Tips and inspiration for your sustainable packaging program
Your organization has decided it wants to make a positive impact on the environment by incorporating sustainable design into its business practices. In addition to the environment, companies and brands (large and small alike) are turning to sustainable packaging for a lot of reasons. Corporate social responsibility, reducing waste, and increasing sales are some additional reasons they are turning to sustainable packaging.
Whatever the reason, your organization’s path toward sustainability is uniquely its own. Once you have a solid idea of how your company defines sustainability, and you’ve outlined your goals and priorities, here are just a few things to consider when designing sustainable packaging.
Ideas for designing sustainable packaging.
- Use less materials overall – perhaps you can use a smaller carton or box, less filler, and less packaging materials.
- Reuse and recycle packaging materials – in some cases you will find recycled materials are not only more ecofriendly, they are lighter in weight and may reduce your overall costs. Also, make every effort to reduce your use of non-renewable resources.
- Use your packaging to tell your story – your package represents your company and your brand. Use the space and materials you do have to effectively communicate some of your top priorities in terms of sustainability.
- REMIND your customers HOW to recycle your packaging – your package should clearly indicate how and where a consumer should recycle your product. The easier it is for consumers to understand, the more likely they will follow through with recycling your packaging.
- Seek out paper stocks that are Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified. Products with this certification have been sourced from responsibly managed forests and/or been made from post-consumer waste.
Seek out brands that inspire you. Now that you have some ideas on sustainability and ways to think about sustainable packaging, check out four brands that have incorporated more environmentally friendly practices into their overall business objectives.
The Kellogg Company has set a goal to be 100% Sustainable by 2025. As such Kellogg’s commitment is to making their “packing recyclable, reusable, or compostable.” In 1906 Kellogg’s Corn Flakes was introduced and packaged in boxes made with recycled content. Most of Kellogg’s other packaging use “either recycled-content paperboard cartons or corrugate cardboard. We also use composite cans, and for our bars and convenience foods, we use flexible plastic packaging.”
Amazon’s initiative is called Driving Toward Zero Additional Packaging. The company utilizes a scientific-based approach to reinvent and simplify its sustainable packaging options. Amazon says its customers “want right-sized, recyclable packaging that minimizes waste and ensures damage-free delivery.” The company’s approach “combines lab testing, machine learning, materials science, and manufacturing partnerships to scale sustainable change across the packaging supply chain.”
Grove Collaborative is seeking to build a brighter, better future through sustainable products. In doing so, Grove focuses on three areas: plastic, trees, and carbon. The company is was the first plastic neutral retailer in the world and seeks to become plastic free by 2025; they support reforestation with a goal to plant 1-million trees by 2022; and they maintain carbon neutral shipments and facilities with a overall goal of reducing their entire footprint.
Nestle has intensified its sustainable packaging transformation journey. Nestlé has a goal to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025 and to reduce its use of virgin plastics by one-third in the same period. A few of its initiatives include a 30-million dollar “investment to increase food-grade recycled plastics in the US, a refillable system for pet food in Chile, and first-of-its-kind recyclable paper packaging for Maggi bouillon cubes in France. 87% of Nestlé’s total packaging by weight and 66% of its total plastic packaging is already recyclable or reusable.”
Now that we’ve examined a few ways to incorporate environmentally friendly solutions into your packaging, and provided some examples to inspire you to get moving in the right direction, what’s next for your organization’s sustainability goals?
At EPI, our team of packaging design engineering staff do more than just design cartons, they work with our clients to maximize product protection and visual impact while minimizing production and distribution costs. We will happily work with your organization to help you meet your sustainable packaging goals. Contact us at: 800.562.9733 or visit: epiinc.com.
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