Cost and a lack of scalable innovations are barriers for sustainable business strategies, though there are many benefits to minimizing your footprint that exceed the expense. Thinking outside the box when it comes to your company’s packaging and shipping processes can keep your budget in the black while keeping the rest of the world green.
The packaging industry is one of connections and community. We touch millions of lives on a daily basis, protecting your goods as they move from place to place. Whenever a product is ordered, or a package sent, a packaging company is put to work. It’s a huge responsibility to protect goods from the ever-present dangers of bumpy roads and fumbling hands, but the health of consumers must be protected as well.
Changing to a sustainable business model might seem like a burdensome chore, especially as it becomes increasingly mandated by law. However, we choose to see sustainable packaging as less of an obligation, and more of an opportunity. Our industry knows that many of our customers are concerned with keeping the world healthy. We believe taking the time to make our business environmentally friendly will yield benefits that far outweigh the cost.
In an interview with Packaging Digest, Adam Gendell, Associate Director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), stated that sustainable packaging companies “must always operate with a firm understanding of what the consumers expect from brands, and in 2017, a brand is expected to operate with a compelling sustainability story.”
At FP International, we don’t take our commitment to human well-being lightly. It’s important to us that we remain honest stewards of consumer health. The best way we can do that is by steadily improving the way we operate to use less resources, lowering our environmental footprint and facilitating recycling in the process.
Plastic is one of the many problems our world currently faces. Over 8 million tons of it are floating offshore, and immediate steps need to be taken to avoid adding more to it. By sourcing our loosefill and air cushions from recycled, sustainable material, we’ve taken the first of many steps toward fulfilling that goal.
The plastic problem is matched by the threat we face from carbon emissions. Plastic production creates a lot of harmful gases. The only ways to reduce them are to use less or repurpose what’s already here. Unfortunately, that makes many turn their head toward paper. In reality, have an even larger negative environmental impact. In order to reduce our carbon emissions, we’ve phased out the production of ozone-depleting chemicals. On a wider positive note, carbon emissions released into the atmosphere had stalled as of 2014, meaning that widespread efforts to tackle this issue are working.
By using all recyclable materials in the goods you manufacture, you acknowledge costs that might not show up on a financial ledger. Continuing to consume resources without recycling at our current rate will result in environmental costs that will need to be paid in the future. We’re all better served by fixing the issue step-by-step, so that future generations don’t face a life-threatening, insurmountable situation.
The primary goal of any packaging company is to protect your goods from damage. However, it’s also imperative that goods are moved quickly and efficiently. Making strong products doesn’t have to mean making them heavy or cumbersome. Our air cushions are extremely thin and light, but they’re even more durable than they were decades ago. The challenge is finding the right balance between durability and sustainability.
One way packaging companies accomplish this is by reducing the volume and dimensions of the packaging itself. This not only reduces the amount of resources needed to make packaging, it also means shipping companies can send more items in fewer vehicles.
Companies that shift to a dimensional weight-based pricing system also need fewer vehicles to transport their goods. Using package volume rather than traditional weight to predict space needed is much more accurate. If your business ships goods, you can use this system to tremendous advantage by downsizing your packaging. For example, a company that ships clothing could use bubble mailers instead of bulky boxes.
The changes don’t have to be drastic. It can be as simple as adapting consciously to the introduction of a new, smaller product. Instead of using standard boxes and adding more cushioning to accommodate the product, use smaller boxes with less void. Small changes like this are important and add up to a great deal of good.
In packaging, there are two paths to sustainability. The first, and most common, is linear. A linear model involves using materials that have measurably less impact on the environment in the short term, even if they’re not recyclable. We’ve become very efficient at producing petroleum-based packaging materials in a way that uses the bare minimum. This route can both save a packaging company money and reduce environmental impact in an immediate way. If a business continually strives to use the lightest packaging available, they’re engaging in linear business practices.
Image source: Packaging Digest
The other, more responsible method, as seen in the graphic above, is cyclical. By choosing to invest in a cyclical packaging philosophy, businesses make a direct effort to use packaging that is highly recyclable and long-term sustainable. Raw materials used in the beginning of production are sourced from those at the end.
The downside to the cyclical track is that as the technology behind recyclable and biodegradable plastics is fairly new. Our systems for reclaiming these materials aren’t as efficient as using cheaper materials or just making new packaging.
Packaging Digest describes the difficulty:
“Our petroleum-based packaging infrastructure is both well-established and highly efficient, while our material recovery infrastructure has been slow to catch up, and infrastructure surrounding non-traditional packaging materials (such as biopolymers) is in its infancy. This can mean that, today, more non-renewable fossil resources might be required to produce recyclable or biobased polymer packaging than to produce the traditional petroleum-based alternatives. We know we cannot rely indefinitely on the current system despite its relative efficiency, as this efficiency depends on a finite resource. However, choosing recyclable or biobased polymers has the potential to increase our fossil fuel burden in the short run.”
No matter which path you choose, sustainability is no longer a niche market. The number of consumers aggressively looking for Earth-first ideals in the products they buy is enormous. When you show that you’re willing to listen and do your part, customers will respond in kind.
Revamping your packaging to be environmentally friendly can keep your wallet as green as the trees outside. Not only will you find more efficient processes, but it will boost your reputation as a company that is more concerned with preservation than profit. Though the initial investment might sting, you can rest easy knowing that you are ensuring the longevity of your business and our planet at the same time. After all, if you intend to build something, why not build it to last?
The European Parliament voted for a complete ban on a range of single-use plastic waste across the union in a bid to stop pollution of the oceans. The proposal also called for a reduction in single-use plastic waste for food and drink containers, including plastic cups.
China has long been treated as our planet’s repository for plastic waste. The nation has accepted 45% of the world's total plastic recycling since reporting to the United Nations Comtrade Database began in 1992.
Even before plastic straw bans grew trendy, California was at the forefront of using less plastic and promoting more sustainable living. California pioneered a statewide ban on plastics beginning in 2016, when the state became the first in the U.S. to ban most stores from providing customers with single-use plastic bags, following a successful referendum. [...]
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