Environmental sustainability has become one of the most important issues facing a company’s operations. A clear definition of sustainable is: ‘the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.’
What this means is that you want as much as possible to take as little out of our natural resources as is conceivably possible and mitigate that through reusing and recycling. All packaging in our modern world must be sustainable if we are to reverse the damage that we are currently witnessing.
Unfortunately, we are already seeing the universally damaging effect of decades of using plastic packaging on land and at sea. When plastic is not disposed of properly, it can get blown into the sea, where it breaks down into tiny particles but does not biodegrade. These particles get into the food chain by being eaten by marine life, slowly killing them and their habitats. More than 100,000 sea turtles and birds suffer and die as a result of plastic in our oceans every single year.
Even if disposed of ‘properly’ in landfill sites, it still takes literally thousands of years for the plastic to decompose. As the plastic waste gets buried deeper and deeper into the ground, chemicals from the plastic seep into the soil and spread into groundwater deep underground. As a result, we are witnessing more and more plastic particles seeping into the food chain and into our biological systems.
The more we do now to reduce our unnecessary use of plastics, the more we can redress the balance and work towards a much cleaner environment for the planet.
Sustainable packaging manufacturers are doing their bit to create products that meet the requirements of a fully sustainable solution and add to the environmental credentials of the client. In fact, it is becoming increasingly apparent that being an eco-friendly brand will positively impact your company.
One study by the GlobalWebIndex stated that 61 percent of consumers would switch to a brand that demonstrated it was doing more to protect the environment than their current brand. Furthermore, two out of every three consumers believe that a pledge to greater sustainability indicates greater levels of trustworthiness.
Sustainable brand packaging is the absolute tangible and visual manifestation of a company that is investing in protecting the environment.
A brewery delivering directly to the consumer decants its beer in aluminium cans and then packages it in fully recyclable sustainable beer packaging. These breweries will be literally placing their eco-friendly credentials into the hands of their customers.
The customer then enjoys the beer (which is recycled in its own unique way!), and the cardboard packaging and aluminium tins go into the recycling bin and back into the recycling cycle to be re-used once again.
Cardboard packaging is one of the most sustainable forms of packaging available. In fact, although it has a bad rap, paper is one of the most sustainable materials as it comes from renewable forests that are responsibly managed.
A typical corrugated cardboard box is manufactured using 80 percent recycled materials and 20 percent wood pulp from sustainable forest resources, making it 100 percent sustainable and 100 percent recyclable.
Packaging For Retail can work with you to ensure your branding reflects your eco-friendly credentials. We guarantee that all our beer, alcohol, and sauce packaging is fully sustainable. To discuss your bespoke requirements, contact us for more information.
