4 Ways Businesses Can Reduce Their Plastic Packaging

Running a business and remaining profitable can be challenging at times. Goods must be packaged well and safely, ensuring they reach customers in good, working condition. Typically, plastic is the way to achieve this. Here, we provide 4 ways businesses can reduce their plastic packaging.?

There is an increasing number of people making eco-conscious shopping decisions. In a UK wide study for example,?Friends of the Earth?(2021) reported that 92% of respondents are concerned about plastic pollution. The damage that plastic is inflicting upon the environment in a hot-button issue. Consumers may turn their back on a retailer that relies heavily upon single-use plastics for packaging. For example, sustainable packaging is important to the Generation Z consumer (b.1995-2009) who focus on business responsibility, particularly on sustainability. However,?packaging is one of the easiest ways for a brand to change when it comes to sustainability.?

Additionally, the announcement of the UK Government introducing a new?Plastics Packaging Tax?(PPT) from April 2022 has risen concerns within the packaging and labelling industry.?A tax rate of ￡200 per?tonne?will be charged on any plastic packaging that falls within the tax rules. This applies when the plastic packaging?component?does not?contain?a minimum of recycled content.????

Sticking to budget constraints at the same time as using sustainable packaging need not be an overwhelming experience. All it needs is a bit of research to source packaging or materials that not only suit your needs but is a conscious effort to combat plastic pollution. Let us look at four cost-effective ways of reducing a business’ use of plastic packaging.??

1. Switch To Sustainable Or Recyclable Plastics?

Firstly, the simplest solution for your business may be to ensure that you are not using single-use plastics. If your materials can be recycled, or they are biodegradable, you will be able to do your bit for the environment without breaking the bank. If you are going to take this route, however, education and research is key.??

Moreover, there are many packaging suppliers that now produce cost effective packaging that has been recycled, or that is ‘green’ from the point of view that it is biodegradable and therefore will not hang around in landfill for years on end. Some packaging can take hundreds of years to break down, meanwhile polluting the planet with no end of toxic substances. Look to invest in plastics that have already been recycled.??

Plastic bags and plastic bottles are now being recycled in a big way – a lot of packaging started out life as these items, and manufacturers have woken up to the issues that this type of wrapping or containers do more harm than anything else, to the environment. A few sensible steps and executive decisions to ban this type of plastic will make a dramatic difference to our world.?

Nuprint Tip:

?Ensure that your customers are acutely aware that you are taking steps to ensure your packaging is eco-conscious. Slipping a little literature in with your goods is advisable and it certainly is a hook to gain new clients.?

2. Move To Cardboard Packaging?

Secondly, cardboard is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to package goods. It is biodegradable, ethical and can be used?in various thicknesses to suit most small businesses. The other crucial factor is that stuffing, or filling can be used in smaller quantities if you select the correct sizing of your boxes. Too many companies use large boxes for small items, thereby having to fill them with copious number of fillers – usually plastic orientated. Mixed pallets of various sized boxes will certainly suit all your products.

Even if cardboard is not recycled, it will biodegrade in much less time than plastic. You?can even purchase pre-recycled card for additional environmental kudos.?

Cardboard packaging is not going anywhere any time soon. You will find very few customers that have an issue with this material. Although you may need to weatherproof it a little and find some filler material (biodegradable of course) if your item needs it, but it is certainly more appealing than single-use plastics.?

?Nuprint Tip:

Be mindful of how much cardboard you are using. Certain online retailers frustrate their customers by dispatching small objects in ludicrously oversized boxes. You may need to get a little creative, ensuring that you tailor your packaging needs to fit your goods. On the other hand, however, it is a substantially more cost-effective way to deal with your packaging needs.??

3. Use Plant Based Packaging?

On the increase are packaging options using plant or food-based materials. Known as PLA (Polylactic acid), these can be found direct from manufacturers, or used on your own 3D printing machines. This alternative is an innovative option if you prefer not to use cardboard.??

Plant-based or recycled food-based packaging is a growing market as it is environmentally friendly and not expensive.

Food items such as cornstarch or tapioca root are commonly used to provide packaging materials, but there are other items such as mushrooms and seaweed which are rapidly becoming a foodstuff to be used for an alternative to plastic products. Of course, there are shelf-life issues, so it is recommended to check out the length of your manufacturing processes before committing to this.?

Corn-starch is a popular base ingredient. As the name suggests, this material is plucked from corn plants and provides a solid and sturdy plastic-like material. Cornstarch can be used to create plastic moulds to house goods, small fillers to pad out a box, or even a bottle or container.??

If corn-starch is not an option, you could potentially consider mushroom packaging. This is arguably the most environmentally friendly solution of all, as it’s literally made from waste materials. This ensures that the costs are kept as low as possible.??

Mushroom packaging is also completely biodegradable, which will be appealing to eco-conscious consumers. Just be aware that mushroom packaging dissolves quickly, so you’ll need to be efficient with your production processes.??

Perhaps the biggest evolution in packaging is seaweed, though. Seaweed is not just biodegradable – it is also edible. This means that many manufacturers are using it as a replacement for bottles. Seaweed may potentially become the packaging solution of the future.??

4. Invest In A 3D Printer

On a final note, a 3D printer may feel like an intimidating investment at first, as there is a price to pay on initial investment. Potentially, you should look at whether initial cost, vs. efficiency and ethical usage pans out and even consider buying a used model to keep your initial costs down.??

Once you have a 3D printer however, a new world of options for packaging will open to your business. You can tailor packaging designs to fit snugly to your products, ensuring that not a single inch of material is wasted. The use of a 3D printer ensures that, if you can design a packaging solution, you can create it.??

These appliances also make use of a wide range of varied materials. The cheapest is Polylactic Acid, or PLA. Like the materials that we have previously discussed, PLA is made from recycled food materials (corn starch or tapioca root, in this instance.) This ensures that PLA is biodegradable and eco-approved.??

You could even use a 3D printer to create packaging from nylon, if you have a steady and affordable supply. This will be water-resistant and sturdy, which makes it appealing as packaging. It is an expensive material to purchase though, so it is inadvisable for any business that is looking to keep balanced books.?

Overall, 3D printing, and the use of PLA can be the ultimate solution to replacing single-use plastic packaging. If you can afford to take the first step, a new world awaits.?

Conclusion?

There are numerous options for businesses to reduce their plastic packaging. Making the initial move from plastic can be a big step, but it is certainly a worthwhile one. You will delight existing customers, and potentially attract new ones. More importantly, you will be doing your part in making the world a better, more sustainable place.??

?Nuprint Tip:

It is worth setting the task to a team of employees, to produce packaging that will suit your needs and not break the budget.?

About Nuprint?

Progressive and ambitious from the top down, Nuprint is at the forefront of the?print and design sector in the UK and Ireland thanks to constant innovation and?investment. Passionate about using innovative technology and the very latest advancements in the print industry, we are always pushing?boundaries and testing our limits to ensure we deliver the absolute best to our clients.?

Sustainability at Nuprint

Nuprint is a member of Sedex, underpinning our commitment to ethical sourcing, responsible trading, and sustainable business practices. Additionally, as a member of BPIF (the voice for the printing industry) we are committed to actively growing our business in a sustainable way.??

If we can be of any assistance in helping you with your project, please fill out our contact form?HERE?or email our team at?[email protected]