Before stepping into structure of the packaging, know the right material for it, Choose among the best sustainable solution for your market, wrap up your product with an eco-friendly option with Bizongo!
Before stepping into structure of the packaging, know the right material for it, Choose among the best sustainable solution for your market, wrap up your product with an eco-friendly option with Bizongo!
Packaging is an essential component of the product development process, and while it’s often overlooked, the wrong packaging material can do more harm than benefit.
Ineffective, flimsy, or environmentally unfriendly packaging can frustrate customers, damage your products, and even contribute to environmental pollution.
74% of consumers feel that packaging materials significantly impact sustainability, and 81% also believe that companies excessively use non-sustainable packaging.
Each year, consumers discard tons of packaging materials. If the materials are not environmentally friendly, they might not disappear into thin air. Packaging materials, such as aluminum cans, hair spray bottles, straws, and many more, take hundreds of years to decompose.
For example, yesterday’s sandwich wrapper might pollute oceans and rivers.
Many materials are considered harmful packaging materials. It includes materials that are not biodegradable, not recyclable, and materials that are not reusable.
These materials significantly impact the environment: "Different materials have different carbon footprints.” We not only compare the materials, but we must look at other variables such as recyclability, reusability, and manufacturing rates. For example, a typical snack chip bag is made up of seven layers of foil and plastic. It seems reasonable to design and reduce weight, but separating and recycling layers is challenging.
Some of the most common inappropriate packaging materials include Styrofoam, plastic bags, and plastic wrap.
The use of certain packaging materials has adverse environmental effects on consumers every day.
We often see images or videos of packaging waste accumulated around beaches, oceans, and cities. But, we often overlook the health impact of the chemicals in the packaging materials.
Packaging contains toxic chemicals that can lead to chronic health issues like infertility, endocrine disruption, and cancer. Therefore, we must consider environmental and human health problems regarding packaging materials. Most of the time, we think the environmental impact starts when the packaging becomes waste, but the effect starts back at the beginning, at the time of manufacturing.
For example, many plastics used in food packaging are not biodegradable. They break down into microplastics, are carried away by wind or water, and deposited in the environment. From whale stomachs to soil on farms, it pollutes the environment.
Here are five packaging materials you should avoid-
What do you see when walking through a grocery shop or a mall?
We see rows and rows of chips packed with foil. Your attention is drawn to the designs, pictures, and written content.
But, it’s impossible to recycle foil bags.
Besides the recycling process, the manufacturing process is also environmentally unfriendly. Bauxite is mined to make aluminum. This process emits many greenhouse gases.
Production of aluminum foil harms the environment, so minimizing the use of foil is necessary.
On the other hand, health concerns may come into play when aluminum foil is used for cooking. It contains toxicity that creates health risks, especially for children and those with health immunities.
You might be thinking, “Glass is sustainable packaging material, right?”
Is there harm in using glass as a packaging material?
The answer is yes and no.
Confused?
In many ways, you can think of it as an eco-friendly material. However, there is another side too. We all know the process of making glass, right?
No!
So, the glass is made of fine sand called silica, and getting sand is similar to getting aluminum. Local bodies consider sand mining horrendous for local ecosystems as it decimates local fish breeding grounds and sand bars that feed birds and seals. We’re running out of sand globally.
The most significant impact on the environment is due to glass manufacturing. Melting the raw materials produces a lot of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide that causes environmental pollution. Carbon footprints are high, requiring much energy to recycle into other products.
It’s impossible to get through one day without using plastic. From branded bags to grocery shopping, plastic is everywhere.
Plastic comprises long chains of hydrogen and carbon atoms from petroleum or natural gases. These are not renewable sources, which makes plastic not a sustainable packaging material.
Plastics take up to 500 years to decompose and will have devastating consequences for nature. According to National Geography, only 9% of plastic can be recycled, and the remaining 91% is in landfills or oceans.
In the entire life cycle of plastic, health concerns are present. Just as toxic chemicals are released into the environment, they also put workers in harm by releasing poisonous clouds. Plastic packaging is harmful; it contains a cocktail of chemicals that can leach into your food when heated.
When decomposing in the landfill, the environment can also affect soil, water, wildlife, and humans by releasing toxic chemicals.
But, cardboard is 100% biodegradable and made from trees. They are easier to recycle and can be used to create a new product. When you recycle, fewer natural resources are used, and less fuel is needed, which keeps the environment safe.
Are you thinking the same?
But, not all cardboards are environment-friendly or recyclable, or sustainable packaging material.
Cardboard is another common material that uses much energy during manufacturing. It is terrible for the environment but consumes less power than plastics.
You can recycle, reuse, or leave it to decompose. But, when the cardboard is left to decay, it releases methane gas, a greenhouse gas.
There is a significant chance you’ve played bubble wrap before, and everyone loves to do it. Bubble wrap has been used to protect fragile material for decades.
Unfortunately, it is not a sustainable packaging material. It is difficult to recycle and increases carbon footprints. Bubble wrap consists of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which tends to be used for thinner plastic objects like bags and wraps. It takes centuries for bubble wrap to get decomposed. It can also easily catch fire and give off irritating vapors that cause breathing problems.
Can we recycle the bubble wrap?
It is difficult to recycle the bubble wrap, as most recycling plants will not recycle it. Because bubble wrap is made of lightweight material, it can cause damage and clog machinery.
That’s why, most of the time, it will end up in the landfill.
With the growing concern about environmental issues, sustainable packaging materials have become necessary. Packaging should be prioritized by businesses when streamlining sustainability within the supply chain.
As there are an estimated 12 million - 24 million e-commerce sites around the globe, it is necessary to consider sustainable packaging materials when creating packaging.
When we talk about sustainable packaging materials, the material needs to be recyclable, biodegradable, or both because we cannot recycle all sustainable materials easily.
Packaging materials can be categorized as recyclable, reusable, or compostable.
Here are some alternatives to your non-eco-friendly packaging materials-
There are several sustainable product packaging materials available out there. However, you must carefully evaluate them before choosing one. With the increased awareness about the environmental effects, many brands have started utilizing alternative sustainable materials. Bizongo can help you evaluate the suitable packaging material & provide extensive sustainable research on your product packaging material. Get in touch with us to know more.
We are Desworks, the design arm of Bizongo. We design brands, packaging, products and have delivered 85+ successful projects in the last 5 years of our existence.
Our winning formula for brands, packaging has a mix of aesthetics, functionality, and experience.
We Bizongo Desworks are here to make your (brand, product & packaging) design work.