Tag Archives: SustainablePackaging

Edible Packaging as a Twist for Shipping Food 

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Did you know that you can make your packaging edible. These days, more food businesses are able to do this, with edible packaging being all the rage. It’s made with edible materials such as sugar, seaweed, and much more.  

Here, we’ll discuss how edible packaging, including seaweed, rice, and sugar, all helps to make the packaging experience even better. You’d be surprised at all of the different ways to make edible packaging work.

What is It? 

It’s literally packaging that you can eat. It means that you’re not only enjoying the product, but what covers it. 

This includes rice paper, seaweed, and even sugar coverings. It’s safe to eat, and also makes it a two-for-one experience. You get to have some food in a packaging that offers a stronger peace of mind.

Who uses This 

Many types of industries do. 

Single-food containers benefit from this, since you can just eat the product after all of that. 

Small product wrappers may use this kind of packaging. Seaweed for rice balls or sushi is common in a lot of new food packaging areas.

Travel snacks are another. By having this, you can get the edible packaging that you deserve, without having to worry about being a product waster or creating other problems. 

The challenges 

It all seems like a great idea, but there are some considerations.

The first is edibility and consumer acceptance. Many people are cool with snacks, but not with eating the wrapper associated with said snack. Because of this, there are a lot of people who are against the idea of these snacks. The goal is to make it edible enough that you will make it acceptable for people.

The second is hygiene. You don’t want to have customer’s hands and grubby fingers all over this. it spreads germs, and it can be gross.   That means, you may want to use this with single-serve products. More takeout places use this type of packaging since it is a singular customer item, and therefore will only be touched by the one who prepares the food and the customer. 

The Benefits 

Obviously, it does need to be massaged a bit and perfected, but if more industries use this, it eliminates the need for single-use plastics in food shipping. Even if the customer doesn’t directly eat it, using a plant-based edible outer covering is good. if you toss it, it’ll degrade. Overall, you want to focus on the difference that this type of packaging will have, and how it will eliminate the need for single-use plastics across many shipping industries. 

When you use less plastic, you’ll be able to help create a more accessible experience, and also reduce the carbon footprint.  Many customers do look at that, so it’s something worth doing if the ultimate goal is to be more eco friendly with your decisions.

The future potential is endless 

The cool thing about this, is you can expand it to other types of industries that would benefit from this type of product.

One example is cosmetics. Obviously you can’t just eat lip gloss, but if you’re someone who is looking to make the packaging sustainable, it might be an option.

Another is supplements. Many would be thrilled to have a medium to eat the supplements they take. This edible packaging proves to offer just that.

Again, there’s a lot of unique applications for this, and ideas that are constantly expanding. Being attuned to the different expansions opens the door to broader potential, and revolutionizes the industries, giving you more packaging that will really shine too. 

Balancing Eco friendliness and Protection for Sustainable Packaging 

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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. 

The newest Eco Friendly Packaging Innovations and trends 

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Eco Friendly packaging is in, and sustainability in the world of packaging is so important. With many people more attuned to the impact their purchases have on the world around them, they’re turning to packaging that creates a greener world. 

We already see this with a lot of the packaging that’s out here today. For instance, the use of corrugated boxes rather than plastics is more common than you’d think. But, when it comes to more trends, there are some that stand out above the rest, which we’ll talk about here. 

The Current Trends 

Right now, the most innovative trends involve the way these packaging pieces are disposed of. These days, people want packaging that creates as little waste as possible. 

Many companies are turning to biodegradable and compostable items. These naturally break down in the landfill and offer a solution to help with the natural decomposition of the pieces. 

The second are recycled and upcycled packaging solutions. Companies are taking it upon themselves to recycle better, such as proper disposal and different types of channels that will help with growth.   

When it comes to upcycling, there are now new ways to reuse the packaging. For instance, some companies will take the boxes and will turn them into different hangers and boxes.   Some kids clothing companies will change the packaging to something that they can use. 

This all contributes to the ultimate result, of minimalist practices, and zero waste types of packaging. Gone are the days where you’re constantly having excess. These days, less is more, not just with the design, but with the sizes too. The ultimate goal is to have no waste or reduce the waste to a level where you’re not creating a negative impact. 

Companies using This 

There are companies that are using this. Calvin Klein for example, is now committed to 100% sustainable packaging, and everything that’s ethically sourced by 2025.   This, of course, helps to save tons of plastic, and they have managed to save over 200 tons with this alone. 

Patagonia is another, and they’ve also started to use recycled material in their clothing, and they teach customers how they can recycle the items on the clothing themselves. 

Benefits and Challenges 

There are obvious benefits that come with this. The first is environmental impact reduction. More people are able to save the plane with their practices, and it will put less of a burden on the current systems. 

Another benefit is customers like this. they want to see companies doing this, as it will show they’re committed to the environment. Almost three-quarters of customers are going to choose the company with eco-friendly initiatives, over one that’s not. 

There are challenges that come with this though. the costs might be much for some people. There is also the logistics, as some people aren’t as committed to tossing their packaging ethically, or they might have trouble doing so. 

What’s the Future Looking Like 

We’re going to see more eco-friendly packaging. These days, companies know that this is something they must do. 

If they aren’t, they’re going to miss out on valuable customers. However, we will also see some major technologies coming about, and new materials. For instance,  we already see plenty of bioplastics, and we might see more types of sustainable packaging practices. 

Overall, the eco-friendly packaging that you see isn’t just a trend, it’s here to stay. If you’re not already adopting a practice that is sustainable, then you should start doing it today, in order to see for yourself ta future type of packaging practice that will benefit you.