Product packaging has made huge progress since the days when almost everything was shrink-wrapped or packed in styrofoam. Yet our planet鈥檚 waste problem has continued to grow. According to the Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 numbers, in 2015. Why is it proving so difficult to reduce our dependence on wasteful packaging?
A combination of factors increase the difficulty and make it hard for solutions to stick鈥攂ut many people in many different industries are working to change that. What are the barriers that often prevent businesses from adopting sustainable packaging, and what strategies can they use to overcome them? Scientists, engineers and designers around the world are digging into these challenges right now. The strategies they鈥檝e come up with are inspiring, surprising and possibly revolutionary for our planet鈥檚 fight for environmental sustainability.
#1: Research and Development Cost Barriers
Sustainable packaging can be costly and challenging to develop. Many businesses don鈥檛 see the resources they think they鈥檇 need on their balance sheet to invest in R&D for better packaging. However, it鈥檚 important to also look at the potential cost savings from streamlined packaging.
If your leadership is squeamish about making the investment, try pitching the projects in ROI terms. This might include focusing your first packaging redesign efforts on areas where eco-friendly packaging offers a high potential for cost savings. Eliminating packaging waste is the ultimate win-win: a cost-cutting point that鈥檚 also a great first step to becoming cleaner and greener.
#2: Passing Increased Material Costs Onto the Consumer听
Consumers say they鈥檙e serious about protecting the environment and want to see businesses create greener packaging. But do they really care enough to shell out more for products with a green packaging upgrade? For years, the signs were mixed, and businesses were correspondingly wary. Research in 2011 found that for sustainable products. However, newer numbers suggest a change. Nielsen went so far as to call 2018 鈥溾�� as the sustainable goods market grew by an eye-popping 20 percent to reach $128.5 billion.
The entry of millennials into the workforce and their increased buying power have been driving forces behind this trend. Nielsen reports that 90 percent of millennials are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly ingredients (versus 60 percent of baby boomers.) What鈥檚 more, improvements in technology have created low-cost, high-impact solutions like that actually offer superior performance to their styrofoam cousins.
The takeaway on this factor is that these concerns, while still worth considering, are generally less pressing than they were a decade ago. Between improved technology and a customer base that鈥檚 more willing to pay for sustainably produced goods, the risks are considerably lower.
#3: Blended and Multilayer Packaging that isn鈥檛 Recyclable.
Many companies rely on multilayer packaging that isn鈥檛 easily separated for recycling. An average chip bag, for example, , some of which are recyclable and some of which aren鈥檛. This means that municipal single-stream recycling systems often consider these bags as non-recyclable contaminants.
Hain Celestial, the manufacturer of the popular snack brands Garden of Eatin鈥� and Sensible Portions, devised an innovative solution. They鈥檝e to create a free bag recycling program for their snack bags. That plastic then ends up with companies like 3D Brooklyn, to create 3D printing supplies. Sustainability has always been a team sport, so one of the smartest things that a business can do is to reach out to others invested in the same process.
#4: Food Scraps that Make Packaging Non-Recyclable
Anyone who鈥檚 gotten in trouble for throwing a pizza box in the recycling bin knows the so-called 鈥淧izza Box Problem鈥� very well. At first glance, a cardboard pizza box seems like it should be easy to recycle, but the grease and cheese that stick to the box often make that impossible. The food waste is considered a contaminant, and for recyclers.
This slippery problem has defeated many businesses, and the vast majority of pizza boxes still end up in the trash. But there鈥檚 innovation on the horizon: last year, Seattle pizza restaurant World Pizza . Regulars can buy the recyclable polypropylene box for $5 and get a free slice鈥攖hen, they can bring it by to pick up their pizza any time they order takeout. It鈥檚 a limited and imperfect solution, but also the kind of bold first step required for an industry to discover the technologies of the future.
#5: The Need for Extra Protection and Durability in Online Retail
At the end of the day, performance is still king. No matter how green or sustainable a packaging method is, it won鈥檛 pass muster if it doesn鈥檛 fulfill its prime directive of protecting the product within. As , the problem has become more severe due to the amount of packaging required to ship an item hundreds or thousands of miles. Online retailers know all too well that their products are likely to get some rough handling before they reach their destination, and they design their packaging accordingly.
Fortunately, commercially available eco-packaging solutions are getting better every day. Packaging options like and are now widely available, and they offer comparable performance at competitive prices. Online retailers and shippers now owe it to their customers and to their environment to thoroughly investigate all of their options for more eco-friendly shipping.
With the Earth鈥檚 plastic pollution rapidly reaching critical levels, there鈥檚 no time to waste in developing the packaging solutions to address it. As many businesses have discovered, the process is often not easy or cheap. New technology and fresh investment are necessary鈥攂ut the good news is that both of those are on display every day.