The demand for environmentally friendly packaging is growing in all industries worldwide. Choosing eco-friendly packaging can help protect the ecosystem from harmful environmental waste. Sustainable custom presentation boxes are an easy and economical option for packing and shipping products over any distance.
How Do We Define Sustainable Packaging?
Many people also remember it with the name of green packaging. It helps packaging companies minimize environmental waste or carbon footprints. Environmentally friendly product packaging has become a fad because of its many benefits to the environment and health.
First, identify the factors that lead to a move away from traditional product packaging.
Eco-Friendly Paper-Based Packaging Materials
Made of paper material, custom packaging boxes are free of plastic components and are 100% eco-friendly, biodegradable, recyclable, reusable, and recyclable containers for many types of products. These eco-friendly paper-based packaging materials include:
- Kraft paper material
- Corrugated cardboard material
- Kraft paper and cardboard
Kraft and corrugated cardboard are common materials used by small and medium-sized companies and established manufacturers to create environmentally friendly packaging. They can also be customized in various shapes, sizes, designs, CMYK color printing, and decoration.
Additionally, it provides customers with the best out-of-the-box experience and packaging that fits a wide range of products. These materials are ideal for your custom packaging if you want to make eco-friendly packaging for food or cosmetics (like soap). Additionally, custom cartons are often used as display packaging to display branded products in retail stores.
Book boxes are also used for product packaging. Use recycled paper materials. They are used for inexpensive packaging products such as toys and low-priced retail products. However, customized eco boxes are light and can be produced with low cost and little investment.
Why Plain Packaging Isn’t Ideal for Brands?
The ultimate of any packaging is to protect the products to the maximum. Today, packaging plays an even more important role in attracting customers with attractive packaging designs and promoting products to the retail market. On the other hand, bland packaging will neither help promote the product nor enhance the appearance of the product box, which is crucial for presenting the product to the audience.
In addition, all ordinary packaging is not environmentally friendly and does not help protect nature. For example, we often use plastic packaging, which is very harmful and hurts the environment. It poses many health risks to living things, whether humans, insects, plants, or animals. In humans, plastic packaging is said to cause more lung disease than any other medical problem.
Below are some examples of plastic packaging.
- Polyethylene terephthalate.
- While talking about the most prominent and accepted recycled type, plastic packaging will be at the top.
- High-density polyethylene.
- This type of plastic is used in containers for heavier liquid products such as detergents, shampoos, and motor oils. It is also used to package various foods.
Low-Density Polyethylene
The manufacturers of plastic bags use low-density polyethylene. This material is also useful to prepare flexible plastic films. However, we do not recommend this material because only a small amount can be recycled. Plastic bags are used for clothing packaging.
In conclusion, plastic packaging harms nature and increases pollution. However, there are now several alternatives to plastic packaging on the market that do not harm the ecosystem, are easy to recycle, and dissolve in soil like other biodegradable paper-based materials.
Environmentally Friendly Plastic Products
Environmentally friendly plastics in product packaging include bioplastics, biodegradable plastics, and recycled plastics.
Biodegradable Plastic
Biodegradable plastics are special plastics made from non-renewable petroleum with chemical additives added to make them degrade faster in conditions such as moisture, oxygen, light, and high temperature.
Polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBAT) are petroleum-based materials used in product packaging in different ways. Generally speaking, they are more environmentally friendly than other similar materials.
Plant-Based Plastics
Bioplastics are polymers made from renewable raw materials that degrade naturally. Plant-based plastics (bioplastics) include:
- Starch
- Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from corn and potatoes
- Polylactic acid (PLA) from corn
- A solution extracted from algae.
PLA is a very popular plastic material among manufacturers. Compared to conventional plastics, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 70% during the decomposition process in landfills (laundries).
Recycled Plastic
Recycled plastic is made from used petroleum-based plastic. There are many different types of these materials on the market, which are considered non-biodegradable. However, with a glut of virgin plastic, many companies voluntarily want to increase the amount of recycled material in their new products to reduce their environmental impact.
Corrugated Cardboard Material
Corrugated cardboard is made of sturdy cardboard. The main difference between cardboard and corrugated cardboard is that corrugated cardboard is not corrugated like corrugated paper. Due to its strength, this material is suitable for making custom, eco-friendly shipping boxes. For shipping products, this material is the best choice for brands.
In the United States, more than 90% of retail merchandise is shipped in corrugated boxes, which according to the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency), are among the most recycled packaging products in the United States.
Many paper-based materials, such as rigid materials, are not environmentally friendly, such as PVC laminates, without the use of additional plastic-like trims. A wide range of high-end prints is not environmentally friendly.
