People who are concerned about the future of this planet are well-aware of the threats from pollution and excessive energy use. Numerous websites, blogs and publications are warning that the natural resources are dwindling, mainly because of disproportionate harvesting and returning. You cannot give a plastic bottle back to the land, because it didn’t come from the land, to put it bluntly. In the meantime, islands of plastic bags a d bottles are clogging the waterways, rivers, lakes and oceans, presenting a real-time threat to biodiversity and environment. If you believe that an urgent change in the way we think and behave about it, you can easily contribute to preservation of world’s resources by supporting sustainable packaging.
Definition of Sustainable Packaging
Under this term, we shouldn’t consider only the final product that is biodegradable. Sustainability includes production, marketing, used materials and reusability or recycling potential. None of these elements is more important than the other if yow want to fully understand the idea behind earth-friendly packaging.
Three Elements of Sustainability
As the production process is concerned, it must be energy efficient, implementing alternative fuels like biomass or renewable sources. Product marketing should cover eco-friendly media like, Internet and radio. They don’t require forests to be cut for paper. The actual packaging materials have to be biodegradable, recyclable and non-toxic. An additional aspect of sustainable packaging product is to have a high reusability potential.
Aims of Sustainable Packaging
When speaking about environmentally-friendly packaging options, they are justified by three aims. They need to be cost-effective in the first place, it needs to be functional in order to be widely accepted, and it should be directed towards benefiting the environmental and human well-being. The third aim is derived from the first two. If the product is not functional, or its price is too high, people will think twice before buying it to justify the sustainable component. They will likely take their environmental struggle elsewhere.
Good Examples
Among the many outstanding examples of sustainable packaging those that are truly great are such because besides the sustainability backdrop, they also implement innovation and practicability. Such examples are numerous. I bet you didn’t know that a champagne bottle made of potato starch and recycled paper keeps the low temperature even after two hours out of the refrigerator. What is more, in a recent chat with the people from Axis Industrial Solutions, I learned that although there have been significant movements towards more effective plastic recycling technologies, there is always something to be improved, and what separates them from the competition is willingness to take those steps.
Regulations and Prospects
Governments of individual countries as well as local communities are setting the environmental legislation including rules and procedures involving sustainable packaging. Still those regulations are just rough foundations and outlines, as new sustainable technologies and materials are not yet regulated. That means that possibilities are limitless, as long as they are not in collision with an existing regulation.
Business Benefits
Being an earth-friendly company is a good way of attracting new customers, as well as promoting your business at environmental conventions and other events. By sending a loud and clear message that you are concerned about your customers’ future, you are surely to get some positive feedback. In other words, an eco-friendly company has always an easy task finding business partners and investors. Not to mention the tax discount s that more and more countries and municipalities are offering to green companies.
It is evident that sustainable packaging has advantages in more than one aspect, encompassing all the participants in the production chain. But besides the company owners, workers, retailers and customers, the biggest benefit goes to our blue planet.
Author Bio: Lillian Connors is green living enthusiast in charge of the sustainability segment on Smooth Decorator. She cherishes the notion that sustainable housing and gardening will not only make us far less dependent on others regarding the dwellings we inhabit and what we eat, but also contribute to our planet being a better place to live on. You can check her out on Google+ , Twitter and LinkedIn.
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