The Importance of Sustainable Packaging Solutions

Packaging serves various vital purposes for businesses. Regardless of industry and the product in the market, consumers and businesses benefit from packaging, though the benefits change depending on the product type. The environmental impact of packaging can’t be denied, from polluting waterways to contaminating nature with toxic byproducts of manufacturing.

Today's fast-advancing technologies offer various options for businesses to make employing green-friendly packaging more cost-effective and functional. This eventually allows companies to adopt environmental sustainability into their business plans without any compromise.

Packaging itself is not inherently negative, but the environmental impact of the materials used requires particular consideration. In this article, first, we highlight the importance of packaging, discuss the environmental implications, and dive into the top 4 worst types of packaging for the environment. 

Keep reading to make better packaging choices for your business, or be more informed about the packaging types of the products you are purchasing and learn what to avoid. 

Why do we need packaging?

Packaging refers to designing, creating, and preparing a product for sale or distribution. Therefore, it plays a vital role in the journey starting from the production process and ending at the market shelves and stalls. Packaging has 4 main functions for companies and customers alike. These are:

  • Protection: Generally speaking, packaging protects products from damage during storage, transportation, and handling. However, especially regarding food, packaging is essential in preventing food materials and ingredients from contamination, which is directly related to human health. Products without packaging could be easily damaged, spoiled, or contaminated, leading to waste and potential health risks.

  • Convenience: Packaging allows consumers to carry and store their purchases conveniently. Especially recently, most companies are updating their packaging designs, focusing more on lightweight alternatives to make transportation and storage easier for consumers. 

  • Information: Consumers reach various important information through packaging on the products they consider buying. This information includes product ingredients, nutritional information, and usage instructions. Through this information, consumers can make more informed purchase decisions.

  • Branding and Marketing: Packaging also provides a space for businesses to convey their brand message at the point of sale. Companies use specific designs, colors, and logos to distinguish their brand in the market and attract more consumers. 

Even though there is a certain need for packaging, these benefits all come down to what companies prioritize while planning their packaging design. If the companies focus on the cost-effectiveness and attractiveness of their packaging over its environmental benefit, it might be time to stop and evaluate both for brands and buyers. 

How does packaging impact the environment?

The main issue with packaging begins at its creation. During its production process, packaging consumes a certain amount of resources. Producing packaging requires natural resources such as water, energy, and raw materials including petroleum, minerals, wood, and fibers. Therefore, packaging contributes to water and land pollution at the beginning of its journey. The extraction and processing of these resources can lead to pollution, land use change, and biodiversity loss.

On top of that, the manufacturing and transportation of packaging materials often generates air emissions. However, the impact packaging has on the environment doesn't end its journey at the customer. On the contrary, the disposal of packaging materials is another issue. Packaging made of non-reusable and non-recyclable materials takes a long time to break down. Until it breaks down, those materials enter the environment polluting waterways, oceans, and even soil. The toxic pollutants they release can cause damage to the ecosystem and harm to humans, animals, and plants.

What are the 4 worst types of packaging?

Many types of packaging are used for various products in the market. Even thinking about specific products, the packaging design, materials, and colors used change greatly from brand to brand.

Most packaging is made from various manufactured and synthetic materials, including ceramics, glass, metal, paper, paperboard, cardboard, wax, wood, and more plastics. It is possible to come across some newer plastics made from corn or other plant matter. However, certain types of packaging use plastic, which is coated with text and labels using printer inks, with the plastic being invisible to the customer. 

Almost all types of packaging have some environmental impact, but some are worse than others. Here we'll list the top 4 worst types of packaging for the environment to help you to make better choices and know what to avoid. 

  1. Single-use plastics: As the name suggests, the packaging is made of single-use plastics designed to be used once and discarded. Even though packaging made out of single-use plastics takes centuries to decompose, they are deeply embedded in everyday life and used by many people. Sadly, 40 percent of all non-fiber plastics are used for packaging, including plastic bags, straws, water bottles, bubble wraps, and more. 
  2. Aluminum foil: In theory, aluminum foil is not inherently bad for the environment as it breaks down fairly quickly and is mostly recyclable and reusable, compared to single-use plastics. However, aluminum production is energy-intensive and polluting: per square meter, aluminum foil contributes three times as much water pollution and six times as many greenhouse gas emissions. Aluminum foil requires bauxite, and the process of mining bauxite makes aluminum foil highly non-eco-friendly and even one of the worst materials to use for packaging. 

Aluminum foil is primarily used in the generic chip bags you see at the markets every day. These bags are made from up to seven layers of foil and plastic, and there's no machinery to separate these layers. Being careful and knowledgeable about something as simple as a chip bag allows you to contribute to a better future on the consumer or company level. 

  1. Styrofoam: Styrofoam is a non-biodegradable packaging material whose main component is a type of plastic. Because of its non-biodegradable nature, it takes many years before it starts to break down. According to the Environmental Action Association, most of the polystyrene that ends up in landfills will still be there 500 years from now. 
  2. Non-recyclable packaging: Recycling is a great way to reuse the packaging and decrease the need for raw materials to meet increasing demands. However, some materials are non-recyclable for various reasons. Examples include film lids, plastic bags, or plastic wrapping, such as cling film. Recycling these materials is not economically or environmentally viable. Specifically, it is impossible to recycle PVC plastic because it contains so many additives that recycling would be impractical and expensive. The toxic chemicals in PVC require high-technology recycling facilities, ultimately making recycling PVC impossible. 

The non-recyclable packaging disposal can release toxic chemicals, harming wildlife and ecosystems. These materials often end up in landfills or incinerators, where they can release greenhouse gasses and other pollutants.

Where to start with eco-friendly packaging? 

Packaging plays a significant role in the environment. With a collective effort from companies and consumers, the significant role packaging plays in the environment can be used by humans to protect the environment. 

You can start by avoiding buying products which use the packaging materials mentioned above at a consumer level to reduce the environmental impact. If you are running your own small business, you can review your use of packaging and make the required changes to be more environmentally friendly.

On the other hand, if you are in a decision-maker role within a company, you can detect the areas to improve where your company uses unsustainable packaging. If you are still trying to figure it out and are unsure about where to start, take this article as a starting point and visit Intengine's packaging directory to get an expert opinion, regardless of your sector and position.

Tags: packaging, sustainable packaging, recyclable packaging, eco-friendly packaging