The Top Eco Friendly Packaging Materials to Use 

Being eco-friendly isn’t just a suggestion—it’s a must! You need to make sure that you’re using the right type of packaging materials. Here, we’re going to showcase the best materials available to use, with the goal being greener, more sustainable types of practices. We’ll highlight each, and how they can help. 

Why Eco Friendly Packaging Matters 

Eco friendly packaging is important for environmental preservation and sustainability. Using this type of packaging material does minimize the effects that are there.

Plastics such as Styrofoam and others have a bad reputation because of the environmental impacts that are there, and they do contribute to the pollution of the environment. It can take centuries for them to break down, and it can lead to a long-lasting presence in the environment. They also release harmful greenhouse gasses that’ll deplete these natural resources.

The right eco-friendly packaging materials provide a solution for this and are made to make it so that you can reduce your environmental impact in other ways. This also enhances the brand image. As more people become aware of the environment and what they do, they need products that are sourced responsibly, so choosing the right packaging matters. 

Now that you know this, we’re going to talk about the best eco-friendly packaging. 

Corrugated Packaging 

It’s lightweight, very versatile, and super easy to recycle. It can be recycled plenty of times without losing durability and strength. It also is great because it’s biodegradable, so it’s a good choice for your packaging. 

Compostable 

This is a type of packaging that you recycle by putting it in a compost pile. Ti’s broken down into more organic matter, especially when composed in home or industrial facilities. Made from cellulose, starch, and other materials that are plant based, it’s ideal for food packaging and those with a shortened lifespan. 

Mushroom 

Mushroom packaging is one that’s made from mycelium, which is mushrooms and the root structure. It’s biodegradable, sustainable, and easy to compose. It’s molded into different shapes, used to package a whole lot of different products, such as food, electronics and so much more. It’s innovative and is good for the environment. 

Seaweed 

Seaweed is another natural resource that our oceans are filled with. Seaweed types of packaging are perfectly biodegradable, and also compostable. That means, they’re broken down in the environment without creating harmful chemicals in its wake. It’s also very sturdy, and it’ll protect this packaging during the shipping process. 

Plastics that are Biodegradable 

Finally, we’ve got plastics that are eco friendly. These are biodegradable, and they’re not made from the usual oils, but plant-based types of chemicals.  Unlike the normal plastics that typically take hundreds of years for a product to decompose, this actually is much faster to break down, which also reduces the overall impact on the environment. 

The Best Practices for : Sustainability 

There are a few practices along with just using a better packaging type that you should consider: 

  • Use less packaging.  This is done by product optimization, and choosing stuff that’s efficient and lightweight 
  • Get recyclable and reusable packaging, as they are great for storing and using other products. The goal of this is to minimize eco waste, and you can do this with this type of packaging 
  • Use sustainable items: using mushroom packaging, packaging that’s compostable, and even seaweed packaging is a great way to prevent this from getting worse 
  • Educate your customers on the importance that sustainable packaging offers, encouraging them to reuse and recycle this. add more information on how to properly dispose of this, so that people know just how to use it. 

The Benefits of Recycled Packaging 

When you’re trying to get more customers, your packaging might be what’s holding you back. With over 70% of consumers choosing to be more eco-friendly and sustainable, if you’re a company that isn’t, it’s going to damage you.

Even “recycled” plastics may also not be recycled. They tend to lead more to landfills than to a recycling plant.

That’s why sustainable packaging that’s recyclable might be the answer to look into. 

The Benefits for the environment 

For a lot of people, packaging is crucial for protection, information displaying, and boosting your marketing.

But one conventional approach that packaging offers has also been a problem. The environmental crises have started to happen, due to the onslaught of single-use plastics, along with non-recycled types of materials.  They’ve led to landfills that are overflowing, waters that get polluted, and ecosystems that harm people.

Many consumers do understand that which is why over 80% of them actually think that these retailers will curb this plastic packaging.

What’s your alternative though? Recyclable packaging will boost the image of the brand, and bolster sales too. 

The Best Packaging: corrugated board 

Corrugated board or cardboard is considered one of the best types of packaging, not just for protection, but also on a sustainability level. 

Many corrugated boards have two types of outer layers, known as linerboard.  Then in the middle, is fluting. Fluting offers durability and is good for protecting products when they’re shipped out. 

It’s one of the best and most popular types of packaging and is used to transit items across many distances. 

Corrugated also is much more renewable, so it’s far less harmful to the world around you than plastics and other packaging. 

The Benefits of Corrugated Packaging 

There are a few benefits that come with corrugated packaging.

The first is that it does reduce waste. This is due to it being customizable, so that the material waste is eliminated. its’ formatted so that it fits around products snugly and reduces this material and interior packaging that’s used.  This is good for eliminating packaging peanuts.

Corrugated also doesn’t minimize the upfront waste, but it also reduces the material wasting that happens after you’ve shipped out something.  Corrugated is very recycled, especially compared to plastics.  Many times, a lot of it is disposed of as a residue, especially when you use this.  recycled corrugated material is better, and it reduces the energy within incinerators and waste.

It also is good for resources and energy conservation. Many recycled packaging options don’t just result in less waste transported to landfills, but it also provides a better way to conserve resources and energy. Due to the fact that corrugated is very recyclable, it’s made primarily with materials that are reused, creating more powerful results than if you just used other types of options. 

Because of the low amounts of recyclability, a lot of plastic packaging is virgin. Virgin packaging is not good for the environment, especially since many times virgin packaging is discarded into the oceans and landfills.  You also need to use more energy to build and craft new plastics.  Did you know that plastic is responsible for 3% of the total energy consumption within the US? This is actually double what the aviation industry does, so it’s important for a lot of people to look at this.

Corrugated paperboard does use energy, but it’s usually about a third of this, and a lot of times there’s far less virgin packaging with that regard.

Keep this in mind and choose the right packaging that best fits your needs. 

Why Does Packaging Matter 

Packaging is the first and initial impression that customers will get whenever they browse the items you provide. 

Some mention that you shouldn’t judge books by their covers. But the right cover does boost the sales. The right, suitable types of packaging will craft the same overall effect. 

Here, we’ll go over the different reasons as to why you should make packaging a big priority. 

Overall Protection 

When customers get products, they check to make sure they haven’t been tarnished, spoiled, or further damaged. If they find that the product is ruined when they get this, it creates a negative impression one has on their business. This leads to poor feedback, and customers leaving. 

You should make sure that you get packaging that’s top quality, in order to protect these products and prevention of further damage. The materials that are chosen to need to be robust so that breakage, spills, and further product damage doesn’t occur. 

For instance, if you were to ship out items that were fragile, a corrugated box is the best secondary packaging. 

Corrugated material is strong enough for resistance of crushing, and prevention of this from further breaking, which is why a lot of people will keep this in mind when they’re choosing the packaging materials that they want to have. 

Safety of Products 

Health along with safety are very important for topical and edible products. Cosmetics, along with food companies, need to go to better lengths in order to ensure that the product is viable, and safe too. Contaminated and spoiled products lead to bad reviews. 

In order to craft products that are safe, you need good materials for packaging that do prevent the products from being further contaminated.  A lot of packaging, especially in the world of cosmetics, do need some air-sealed types of pumps. They ensure that the active types of ingredients aren’t exposed, and thus, from there ruined for people. 

Better Marketing 

It’s also good to have good packaging because of the marketing that comes with this.

Remember, if your product packaging doesn’t wow the person, they’re not going to desire it.  Product packaging is a vital tool for marketing. 

Pay special types of attention to the product. From containers to shipping boxes, to even labels, they’re important for supplies.  This is why, when this is in place, customers get impressed by the quality, and the service that’s used to get this order in place. Customized packaging is vital, as it lets you establish proper branding and image. That in turn will help with appealing directly to the customer base that’s there. 

Better Accessibility 

The decisions that are there when someone selects and designs packaging does impact the experience of a customer. 

A customer won’t be happy if the lids, bags and boxes aren’t easy to open up. Make sure that the packaging is integral to the maintenance of different products that are inside. 

Being Sustainable 

Finally, you want to make sure that you have customized packaging because it is the more sustainable option when compared to others. 

This type of packaging does provide a more competitive edge compared to others in the same industry. Using stretch wrap, packaging peanuts, and bubble wrap will create waste, and a lot of customers do pay mind to this. they don’t want it, and if you want to keep customers nice and happy, then you should always make sure that you also focus on the sustainability options. 

Now that you know the reasons why, you should start looking at your packaging today to highlight the branding and provide the best experience you can. 

Packaging Stationery Products 

Stationery is something that’s very interesting, because in order to do well with this, you want to make sure that you humanize it. 

Thank-you letters and notes are good, and stationery is something that’s become quite unique for a lot of companies. 

With the pandemic making human interaction a mess, you want to make sure that you let people know that you’re happy to give them something or thanking them for the purchase. 

Here are some stationery packaging designs that are good and will bring smiles to the faces of customers. 

Crane 

Crisp and clean paper is something that you can’t compete with.

Paper quality along with the messages are a driving force to bring about the best experience that recipients can have.  This gives thought, care, and helps with message crafting. 

Crane is unique because they offer an intimacy that you get from their physical messages, and this is especially true during a very technologically-advanced sort of time. 

They’ve changed the packaging, providing a rigid box that will protect these items, and also looks good on shelves in office stores and spaces.  They also use engravings, along with some secondary colors to provide warmth, along with a minimalistic look.

It is great too, because you can use this, and it’s different from generic paper. 

New Zealand Public Service Association 

The New Zealand PSA is something that’s interesting because it’s stationery that actually targets intriguing cases and provides a cause and means for people to support. 

This packaging and stationery is targeted to discuss the pay gap between genders, a problem in New Zealand and other places. 

They use a white, soft pink, along with a copper that’s used to push out the gender norms which are outdated, further reminding people of the ongoing issue of pay imbalance between women and men. 

Furthermore, they utilize customized inserts in order to show that women get pushed into a mold, one which society creates for them.  This packaging provides awareness to issues, and also allows for empowerment, and push towards better pay. 

Louise Fili Brilliant 

This is a unique type of packaging, especially since it’s for pencils, used for creativity.  They’re made for adults, and it gives them a chance to write and tap into those creative needs that they have. 

They use a printed rigid box, which gives them protection and storage that can’t be beaten. 

This packaging further provides a delightful look, and it gives a more vintage sort of look with different patterns, fonts, colors, and even hints of some shine in order to provide a complement to more metallic sorts of pencils. 

While colored pencils have been something that children use a lot, these are good for adults to harness their creativity, and imagination. 

Handmade Memories 

This is a packaging of stationary that MH Studios has made and is made to bring about the importance of care in messages that are personalized. 

The brand is further signified through different primary colors including cream, lavender, and the like, in order to provide more refined and modest types of composition. The golden logo that’s there adds to the premium experience. 

They use a customized tray and sleeve type of box for this, because it lets users easily access these products from the desks, shelves, and the like, while also offering protection to integrity and quality of each of the contents. 

Further, there’s a ribbon within this, and it allows for a variety of different selections of sheets, so you can get them out without wrinkling them.

The packaging was made to be thought-out, as a memento to make it a unique experience.