How protective Packaging Moves closer to Sustainability

Protective packaging from a substantiality perspective, you definitely will want to look at the different types of sustainability aspects that come with this. Sustainable and protective packaging is definitely becoming more and more popular in a lot of different ways. While ecommerce does retain a small type of the overall sales, this is growing faster in a lot of ways. In the most recent months, ecommerce has become a very relevant channel for products, since it offers the best delivery of pretty much everything that’s there, rising over 200% since the pandemic began.

The supply chains that are there too definitely offer a much different sort of manner. Ecommerce packaging is 20 times more frequently handled than other types of packaging though, which means that there are more points where this could be damaged. Replacing this does account for a lot of greenhouse gas emissions in a lot of cases, and also avoiding damage is a big part of the experience of ecommerce companies. Ecommerce does require more durable, robust panels, and in general, offers more material for a lot of people. Sustainable packaging is also a big part of this too. DHL for example found tat the top trends for packaging strategy does involve offering sustainable packaging and materials, and public awareness of the packaging waste that comes with this too. 

Global awareness of ocean plastic and the pollution that’s going on is changing the way customers are looking at packaging, and in general, this has put a lot more pressure on everything that comes with this too. Some countries are even banning single-use plastics as well. Protective packaging doesn’t perform well when it comes to the overall performance, and the sustainability of this. While yes, protecting the environment is a big part of this, protective packaging does rely on bulky material that’s not easy to recycle, or material for unsustainable sources, which creates negative impacts, which does occur in the B2B and the B2C environments and the logistics possible. 

The rise of ecommerce has caused greater challenges, since ecommerce for direct delivery to customers is less mature than the B2B logistics, so it’s much less optimized too. More ecommerce packaging is empty space, but businesses rely on this, and customers do directly interact with this. With more bulk items being shipped out, you need to teeter to the point of making the packaging protective, but also sustainable, so that it doesn’t affect the quality of the packaging, and offers better unboxing, and brand perception as well that comes with this. This means that more customers are looking to rethink protective packaging and sustainability. 

Through conversations with leaders of the industry, looking into what this might mean, and the innovations of such are the next part of this. There are more and more data tools which exist, such as simulation and modeling tools that happen during development, and also the packaging in virtual worlds and disparaging sizes, and of course, the technology to offer this is definitely a big promise of this, and with more sustainable materials being possibly used, it offers a lot of reaction in response to the environmental impact of this. There is also the need to bring more of those materials to the market to lower the costs, allowing them to be more widely used and adopted. There is also more industries that are looking into reliability and sustainability, and some reusability, which is something that is growing a lot more quickly. With ecommerce definitely growing, this is a hot topic, and one that businesses are trying to master as well. 

Some Highly Effective Sustainable Packaging Solutions

If you want to shift to greener product packaging solutions, you will have to incorporate new materials and efficient equipment to meet eco-friendly packaging requirements. Sometimes, you may not need to change the equipment. Using earth-friendly materials in the right way can help you meet sustainability goals.

Sustainable packaging solutions that help change band perception

A newly published research, How Fast Delivery and Quality Packaging Drives Customer Loyalty, suggested that 87% of online shoppers identified shipping speed as a critical factor in the decision to buy from a brand again. Needless to say, online consumers want their respective e-commerce brands to ship their products as quickly as possible.

Another interesting fact is that consumers care a lot about product packaging too. The fact of the matter is that about 40% of shoppers tend to get convinced by product packaging. In other words, product packaging changes brand perception significantly.

With more businesses embracing upscale packaging, consumers are taking notice of packaging trends. They consider it a priority while ordering products. They take note of personalized packaging and sustainability. While how you create personalized notes depends entirely on your product and brand, sustainability practices are more generic. So, we will discuss sustainability in the remaining part of this post.

What is sustainable packaging?

Sustainable packaging is a product packaging approach that reduces its environmental impact over time. It can do so through different ways, including the use of recycled or raw materials, minimizing the production process to reduce carbon footprint, and creating reusable packaging products.

While sustainable packaging seems to benefit the environment entirely, it also takes into consideration social and economic factors. For instance, using plant-based packaging seems a more viable solution. However, it could require clearing rainforests.

The economic factor is also crucial in eco-friendly packaging. If you are using eco-friendly packaging options, you have to make sure that they are priced competitively over other traditional packaging options.

The most crucial thing to notice here is that eco-friendly definitions are not always black and white. There is no sure way you can call a particular packaging method sustainable. It is crucial to look into several factors that see the number of checks.

Sustainable packaging solutions

According to some researches, about 80% of plastics we throw into garbage end up in the oceans. Another research shows that about 80% of turtles and 70% of seabirds ingest plastics. Certain companies are fighting back on this to let others become committed to reducing packaging wastes in the ocean. The best way to do so is to develop biodegradable packaging solutions, at least for food products ad beverages. Many companies are in the process of developing compostable food packaging solutions to lessen the packaging waste impact on the environment and oceans.

Labeling plays a critical role in sustainable packaging. You may be using the best quality materials, but they are not going to be much beneficial if you fail to educate your customers about how to dispose of those materials.

Sustainable packaging can be a complicated topic to cover if you look for generic solutions. The best way is to look into the requirements of your product and brand.