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For packaging materials, plastic is the most commonly ingredient. It can be found in practically every packaging you can think about. There are billions of tons of plastic on our planet today, with millions of new plastic products being produced each year. While brands like Coca-Cola have stood their ground and continue to use plastic, businesses are being told by more and more environmentally conscious consumers that they must phase out of plastic. To heed their call, it is wise to switch to more eco-friendly and sustainable options.
You clicked to read this page; you must be researching plastic packaging alternatives, maybe you are running a start-up or possibly working in an established business for decades and planning to switch to environment-friendly options. Irrespective of the factors you set your search in motion; you need to look for potential replacements for polyethylene packaging solutions. Leading manufacturers served many businesses to optimize their packaging methods making the transition to sustainable solutions.
In this post, we will discuss some of the top-tier polybag plastics that are sustainable, secure and recyclable.
There are an unbelievable amount of products that come packaged in Shrink Film- board games, electronics, homeware products, toys, vegetables, and more globally. Conventional shrink film is produced using plastic. With the myriad of products being packaged using shrink film, no doubt there is so much plastic in our landfills. Shrink film is one of the many packaging materials that are being gradually titled as problematic.
Bio-Plastics are a type of plastic material produced using biodegradable sources such as rice, vegetables and other organic as well as plant-based compounds. Bio plastics are produced from agricultural products and microorganisms. Bio-Plastic based shrink films are made using bio-polymers that are derived from plants. They are sustainable which means they are biodegradable and break down quickly, unlike rigid containers. In such ways, bio-plastics are often considered more eco-friendly than conventional plastic shrink films; however, the truth is always a little more complicated. Bio-plastic will break down quicker than any other kind of plastic, those that end up in landfills or aren’t disposed of properly may take longer to decompose. Bio plastics usually end up in the recycling unit, they can contaminate recyclable things. This results in Bio plastic requiring being disposed into a landfill.
Glass is one of the oldest packaging materials used globally. They have been everyone’s first choice for hundreds of years. Glass offers a sense of luxury that only a few packaging materials can provide. Being used for all kinds of product packaging- from wine and whiskey to popcorn, glass has been used for packaging millions of items across the globe. Glass is a perfect substitute for plastics since they are easily recyclable and while that is true, they leave high carbon footprint than plastic. However, glass containers are immensely popular, they are eco-friendly despite being associated with their carbon footprint. One way to combat the carbon issue is by using thin glass, but that demands extra care, thereby, increasing the shipping cost.
Biodegradable packaging is gaining immense popularity amongst brands planning to reduce their environmental impact. Biodegradable plastic packaging means that it can be disposed of and will break down on its own after a period. Compostable plastic packaging is a perfect way to decrease waste from landfills and transform the packaging into plant-based ingredients.
A great way of cutting back on waste is to stop over-ordering. The less you order, the less packaging is required, but this doesn’t mean you should stop shopping entirely. If you know you are going to use or need a certain item, try purchasing them in bulk, if you can. Bulk orders consume less packaging than purchasing those individually. With online shopping being everyone’s normal way of shopping, the amount of packaging waste increases. Not only do online orders consume strong cardboard packaging, but the shipments tend to be ‘over-packaged’ to keep your content safe. It is usually filled with packaging peanuts or Styrofoam and bubble wrap etc. They are unrecyclable plastic causing harm to our planet.
Developing sustainable packaging is a journey- there is no such thing as a 100% sustainable package. Instead, the objective is to make incremental package eco-friendliness improvements to reduce its overall environmental impact. Listed below are three tips to keep in mind:
Opt for Natural Material: Sustainable packaging gained popularity over the last few years since many brands recognized that eco-friendly materials attract large audiences. This includes virgin, recyclable and dye-free materials that reflect fewer burdens on our planet.
Assess Distribution System to Save Space: Wasted space for packaging leads to excess storage, materials, handling and shipping. To reduce the packaging size while maintaining its quality and integrity, it is imperative to consider the known size of the preferred shipment mode, minimizing the package size to contain everything at a lower cost.
Cut Down the Fat: A major amount of packaging waste occurs at warehouse levels. To reduce this, consider crafting custom packaging boxes that preserve materials and space. Putting less emphasis on bulky packaging, your audience will levitate towards your product, provided it offers top-tier value.
The bright side of using plastic bags for produce is that they are eco-friendly. For example, while most recycling facilities don’t accept plastic bags, many grocery markets have started using this program. So you can have your produce bags, bubble wrap, grocery bags, and more recycled without any hassle. Plastic bags are eco-friendly as they consume less energy for production in comparison to other materials. As per a study by the United States EPA, “Plastic bags consume 40% less energy for production and produce 80% less solid waste, and an amount of plastic takes 91% less energy for recycling.” More and more brands are joining in the effort to reduce the carbon footprint and waste in our country, resulting in technological advances that have created sustainable poly bags that blend organic materials with synthetic ones.
While the truth is always a hard pill to swallow, plastic remains the most eco-friendly choice, especially in terms of packaging material. If you take a look at the data about carbon footprints, plastic generates the least detrimental environmental impact. If this isn’t enough reason for you to reconsider plastic packaging, know that it remains one of the most economical packaging materials and is available globally. Environmentally, plastic packaging will remain until the experts find a new option or make a technological advancement allowing our industries to use new materials with lower carbon footprints.
We acquire and operate packaging manufacturers while maintaining continuity throughout the existing business structures. Field has more than 75 years of operating expertise and experience in the packaging industry.
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