Things to Know About Sustainable Packaging

There has been a lot of talking about sustainability in the packaging world. This is the reason that we see a lot of content published on the web on the topic of how to go green in your business and what trends to follow in order to incorporate sustainability into the packaging process. In this scenario, it is important to note that sustainability is no longer a suggestion. It has become a necessity.

In this era, consumers seem more concerned about the impact of packaging on environment. This is the reason that they expect their desired products to be packaged using sustainable packaging materials. With current and future generations emphasizing more on the green packaging solutions, sustainability has become a major point which the consumers consider before buying a product. The details about packaging and recycling have become more widely known. This is the reason that consumers pay attention to the labels such as “sustainably sourced” or “recycled material”.

In this scenario, the packaging companies are also paying attention to the factors such as emission, consumption of water, consumption of energy and disposal methods. And since consumers now expect companies to careful about the impact of packaging on environment, bigger companies such as Amazon, Target, and Coca Cola have started to respond to the requirements.

In this scenario, it is worth mentioning that Target has set sustainability goals which they are hoping to achieve by 2020-2022. The goals are simple and quite achievable. The purpose of sharing those goals is to encourage other businesses to work on sustainable packaging.

Sustainability goals for packaging

The sustainable goals laid out by Target are mentioned as under:

• The first goal is to source the entire paper packaging from the forests which are sustainably managed.
• Another major goal is to eliminate the use of polystyrene in the packaging process because this material is hard to recycle and it is a potential pollutant.
• It is to be made sure that all of the packages qualify for GreenBlue’s How2Recyle labels which tend to educate consumers about the proper ways to recycle.
• One of the objectives is to support The Recycling Partnership and other initiatives that are working to improve recycling of packaging materials. The support is also for the establishment of similar programs in other regions of the country.
• Creating demands for the recycled goods. It can be done by working with the organizations which are already working on innovative recycling packaging solutions. Moreover, consumers need to be educated about why sustainability is important in the product packaging.

If you are conscious about sustainability in the product packaging, you are not only working on improving the environment but you are also strengthening your relationship with your customers.

Benefits of Corrugated Packaging

If you look at the packaging and shipping of manufactured goods, it will not be difficult for you to notice that half of the goods are packed in the corrugated boxes and packaging. One reason for this use of corrugated packaging is that the manufacturers know the benefits these boxes can provide. And another reason is that consumers prefer corrugated as product packaging.

Corrugated is renewable

One major reason for the use of corrugated material for packaging is it is eco-friendly. Renewable materials are used in the making of corrugated packaging boxes. They can be recycled; and recycled materials can be used in the making of new boxes. In most of the cases, used boxes remain usable for the second and even third time of packing. Recyclability and sustainability make corrugated the best option for packaging in a world where there is an alarming amount of packaging wastes already making a mess of the environment.

Corrugated is lightweight

People love to handle the items which are lightweight. When they are out for shopping, they are going to like to carry the product packages which are not very heavy. This is the reason that the companies who stick to the use of lightweight packaging materials get more sales than the ones who do not use lightweight packaging materials. Talking about the corrugated boxes, they are easy to handle during, packing, shopping, loading and unloading. In this scenario, it is quite important for the manufacturers to discuss about the best packaging materials with their packaging suppliers.

Better protection

It is one of the ultimate goals of the manufacturers to make sure that their products reach the customers without getting damaged during the shipping process. Safe handling during shipping is a must but it is even more important to make sure that the product is better protected against the hostile factors such as shocks and impacts due to bumps and drops. Corrugated boxes are strong and durable; and their structure provides fair amount of cushioning to the items packed in the box.

Customizability

Another amazing feature of corrugated is that it can be customized in any way you want. This customizability makes these boxes an excellent option when attractive packaging is one of the major requirements. Although you can get corrugated boxes of different shapes and sizes, you can cut and mold these corrugated sheets to make the boxes right according to your preferences.

Better printing

Printing on the outer packaging can serve bigger marketing purposes. But the surface to be printed upon needs to support the printing work quite well. Good news is that corrugated can be your best bet in this regard. Whether you want to print your company logo or brand message, corrugated board is the perfect surface on which the printing will of maximum benefit of your brand and product.