Eco-Friendly Packaging Material and Impact

In an attempt to reduce their carbon footprint, businesses are improvising with new ways to package their products. The cradle-to-cradle concept is becoming increasingly popular. This means taking responsibility for the entire value chain of packaging – from sourcing of packaging material, right up to disposal of packaging. Innovative and eco-friendly alternatives to traditional packaging are available to environmentally conscious businesses.

Some Eco-Friendly Packaging Materials:¹⁶

Packaging Material	Industry Usage and Impact
Mushroom packaging	This eco-friendly packaging alternative is made from agricultural waste fused together with a matrix of mushroom roots. It is gaining popularity especially in the food and beverage industry.
Cornstarch packaging	Derived from corn/maize, corn-starch is an organic material with plastic-like qualities and is used as a more sustainable alternative to plastics.
Seaweed packaging¹⁷	This plastic-like packaging is the front-runner in edible packaging, thereby negating the need for extra plastics and cardboard.
Biodegradable packing peanuts	This material is a biodegradable and less expensive alternative to traditional Styrofoam that is neither recyclable nor biodegradable. It is used in loose-fill packaging for fragile or otherwise sensitive items, helping to prevent movement and cushion against shocks.
Corrugated bubble wrap	Traditional bubble wrap made from plastic is not the eco-friendliest of materials. The up-cycled version however, made from post-consumer waste, is as good at shock-absorbing as the bubble wrap.
Air pillows from recycled material	Traditional bubble wrap made from plastic is not the eco-friendliest of materials. The up-cycled version however, made from post-consumer waste and is as good at shock-absorbing as the bubble wrap.
Recycled cardboard and paper	While organic in nature, paper and cardboard have a huge environmental impact if sourced unsustainably. But since they are recyclable, environmentally conscious companies are moving to post-consumer and post-industrial recycled alternatives.
Eco-friendly and recycled plastics	Plastics are not about to get entirely eliminated, at least anytime soon. There are however, an array of shipping materials like drums, spill trays, and spill control pallets, that are made from 100% recycled plastic.
Organic Fabrics	Organic fabrics are being used as the first alternative to plastic bags. Made from different material including hemp, organic or recycled cotton, tapioca and palm leaves, even if thrown out they can biodegrade in around 100 days compared to the 10,000 years it takes for a plastic bag to biodegrade.
Other Bio-based packaging such as Eucalyptus, shrimp shells, coconut¹⁸	Eco-friendly packaging is acquiring a chic relationship with luxury companies pushing into the eco-packaging space. Completely dispelling the myth of eco-friendly packaging being uninteresting and bland, a France based luxury champagne company Veuve Clicquot used potato starch along with natural fibers, paper and water to create isothermal packaging.