Plastic packaging is swiftly falling out of favor. Thanks to eco-friendly packaging solutions and environmentally conscious consumers, brands are moving towards adopting a greener business model. Global brands and manufacturers such as Unilever and Nestle are exploring new solutions to wrap their goods that are less hazardous for the environment.
Paper packaging is one such alternative that is becoming a favorite among brands slowly and gradually. In fact, the rate of acceptance is set to accelerate at a rapid rate or perhaps at breakneck speed. Sure, one can’t pin down such a shift to a specific day. But, Amazon is one brand that did set a date for its merchants to embrace more environmentally friendly packaging. And merchants who fail to comply with the rule have to bear packaging surcharges. It turned out to be a powerful motivator.
What are Sustainable Custom Retail Packaging Boxes?
There is no set definition for sustainable packaging. But a greener design is a combination of the following factors:
- Meets Budget & Business Needs
Not only it should minimize environmental impact, but at the same time shouldn’t cost you a fortune and meet the same requirements that a traditional packaging does. If your custom retail packaging boxes fail to meet these requirements, they’ll never prove a viable alternative for your business.
- Allow for Reuse and Recycling
You need custom printed retail boxes that feedback into regeneration and reuse because the traditional packages have a very linear lifecycle. These boxes are used only once before they are thrown away. Even if you opt for biodegradable packaging, it’ll still be counted as a missed opportunity because the packaging materials can’t be integrated into a circular economy. A sustainable packaging option, on the other hand, allows for recycling and reuse. As a result, it consumes far less renewable or non-renewable energy than the one that is produced from scratch.
- Ditch Petroleum-Based Packaging Materials
Petroleum-based packaging containers such as plastic affect the sustainability of the packages since it isn’t a source of renewable energy. This makes it an impermanent solution for the industry. In addition, it doesn’t fall in the biodegradable category because it doesn’t decompose in a reasonable time frame.
In fact, it takes plastic over a thousand years to break down. Recycled plastic, however, can be used as beverage bottles. Sadly, the soft versions of this packaging cannot be regenerated. Therefore, plastic has a massive carbon footprint.
What are Eco-Friendly Materials?
Achieving ‘zero waste’ packaging is not an easy feat. However, you can certainly reduce packaging waste by choosing sustainable packaging options. And the most greener packaging materials are the ones that have the smallest carbon footprint. These packaging materials help maximize renewable energy and allow you to reuse, regenerate or safely dispose of the materials. For instance, multipurpose packaging design has a positive impact on the environment. Whereas single-use packaging takes years and centuries in some instances to decompose.
That said, the greener movement is still relatively new and has yet to reflect in the financial results of the businesses. However, online merchants are already benefitting from the established consumer trend, as products ordered online require 50 percent more packaging than the ones bought in brick and mortar stores. And with the rise of ‘environmentally conscious consumers’, the demand for this kind of packaging is expected to grow by 14 percent from 2019 to 2022. Thanks to the people who feel greatly empowered when it comes to supporting brands that practice corporate social responsibility.
Conclusion
To sum up, packaging design still matters. Especially, when it becomes a way for customers to judge how eco-friendly you are. So make efforts to use greener packaging not only help save the planet but also boost your business.