Terms like “sustainable packaging” and “eco-friendly packaging” tend to be alternative expressions for “green packaging”.  So it can be said that green Packaging brackets a form of packaging that diminishes energy use and reduces the harmful impacts of packaging on the environment.

What does eco mean?

Anything that sits well with the environment is called eco. In other words, you can say that eco means anything that does not harm the environment.

Here Is All That You Need To Wrap Your Mind Around.

To cut to chase, green packaging pays heed to minimize the carbon footprint for one’s business. Also, green packaging works to be beneficial since it limits the waste created and ensures the making of recyclable materials.

Since packaging as a whole makes up enough waste as to being one of the widest industries across the globe. As per EPA, packaging adds to almost 77.9 tons of waste per year, which makes 30% of the total waste produced.

In case you might be asking yourself, YES, almost 5.2 billion packages are delivered by one company only. With that being said, the cost per good also goes to packaging. For instance, every $12 purchase has a dollar for packaging only.

Do you see the need for green packaging now?

Read till the end to have a follow up on all the cue’s we’ve shared previously.

Terms That You Need To Acquire Knowledge Of

Before we take a dig in, here are a few terms you need to know of.

• Green packaging

Green packaging is also called as sustainable packaging that makes use of procedures that help reduce the adverse impacts of packaging on the environment. Thus, to cater to it, biodegradable alternatives are used.

• Eco-friendly

Eco-friendly means anything that is friendly to the earth and not adding to the tribulations. Hence it helps conserve basic human life resources like energy and water.

• Greenwashing

Greenwashing is described as a pretense that the packaging being sold is 100% eco-friendly when in reality it isn’t. So the entire claim is based on deceiving customers.

How Can A Design Be “Sustainable”?

Now that we have constantly been calling green packaging as sustainable packaging, you might be thinking to yourself, how do they relate?

So, here’s to answering your question.

Any design that is an all-rounder and accommodates all cost and performance prerequisites is hands down a sustainable design. It also lessens the environmental effects along with being affordable and eco-friendly. Packaging designs that hinge on reusability since packaging lasts for a while only.

This linear life span of packaging rings a bell on the need for a sustainable alternative. It is so because the packaging is used once and thrown away, which eventually adds to the litter generated, which is pretty alarming. To address this, a sustainable design is always the solution to your problems. Not only will it reduce waste production but also promote the reuse of packaging over and over again.

Moreover, ensuring the avoidance of petroleum-based materials (e.g. plastic containers) needs to be the opening gambit. Moving forward. It’s necessary because plastic never decomposes, and it multiplies the waste production. So, removing plastic from daily life is crucial but vital.

Pros and Cons of Green Packaging

With every product, there’s a merit and a demerit. Let’s discuss some of the advantages of green packaging first:

Pros of Green Packaging

• Zero toxins

Unlike traditional plastic packaging and other synthetic usage of materials, eco-friendly materials are devoid of harmful ingredients.

• Reduce carbon footprint

Since eco-friendly materials, such as Kraft, use recycled waste material, they reduce carbon footprint. As a result, it reduces carbon emissions.

Cons of Green Packaging

• Cost of switching

One of the underlying demerits of green packaging is that there is a cost to consider while switching the materials. It might not look to be a huge demerit, but for some, it is an issue.

• Cultivation of crops

Eco-friendly packaging requires cultivation of crops. It is an issue for most people because they think it can better help poor people with hunger or alleviate poverty.

Recyclable Materials That Are Used In Manufacturing Green Packaging

Even though aiming to achieve “zero waste” packaging is vivacious but unable to achieve, It is always possible to find better alternatives that work to your benefit. Limiting waste production can be done in numerous ways, starting from reducing the use of plastic and replacing it with eco-friendlier alternatives.

Here are compliant yet eco-friendly materials that you can use to reduce the carbon footprint of your business.

• Biomaterials

Biomaterials are all materials obtained from either cornstarch or other plants. A surge of cornstarch-based packaging was primarily seen a decade ago. However, it resembles plastic in

some ways or others but is a better option. For instance, various hotels make use of cornstarch to place their amenities in. This biodegradable substitute is way better than plastic.

On the contrary, Materials obtained from plants like polylactic acid is one of the most renowned forms of lactic acid. This is the by-product of plant starch from either sugarcane, beet pulp or corn. These plant-based packaging options are 100% recyclable and affordable.

• Reusable Packing Peanuts

A while ago, the use of polystyrene was banned, and companies were advised to use Styrofoam instead. However. That effort didn’t bear much of a fruit. So various companies came up with ideas to use packing peanuts. These peanuts are by-products of starch and wheat, making them reasonable and lightweight, so even if they’re thrown in oceans or lakes, the marine life is safe.

• Bubble Wrap

We’ve all had memories of popping bubble wrap but little did we know, it was made up of non-biodegradable plastic. Now that we’ve grown older, we get to realize the need for a substitute. As a consequence, companies came up with corrugated bubble wraps that were safe to pop and were eco-friendly too. Not only can it be popped but also be refurbished for packing flimsy materials.

• Recycled Paper

Seeing people make DIY paper in ASMR videos is the newest trend online. It’s making rounds on social media and working to be of great benefit. So, this 100% recycled paper can be reused over and over again.

• Mushroom Fibers

If by chance, you’re thinking of the mushrooms in your subway, it’s not them but their roots and mycelium that is found in waste dumps. The mushroom packaging is all in all a commercial success because it is highly eco-friendly.

• Organic Products

Replacing plastic bags from the world is one heck of a job. Taking baby steps always works, and it is possible only by using bags made up of organic products. For instance, hemp, recycled cotton, flax seeds, and even leaves of bananas, pineapple and palms will do the job for you.

Green Packaging Solutions:

In such an intense environmental crisis, green packaging solutions are the need of the hour. On these grounds, below are some packaging solutions that can help shift the game for green packaging.

• Packaging with additives

Packaging is made up of additives that are necessarily biodegradable, photodegradable and oxo-degradable materials. They help increase the biodegradability of the packaging and minimize the waste produced.

• Biodegradable materials

Materials that don’t harm the environment are known as biodegradable materials. They umbrella all known materials like cardboard, kraft boxes etc.

• Compostable materials

Compostable materials are organic matter that breaks down and, in return, offers a great deal of benefits. Materials like grass crippling, leaves, organic manure, cry cat or dog food and old vine are all compostable materials.

• Reduced packaging

You open a packet of chips that seems to be full on the outside but is half on the inside? Well, green packaging is struggling to reduce the amount of packaging used per product. Also called packaging reduction. The purpose is to optimize the packaging by reducing the amount of material used.

In extravagantly civilized yet cultured countries like Japan, the use of plastic is, needless to say, a little too much. For instance, if you buy one mango, you’ll get in 3 wraps. The plastic wrap, the foil wrap and the paper wrap. It might look cultured, but one mango alone makes up a lot of waste. As a result, Green packaging is working at its level best to reduce the packaging used for any product.

Why Is The Cosmetic Boxes Your Sole Well Wisher?

We at The Cosmetic Boxes strive to make a difference and offer packaging solutions that are reliable, reusable and reasonable. Thus, if by chance you’re willing to make a difference, join hands with us, and we’ll work out a deal.

Hurry Up! We’re bidding your time!

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