Tag Archives: Sustainable Packaging

How Edible Packaging is Contributing to Going Waste Free 

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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. 

The Benefits of Recycled Packaging 

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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 Choose Eco Friendly Packaging 

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Eco friendly types of packaging are those that can be recycled or reused easily, and generally are better for the world around you. It utilized renewable energy, and in many cases, they use recycled or renewable materials as much as they can. Also known by many as “green” packaging, or even sustainable packaging, they have a few names, all of which are important to the environment.

As more brands and businesses start to look at being sustainable, the one area they turn to, tis their packaging. It’s important to look at eco-friendly packaging, and here, we’ll go over exactly what that is. 

More biodegradable 

Greener types of packaging are also better for biodegradable options. It’s also better for shipping. The materials that are there are recyclable, and biodegradable, so they have a better impact on the environment compared to others. 

Easier to Transfer 

Another cool thing is that they’re usually easier to transfer. The eco-friendly types of packaging, and their derivatives, tend to be better on meeting the labels.  You’ll be able to find more packaging items than ever before and will suit these needs, which is why a lot of people are choosing to go with it. 

Better Brand Image 

Another reason why a lot of people are also choosing eco friendly packaging, is that it’s better on your brand image. A lot of companies want to be seen as environmentally friendly. however, in order to get that way of regard, they need to work for it.

Make sure that you let customers know about your sustainable packaging, in the way that not only do you pay attention to the planet, but also are responsible when it comes to making decisions to boost the company’s needs, and to provide a better, more sustainable type of direction. This might involve changing the supply chain in a few cases, however the overall impact of this can be much better.

One thing that a lot of companies do is that they will communicate on their branding that they are sustainable, and from there, you’ll be able to be viewed as sustainable, and better for the environment in the long run, so it’s good to do.

In a world where this is becoming more important than ever before, for a lot for companies, sustainability can make or break you, so make sure that you make it, and don’t let it ruin you.

Less of a carbon footprint 

Finally, let’s talk about your carbon footprint. The carbon footprint is basically the relationship of your actions and the protection of the world around you. The footprint does have some implications, especially in food production and manufacturing. 

Even the tiniest of changes make the world a difference and do make things better for you. Not to mention, it’s a lot more sustainable to manufacture these goods, and in a lot of cases, you’re actually profiting by changing our process and being more sustainable.  This can be a great way for a lot of people to really improve the ability that they have to make a difference. Many also mention that the profit margins grow as a result of this, and it’s something that can be used. 

In general, being sustainable isn’t just a suggestion these days, but something that you have to do in order to save your grand image.

If you haven’t taken the time to work on trying to be sustainable, then it’s time to do so! Start today, and see for yourself the impact of being sustainable, and the actions you take along with their results. 

Sustainable Packaging Design Options

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When you’re packing, you want to work on trying out new sustainable packaging.
This is all the rage, and with new breakthroughs that are becoming more and more interesting, here we’ll go over some of the new and hot sustainable packaging highlights that have come out just this year for those who use this kind of packaging.
Non-Foil Aseptic Packaging
This is a new type of packaging that reduces the foil that’s there, and this is one of the first-generation types of new packaging solutions to replace aseptic aluminum barriers and replaces them with polymer films that are applied with a coating, offering a similar barrier to offer reduction of the climate impact.

The life cycle assessment is still pending, but the aluminum layer is just 5% of the base materials in total, and it does reduce at least a third of the emissions from greenhouse gases.
This is non-foil packaging that’s out there on supermarket shelves, and it does reduce carbon footprints by 25%.

Renewable Base coatings for Cartons
This is a new product that a company has introduced, in that it is a plant carton that’s totally renewable, and this is actually incredibly popular, selling a billion of these the last year alone.
This plant-based carton polymer is a sugarcane coating that reduces your carbon footprint by helping to make sure that you’re not using up too much plastic. You also can have sustainable graphics on this, creating a very successful type of packaging portfolio. It’s supposedly going to be completely renewable by 2025.

Aseptic Carton Recycling
Carton recycling is growing, especially aseptic carton recycling, growing to a much larger amount, with more and more plants. Right now, the recycling rate is about 27%, which may not seem like much, but with the growth of new partnerships for carton packaging, and a much larger carton capacity, and more and more corrugated cardboard and other material that are growing, it’s certainly something that will definitely help you as well.

The Tethered Cap and bundling film
There are two new additions that the company has put in.

First, the new growth is from the Tetra Pak R&D team, which talks about how they made a tethered cap that will actually be sustainable, and it uses the screw-and-flip concept along with the self-locking hinge for this to work.

They’re plant-based, which means that they offer more renewable content with this while also minimizing the amount of litter that’s there.

There is also a recyclable packaging film that is made out of recycled plastic, with over half of it being made of such, and this is a new one especially if you want to use sustainable types of film for your packaging as well.

Digitizing Food Waste
This is also good because it can help with understanding how to extend the shelf-life of the products.

They’re using QR codes now in order to show how long the product has. By scanning it, they can from there follow through and see if they want to keep it on the shelves, and from there discount so that it doesn’t go to waste.

As well, if there are packages which are damaged, they can identify and take the right steps. They also look at the shelf life and stock levels, which helps with dynamic pricing where the products that near the end of this are discounted, which enable customers to buy them, so that food isn’t wasted.

And this is all of course, working together to create sustainable, useful packaging and means to properly preserve the food that you have and everything that is happening.