Monthly Archives: October 2024

Balancing Eco friendliness and Protection for Sustainable Packaging 

Posted on by

Ecommerce packaging is something that’s recently become ever-so popular. However, one of the biggest challenges is durability and protection, while also maintaining your brand.

This is because you don’t want to overuse some of the additives and void fill, but you also don’t want to give too little that the item ends up breaking. The precarious line between both of these is something that a lot of people need to focus on, and here, we’ll go over the different ways to make this work, and how consumers demand sustainable packaging, and how companies are offering this. 

The Materials for eco friendly Packaging 

Eco Friendly packaging is something that can be a big challenge when trying to have some level of protection. 

Choosing recyclable, biodegradable, or compostable materials is the way to go when you’re choosing eco-friendly packaging, but you also need to make sure that they can withstand the shipping and handling that’s done.

That, of course, is a big problem with it, since so many companies may think that their items are good enough for them to be shipped out, only for them to not be. 

In this case, you want to make sure you choose something fitting for the items at hand. Corrugated cardboard might be your solution. Smaller items may work in mailers, and if you’re going to use void fill, try to be eco-friendly such as biodegradable packing peanuts or crinkle paper. 

This, when properly combined, will help to ensure that they can withstand the shipping and handling. 

A Precarious Balance 

It, of course, requires you as well to have a precarious balance between not adding too much excess packaging, and adding in reusable and returnable options to this as well. For instance, having a mailer that can be resealed will be great for returns. 

A good thing to do;, is to try a drop test, and see how much of this you can implement in there, in order to create the best types of packaging that you can. adding all of this to it will help to ensure that the items are able to be protected throughout shipping. 

Try to go for greener initiatives such as a fitting box, and not using anything too excessive in terms of inks to really make this shine.   The right balance works wonders, and adding in a means to make this work will always make things even better. 

The benefits and Challenges of this 

Being able to offer eco-friendly solutions is imperative for a lot of companies. Reducing your environmental impact while also protecting products during the shipment process is so important. Adding this in, and really building a good balance will help to make it so that you’re able to get the items to your customers without them breaking down. showing that you put some love into caring for the planet is also really good too.

The biggest challenge is to manage the cost of these eco friendly materials with the risk damage mitigation due to the less than robust packaging. It can be a bit of a downer, so make sure you also keep these in mind.   you want to try to go for protection first, and from there, slowly get rid of any extra void fill that’s out there, in order to make it work.

Try to opt for sustainable packaging solutions. One good example of this is the frustration-free packaging that amazon does. While you don’t have to do it just like them, adding in protection and the sustainability initiatives to your ecommerce packaging will help with improving your customer satisfaction. 

How to Balance Safety and Accessibility with Child-resistant Packaging 

Posted on by

Child resistant packaging is very important, especially for cleaning items, poisonous chemicals, medicines, even the cannabis industry, which has recently started to use a lot of this type of packaging.

But how do you make this packaging accessible to adults, but not to kids? With children being the main target to keep this packaging out of, it’s a given, but the problem arises when you’re making medications for seniors, and then they complain they can’t even open it. 

Designing these elements and balancing this is very important, especially when you want to factor in those with disabilities as well.   here, we’ll go over some of the different ways companies have taken this on. 

Push and Turn Caps 

Simple enough that most adults can open it, but it’s hard for kids to get into, are the push and turn caps. It’s so simple. You simply press down, turn it, and then it opens. This is commonly seen in a lot of pharmaceuticals. 

It is simple enough that most seniors can get this open as well. and, it keeps kids away.   most young children do not have the dexterity to open this. 

Tear-Resistant Materials 

Some packaging may require a customer to tear at a very specific perforated area, which has a very small indentation. It still requires a bit of work, but it does keep kids out. most young children just tear out the item, but with this, it makes it much harder.   and, by the time a parent realizes the kid is getting into it, they can stop it.

Another alternative is scissors, or needing some sort of device to open it. this is not recommended, because those with motor skills and disabilities may struggle with opening it, creating a problem. 

Lockable Pouches and Jars 

Common in a lot of cannabis items, they give their customers a pouch that is literally lockable. Pressing a notch causes it to open, and will unseal the contents.

Another one is the push and pull trays. These are a little complex, where you have to push on the indentation while pulling with the other, but it’s a great way to keep kids out of these items. 

The same goes for jars.   With the push of a small notch, it immediately locks it. so even the rosiest kid might be unable to get into that, making it easier for you to protect them. 

Designing This 

This is important to design correctly. Some companies use ergonomic designs that are easy for adult hands to grab, but hard for kids.

The goal of this is accessibility for those who need it.   test your packaging so that adults who are using this don’t get wrap rage trying to open it. 

Making sure that it complies with safety regulations while making it easy to use is so important, because a lot of times, people feel better when they know that it’s compliant, and been approved. For instance, cannabis labs will have third-party testing that shows the seal of approval that it has, so it’s great. 

Overall, you want to make sure that you prevent accidental poisoning or injury through these packaging solutions. Security is of immense value, and makes it easier for you.

The main goal is to make it user-friendly while also being stringent with the safety standards. Properly balancing out all of this is imperative, so make sure that you do this in a manner that will ultimately benefit everyone, and make it so that, with all of these additions, you’re able to give your customers the ultimate in product. 

Eco Friendly ways to Reduce Your Packaging’s Carbon Footprint 

Posted on by

There are a lot of different ways that your packaging can help others. But what about the world? is there anything you can do to make a difference? 

One way is your packaging, specifically your inks and printing. Think about it: a lot of the printing that you have isn’t sustainable, and in some cases, turns the packaging that you have into a single-use packaging. Some recycling centers won’t even take the packaging if it’s got an ink that’s petrol based on it. 

So yes, you should look at the printing you are doing. While it might not seem like much, it does impact the overall eco friendliness of the items at hand. 

The Rise of Sustainable Inks 

The first and biggest change to your packaging is the inks that you use.

Think about it, do you use an ink that’s water or soy-based?  Or do you use something that’s petrol based? If the answer is the latter, there’s a problem with your packaging, and it’s time for you to properly start taking care of this.

Water-based inks come off with water and are very sustainable. The one downside is that they may not be as vibrant, but if you’re shipping out tons of items, it works well.

Another one is soy or cornstarch-based inks.   With so many unique ways to utilize these types of inks, they are a viable alternative to those harmful packaging items that emit a ton of toxins and harmful emissions. 

Think about it, when you give sustainable inks, you’re giving the people who buy from you something different, and something that will last a long time. 

Your Printing Plays a Part 

While a lot of traditional printing methods might seem like a good option, they do come with the price of not being as eco friendly as they should be.

If you don’t realize this, look at the current impacts and energy of litho printing. While it does look good, the problems this results in and the impact of the environment also play a huge part in the way things go.

If you’re wasting too much energy, and want to reduce this, you can use digital printing. It’s great for long runs too, because it goes out fast, and also looks great. Printing has come a long way, so you don’t have to worry about it looking washed out or bland either. 

The benefits and Challenges 

With this type of printing, you ultimately reduce the carbon footprint that you have.   This carbon footprint is constantly growing, and results in climate change, and also issues with the way sustainability is measured.   Well, when you reduce this, you’re doing your part in taking care of the planet, something that does pay off in the long haul.

And the best part of this is that you don’t have to worry about the designs being compromised. You can still have some high-quality printing designs without it being messed up through different means. In fact, a lot of companies now rely on digital printing methods because of how easy it is to get some high-quality printing in a single run.

Now, with these sustainability measures, you do need to factor in the costs and performance. The inks, as we mentioned, might not be as vibrant. Combined with digital printing, it may affect the overall look of this. When you balance the performance and costs with overall sustainability, you will be able to give a more eco-friendly and renewable resource, one that will definitely play a long-term role in the success of the company. 

How Edible Packaging is Contributing to Going Waste Free 

Posted on by

Edible packaging is a new type of packaging that’s designed to not only lower the amount of waste but offer an alternative to normal materials.

With edible packaging, it contributes to a food-safe experience, and it does create a unique alternative to biodegradable packaging solutions you might otherwise use. In a world where waste is monitored, having something that’s a great alternative to this might be worth your while.

We’ll explore edible packaging and its contributions here, so you can better understand the unique nature of this experience. 

Materials for edible Packaging 

Materials for edible packaging have to be something that you will, well, eat. Obviously, there’s a lot of edible items, but whether it’s due to taste or texture, you definitely want to be mindful of the types of packaging that you use. Common ones are seaweed of course, as it’s a good all-arounder, but there is also rice paper, common in a lot of Asian candies. Finally, there is gelatin, which creates an outer covering that a lot of people like.

With these materials, you want to make sure that they’re paired in a manner that’s easy for you to realize, and also one that can work well. 

Balancing it All Out 

Now, the real challenge that comes with edible packaging isn’t the disposal, but it’s how it’s all put together.

First, you’ve got taste. Having edible packaging is good, but if it doesn’t mix with the tastes of the food, people are just going to throw it out.   There is also the fact that you can throw this out and it will break down, but at that point it isn’t zero waste necessarily.

Food safety is another.   You want to make sure that the safety of the items that you eat isn’t compromised. Most of the types of packaging materials for edible packaging are safe for long-term consumption, but if you are pairing this with something perishable, make sure that you let customers know about when it might expire.

Functionality and sustainability are the other two. You want to ideally eliminate waste. This can be a bit of a struggle in some cases, especially if customers aren’t open to it. you don’t want to give them something that doesn’t really hold the item, or give them the packaging experience that they want.

Your shelf life definitely impacts the brunt of this but ensuring that this is all balanced is good for you.

The Benefits and Challenges 

There are a lot of challenges and benefits that come with this.

The first, being the environmental impact that this reduces. Single-use plastics can cause a lot of buildup of waste over time. When you use sustainable packaging such as in the form of edible packaging that’s out there, you will be able to eliminate a lot of the extra single-use plastics that are out there.

With less environmental impact, there can be better results in the long haul, and better experiences for many that are involved.

The biggest concerns that come from this, however, are mostly in the form of hygiene. That’s because you want to make sure that the edible packaging is safe to eat, especially given how things can be. you don’t want food poisoning to be a major problem with this.

The other major issue is durability, because it does need to be strong. Sometimes they break down, thereby creating problems.

Finally, there is customer acceptance. You may have some trouble with this, especially when it comes to getting people on board to use these unique and interesting forms of packaging. 

Integrating IoT into Packaging 

Posted on by

With the world of packaging there are many new updates. One of them is IoT or the internet of things, which is revolutionary and connects the physical and digital worlds. 

At the base, IoT is basically the connection of devices that allow you to communicate the data that you have without a human intervening. It’s like a web, based digitally in the computer and smartphone, with both every day and technological items that can be implemented to safeguard and protect various items. 

Why it’s Great for Packaging 

These days, it’s a game-changer for a lot of companies. packaging isn’t just a shell for customers to interact with, but instead it’s a participant in the journey that the product goes from manufacturing to the hands of the customer. IoT types of packaging introduce new intelligence that was once thought to only be in science fiction. 

It’s easier to track than ever before, and with the presence of RFID tags, you’re getting real-time tracking data that’s invaluable for supply chains all around.

Think about how the current supply chain is, and how products get handled. With IoT, you’ll be able to find the issues that are relating to theft, delays, even damages, and getting rid of them as you go along. 

Types of IoT Packaging 

There’s a few types of unique IoT packaging ideas that industries can take advantage of.

The first is smart inventory management, which is a view of the inventory that’s used in real time. A lot of smart containers and shelves have different monitors that work with stock levels, and they can reorder the items as soon as they need it, and reduce the instances of overstock or stock outs from going on.

Quality assurance is another. This ensures that the products get transported and stored to the right environments, preventing spoilage and various damages, but also makes sure that the customers and the quality of life products they’re getting are worth it.

There’s also interactive IoT packaging, which is where the packaging literally communicates with the customers. 

NFC tags and QR codes for example offer customers more product information, and help contribute to more interactive experiences of all kinds. 

This encourages not just promotions, but also gets customers to engage with the product, offering new ways for you to get marketing, along with brand loyalty in place. 

What the Future Holds 

The cool thing about this type of packaging is that the benefits are really just the evolution.   IoT is being used right now for smarter packaging practices, reducing the waste of materials, and improving the recycling efforts that are there. this all aligns with the emphasis on the environmental considerations and consciousness that comes along with this.

It also will enhance the consumer experience, and the way that consumers natively interact with their products. Internalized and personalized packaging, and even experiences that are immersive, the sky’s the limit on what you can do with this.

A lot of brands build stronger connections through providing more unique and technology-focused types of experiences that you can enjoy. 

It is also the supply chain revolution that will allow for better management of these industries. Tracking, analytics, and even autonomous systems properly streamline these operations, and reduce the inefficiencies and create a more responsive and resilient type of supply chain that you’ll definitely love.

So yes, IoT is the future, and it’s what will bring you the new wave of changes to your product packaging, enhancing not just the future of what’s there, but also as well, the unique opportunities that will come about as a result of this, making it even more magical than before.