For every business, responsible packaging should be a goal and a priority. Consumers are now not only looking for quality packaging that suitably protects their products but is also eco-conscious too. For marketers, logistics and finance departments, choosing the right packaging must appeal to all departments internally as well satisfying customers too.
Packaging is an often overlooked by commercial businesses however it is a valuable branding tool. It not only ensures your product is attractively displayed and safely secured, but it also explains your brand message to the consumer; this means you can showcase your environmentally friendly credentials with eco-friendly packaging.
What is responsible packaging?
Responsive packaging is mainly aimed at saving the planet and being environmentally friendly; this could be from reuse and recycling to being made from recycled products or eco-friendly products. However, the responsible packaging does not just have to focus on its green credentials; it can also be innovative and social too.
Packaging designs should appeal, whether it is from its eco-friendly materials, its stylish or useful design or the secondary uses for customers after it has fulfilled its primary job of protecting products.
Ultimately, the primary aim of responsible packaging is to lower your carbon footprint.
Follow the three critical areas;
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Reduce
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Reuse
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Recycle.
With this, you not only reduce your environmental impact, but it can also help to save on cost too.
How to adopt responsible packaging
- Determine your key packaging requirements
Before you can find the right sustainable packaging that will lessen your environmental impact, you must first establish what makes good packaging for you and your needs. Packaging can have many uses and benefits, from extending shelf life to protecting fragile items to making transportation more manageable, to be able to post the product easily.
Before determining the most environmentally friendly packaging, you need to know what your goals for the packaging are.
- Reduce
The first way to lessen the environmental impact of your packaging is by looking at unnecessary packaging within the process. Does any part of the packaging not fulfil a purpose?
If any aspect of the packaging does not meet a requirement, whether it is protecting the product, increasing shelf life or providing the customer with information, then it may be worthwhile removing this step in the packaging process.
Consider the value each part of the packaging has, if it appears to have none, it is wasting money from your business. Once you have removed irrelevant elements, it is time to consider how else you can reduce the packaging. Typically, this will be through the size and shape of the packaging. By making it lighter and smaller, you can significantly reduce the energy costs during transportation.
- Reuse
Reuse can span many different areas in terms of packaging. You can reuse within your from the packaging given by your suppliers or from packaging returns if you have a reverse logistics system set up to receive packaging items once the customer has received the product.
Reuse can also occur after your product has been shipped by the potential reuse of your packaging for your customers. More and more businesses are becoming increasingly inventive with their reuse methods, changing from recyclable bags to creating seed pots for compostable planting. Some food packaging is now edible, so there is no wastage from the packaging.
- Recycle
One of the fundamental areas of environmentally friendly packaging is its recyclability. Customers are now more environmentally aware and will look for methods to be green, particularly when it comes to product packaging.
When choosing packaging products, businesses should now focus on whether it can be recycled and if so the measures people will need to go to in order to recycle. Packaging may have to be labelled as to which parts are recyclable and which are not, and to show your eco-friendly mission, should be relatively easy to recycle to encourage all of your consumers to go green.
Go green with Ribble
As an environmentally friendly packaging company – Ribble can help to lessen your environmental impact with 100% recycled packaging products which can then be recycled by your customers. Our continuous recycling cycle is a great way to reduce the damage to the environment and showcase your business as one that cares about their carbon footprint.
Not only do Ribble just use recycled cardboard for their recyclable packaging but they can help you to reduce your packaging amounts too. Right Size creates boxes to suit the exact shape and size of your product. This means there is less packaging waste, lower energy costs in transportation and a smaller amount of packaging to be used.
