Eco-friendly Packaging Options that You Can Use
Eco-friendly packaging is on the rise with the sustainability movement and consumers as more aware of company values and how the products they buy affect the environment. So there is a definite advantage in choosing an eco-friendly packing option for your product. There are many materials that you can look at before selecting what fits your company values and niche market.
Styrofoam is a packing material that we all know about but it is not biodegradable and creates a huge problem for the environment. This is used for the protection of the product so that it reaches the customer without sustaining any damage. There are alternatives to Styrofoam that you can use such as biodegradable packaging peanuts. They provide safe protection to the products but have a more positive outlook on the environment. Also, they are more affordable when compared to Styrofoam. Recycled paper and cardboard are also a great packaging solutions and you will be able to get this eco-friendly packaging wholesale from trusted suppliers. Cardboard is anyway an eco-friendly packing solution but the method of manufacturing has a negative impact on the environment. This is why recycled paper products are preferred. There are also sustainably managed forests where you can source raw material for paper and cardboard production.
Bubble wrap packing such as Styrofoam is another common packing material that is used in many products. But it is made of plastic so there are other alternatives you can consider. There is corrugated recycled cardboard that you can use in place of this. There are cuts made on the cardboard to make it more effective at cushioning and it provides great protection to the product. There are alternative solutions provided for air pillows as well. These are used to occupy dead space in packing so that the product doesn’t get damaged during transport. These bags are inflated so there is very little material that goes into the packaging. You can use recycled material to create these air pillows.
Seaweed packing is used as a new packaging material and seaweed is something that you can source sustainably as well. This is still gaining popularity in the world of packaging. Cornstarch packaging can be used to create moulded forms and filler packing. There are certain drawbacks to using this as it is something that is used in the food supply for animals and humans alike and having another application creates competition which can increase the price of the food as well. But it is a better solution than using plastic for your product. In the same stream, mushroom packaging is something that overcomes this drawback of cornstarch packing. This is because it is taken from agricultural waste and it is not a source of food for anybody. This material can be moulded into different forms as well and you can compost this packaging once it serves its purpose. All of these materials are alternatives to plastic. But you can use plastic if you are conscious and transparent about why and how you use it. You can recycle plastic so that it doesn’t end up in a landfill so this is something you can provide as a solution for plastic waste.