless of product dimensions.
As flexible packaging has zip locks and seals, it is also reusable. Instead of throwing away the packaging after consuming the product, customers may reuse it to store dry products at home.
Common examples of flexible packaging include LDPE plastic bags, Polyethylene (PE) Bags, poly mailers, pouches, and shrink wraps.
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Personalisation and Customisation
Personalisation and customisation will be more crucial than ever in 2022 as customers seek reliability ahead of COVID-19. Customising goods demonstrates to the buyer that the business is willing to go above and beyond to make its packaging seem impressive and professional.
According to research, 98 per cent of marketers agree that personalisation helps enhance client relationships, and 70 per cent of these marketers believe personalisation has a significant influence on delivering better customer experiences and improving customer loyalty.
Sustainable packaging strategies
Sustainable shipping packaging for eCommerce stores is a great way to boost brand loyalty. So, how can merchants worldwide put these plans into action? This section will discuss how to implement green packaging in the business.
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Share best practices for waste disposal and recycling
Educate consumers on proper recycling and disposal of packaging materials. Since recycling differs from city to city, this process might be challenging. However, businesses can communicate best basic practices by clearly labelling reused or recyclable packaging.
Mrs Meyer’s Clean Day performs an excellent job in this area. In addition to a recycling icon on its bottles, the brand’s labels include the following line:
BOTTLES ARE MADE WITH AT LEAST 30% POST-CONSUMER PLASTIC. PLEASE RECYCLE.
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Ship in smaller packages
Minimising one’s environmental footprint may be as easy as reducing the amount of packaging used. This entails packing items in smaller boxes, bags, and containers. This not only makes the business more sustainable, but it may also reduce shipping expenses.
Reduce the size of packages by utilising smaller packing supplies and fewer filler items.
Play around with the size and positioning of the items to see if they can fit in smaller containers.
For example, if the business sells disassembled furniture, explore how the product’s various components can be placed to determine the technique that saves the most space. Shipping clothing, beds, or other foldable items? Keep them firmly folded or wrapped to fit into smaller boxes.
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Avoid mixed materials
When paper and plastic, or two different types of plastic, are fused, they become non-recyclable because the layers cannot be separated during sorting. Stick to packaging made entirely of paper or a single type of plastic.
It is important to note that small amounts of mixed materials layered onto paper (such as paper reinforced with fibreglass strands or boxes sealed with plastic tape) should not be excluded from recycling.
Conclusion
Utilising alternative packaging is a win-win situation for everyone. Alternative packaging brings significantly less environmental damage while still being value for money. On the other hand, businesses profit from public patronage for being eco-friendly, higher revenue, and reduced carbon footprints.
Sustainable packaging trends will continue to be popular as authorities require it, customers are ready to pay more for environmentally friendly products, and retailers begin to expect sustainability from their brands.