Speaking of sustainable packaging, after nearly 10 years of exploration and practice, we realized that, first of all, there is no truly sustainable packaging in the world, on the contrary, sustainability is just a process, and its goal is to make the packaging sustainable Sexuality continues to improve over time, thereby reducing the overall environmental impact of the product.
Second, from a sustainability perspective, packaging materials include glass, plastic, paper, and aluminum, making it difficult to distinguish good from bad. Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages according to the purpose of the product and the purpose of packaging. Therefore, in the process of pursuing sustainability, we must always learn to choose.
Third, we must consider the sustainability of packaging from the perspective of the entire product supply chain. Packaging accounts for less than 10% of a product ’s carbon footprint, and the carbon footprint of a product during manufacturing and use is the largest. Although the carbon footprint of packaging may be small, its importance cannot be ignored. If the packaging loses its most basic function, which is to protect the product in the supply chain, attract customers to purchase, and promote consumption, then when this product is thrown away, the energy it consumes in the production process is wasted.
In the past 10 years, sustainability or green packaging has become a hot topic in the packaging industry. Driven by retailers ’requirements, public awareness, economic pressure (especially petroleum products), and government policies, sustainability has penetrated all aspects of packaging—from the source of raw materials to the final handling of products—and ultimately Evolved into a very complex problem.
Since the concept of sustainable packaging has become popular, you can improve the environmental impact of packaging through these methods.
1. Design packaging from the perspective of life cycle
There are many life cycle assessment tools that can help packaging designers understand the impact of different packaging on the environment. For example, the U.S. Sustainable Packaging Alliance ’s online design software can help users make more informed material choices and more correct design decisions through an intuitive environmental indicator; and EarthShift ’s Intelligent Packaging Life Cycle Assessment Software ( PackageSmart LCA) also allows packaging designers to assess the environmental impact of their work.
But one thing to note is that sustainability indicators and standards are constantly evolving and changing, so as long as you choose a solution, you must stick to it and use different tools to measure the same package, and you may get different results. Therefore, the key is to maintain consistency and find the correct direction of development.
2. Minimize the use of packaging materials
To evaluate each component in the packaging, can we minimize the use of packaging materials without affecting the integrity of the product? Take the famous all-natural sports drink manufacturer LIV Organic as an example. The company used to use traditional PET (polyethylene terephthalate, a resin) beverage bottles, and now they use With the technology of Amcor, the weight of the beverage bottle with a capacity of 16.9 ounces was reduced from 36.8 grams to 31.4 grams, and the weight loss ratio reached 14.6%.
At present, suppliers are constantly developing new containers, lids, labels and other products to achieve the purpose of reducing packaging volume and reducing the price tag area.
3. Choose new alternative packaging for product distribution
New machinery and new materials enable packers to produce multipacks, pallets, or rack packaging with less material to minimize waste of packaging.
For drinking water distributors, it is risky to change the packaging of bottled water from corrugated carton to shrink film. Fortunately, Polypack's nested packaging helped them realize the staggered arrangement of water bottles The shrink film ensures the stability of the bottle during transportation, thereby reducing the need for corrugated trays or cushions and achieving cost savings. According to the company's boss, customers like the new packaging very much because it uses fewer materials, is easier to handle, and is very attractive.
4. Look for opportunities to reuse packaging
In Costa Rica, Pizza Hut customers are recommended to use a brand new pizza box that can be split into cardboard and small boxes for packed food. In 2010, KFC also launched a reusable lunch box, and won the green packaging award that year. This meal box is a transparent Bowl with a lid labeled "Reusable" and can be used in microwave ovens and dishwashers. More importantly, it uses a non-porous and breathable patented technology, which allows moisture to pass through without opening holes, so as to achieve the purpose of keeping fresh. In addition, this meal box is made of 100% polypropylene, this material is the first choice for food storage in the catering industry. [next]
But reproducibility is not just a requirement for food packaging. Puma also attaches great importance to it. The company and Yves Behar, a well-known industrial designer in San Francisco, jointly launched a "smart pocket" The environmentally friendly packaging is designed to reduce the waste caused by traditional shoe boxes. This package consists of a piece of cardboard and a cloth bag, removing the top cover and bottom of the traditional shoe box, leaving only four sides as a supporting skeleton, and then using the bag set, and passing the bag's handle through the side to reserve holes. This not only saves cardboard materials, but also does not need to provide customers with bags for shoe boxes. In addition, the paper it uses is 100% recycled paper, and the cloth is recyclable polyester nonwoven fabric. It is said that this packaging alone allows Puma to save 65% of paper and a lot of electricity and water resources.
5. Improve your product
The most successful transition in sustainable packaging is household cleaning products. Starting from detergents and other cleaning agents and chemicals, household cleaning products companies have adopted concentrated formulas to reduce water consumption during the life cycle of the products. In addition, they also reduce the impact of packaging products on the environment through small packaging and supplementary packaging.
6. Try to use recyclable packaging design
In the production process of packaging materials, the most effective way to save energy is recycling. Although many materials, such as paper and PET, have achieved large-scale recycling, it is difficult to find suitable recycling methods for coatings, labels and other elements that enhance packaging functions. Fortunately, we have new options.
Smart Planet Technologies has launched a very promising technology-EarthBoard. It uses a coating made of powdered minerals, which is very easy to recycle and is an ideal substitute for polyethylene coated cardboard. In addition, this coating can also be used on recycled paperboard without affecting the brightness of the paper.
7. Use packaging strategies that encourage consumption
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the United States generates about 34 million tons of food waste every year, so those food packaging that can promote consumption are often more likely to make breakthroughs in sustainability. The current technologies that can be used to reduce food waste are mainly resealable packaging, packaging that can clearly mark the date of use, and other technologies that help separate the product from its packaging. For example, Helman designed a convenient package for topping mayonnaise. It adds a coating made of non-stick material to the inside of the container, allowing consumers to easily remove the last mayonnaise remaining in the bottle.
In addition, although large packages seem to be more sustainable than individual packages, from the perspective of the actual consumption rate of products, the environmental advantages of small packages are greater.
8. Understand the source of packaging materials
Now more and more retailers and consumers are paying more attention to sustainable packaging, so be sure to use environmentally responsible packaging materials. For example, the toy manufacturer Mattel has been severely criticized by Greenpeace because the cardboard packaging used by the company contains a large amount of wood fibers from the Indonesian rainforest. To this end, Mattel has introduced new sustainable procurement principles to standardize the company's procurement of paper and wood fibers. Hasbro quickly followed suit.
9. Find opportunities to save space from the distribution process
At the second packaging summit of Michigan State University, industry expert Kevin Howard once again emphasized the importance of packaging design to save logistics and distribution costs. He said: "You have to know what changes have taken place in your surroundings. Some of them cannot pass the International Safety Transport Organization (ISTM) standard packaging but are unimpeded in practice."
10. Consider raw materials made from renewable materials
Packaging based on renewable raw materials-from bioplastics made from corn or sugarcane to protective packaging made from mushrooms has now become the fastest growing field. But compared with traditional materials, these new technologies still face certain problems in actual production.
When choosing renewable materials for packaging, it is best to use the life cycle assessment method; understand the performance of these materials in the recycling process; clarify their sources and ensure that their performance can meet your packaging requirements.
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