Green packaging, also known as sustainable packaging or eco-friendly packaging, is made of recycled or biodegradable materials. Businesses are using green packaging to minimize the production cost and carbon footprints as well. Customers prefer them because they are reusable and easy to decompose. According to a report by Transparency Market Research, green packaging can be a US$203.15 industry by 2021, registering a positive 6.2% CAGR during that time.

From saving environment to increasing business’s benefits, here is why green packaging’s adaptability rate is one the rise.

 1. Reducing Carbon Footprint:

This is one of the key reasons! The amount of carbon emission remains lower in the manufacturing and transportation of green packaging. The reason is simple—green packaging is made from biodegradable and recycled materials. So it requires less resources, fuel and energy to produce them. For example, re-usable big bags are collected, cleaned and delivered to the industries once they are emptied by the consumers. This way, it minimizes the production of the packaging, thereby saving fuel, energy, transportation and above all environment.

 2. Creates Less Waste:

(Like we said in previous point) Companies collect the bags once they are emptied by the consumers. Or they can be used by the consumers to carry or store the things. Besides, green packaging is biodegradable, meaning that they are capable of being decomposed by bacteria. No wonder that green packaging minimizes the waste owing to these traits.

 3. Multipurpose:

Green packaging is not only eco-friendly, but also versatile. It can be used for cosmetics, electronics, pharmaceuticals, auto parts, etc. In short, it can be re-used and re-purposed in all industries using packaging.

 4. Improve Brand Image:

Eco-friendly packaging also boosts your brand image. It conveys a message to the customers that you are caring about this planet and want to save the environment. Besides, today’s customers are more aware about environmental issues and try to practice “go green” ideology in their daily life. According to a recent study, 78% customers admitted to feel more positive about a product coming in a recycled packaging.

Nielsen Global Survey on Corporate Social Responsibility found that—

“55% percent of global online consumers across 60 countries say they are willing to pay more for products and services provided by companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact .“

So green packaging helps you boost your sales and brand image as well.

 5. An Ability to Reduce, Recycle and Reuse:

Most green packaging materials are capable of being reduced, reused and recycled. Here we have explained these three stages in brief.

• Reduce: Using thinner and durable materials in manufacturing.
• Reuse: Delivering products in reusable packaging like totes or molded case that can be used by customers.
• Recycle:They are made up of the materials which can be recycled easily.

So you must have understood how green packaging reduces carbon footprints; lowers the manufacturing cost; minimizes the waste, and benefits both customer and businesses.

A packaging plays a very important role in deciding the future of product like sales, and marketing along the distribution and logistics strategies to take care of. When we talk about packaging, the most obvious argument comes is safety. All a packaging needs to deliver is the product’s freshness and its well being. This is a biomotive thought of humans and what else they can expect from a packaging? Do all products deliver such packaging or do you need to pack in such a way??? It entirely depends on a product like food items are not packed in a solid container. Sodas come in hard plastic and expensive biscuits and cereals in a hard cardboard box. Let’s learn what goes beyond packaging motives and how and why it is done so.

There are mainly

• Aseptic Processing: The edible products usually opt for this type of packaging to protect it from the environment. On a contrary, somehow the consumer prefers this type of packaging, as it gives them a confidence of a fresh product.
• Trays: Solid Products are assembled in such type of packaging where they are not tied individually but a group of them are managed under one tray. Usually, eggs, apples, and oranges are the kinds of fruits that are shipped or stored in such ways. They are either made up of plastics or light cardboard.
• Cans: Most cans are made of steel or other thin metal when found in stores, as well as glass jars when foods are canned in the home. People prefer such packaging.
• Pallets: Pallets are for mass transportation. Boxes of the product are placed and stacked on the pallet, then wrapped to secure and reduce food movement.
• Wrappers: Wrappers provides protection to the food from the environment. They are
• Hard Plastic Packaging: A wide kind of electronic items are packaged under the hard plastic that provides cushion and security to the product and more overlooks attractive too.

(Source)

Now since we have read the kinds of wrapping and packaging we get to see commonly, though it is not the ultimate list of all kinds.

 1. WHY YOU ARE PACKING?

While choosing a packaging you will have to keep in consideration the reason for packaging. Do want to lure customers or do you want a cost-effective logistics? Do you want to carry more products in minimum trips or you care more about the safety of the product? This reasoning will let you decide the choice more effectively.

2. LOGISTIC PACKAGING:

Usually, this kind of packaging does not require much paint or print job. Usually, logo and shipping norms are printed on the boxes. They do not provide the ultimate safety to the products but helps you to collect them into batches.

 3. STACKING PACKAGING:

If you have plans to store them and stack over one another, again it does not need any special printing job whereas the basic must be printed for identification. If majorly it is about stacking, then make sure parasites or insects cannot infiltrate it.

 4. SALES PACKAGING:

When a packaging is being made with sales in perspective, one has to decide the cost of material and printing too. A provocative packaging consists of

1. Hard Plastic to show off the real product under packaging.
2. All kind of cardboards, depending upon the product and the shape you want it to take.
3. Wrappers but amazing printing jobs.

A packaging is a kind of a communication. An ultimate stage of communication and it is the point where you need to gain either lust or trust of the customer to convert it into sales. It carries a great marketing value and hence it is almost as valuable as the product inside.

Also Read: Needs of plastic in custom food packaging

Are you the one who always end up with a last-minute gift shopping? On the edge of your holiday or any special event shopping you always tangle up in the store aisles just to find that perfect gift and a lot of times all it requires is the right product packaging to push you to the last step to take the final decision.

 

There is not limit of consumables to choose from and from all the fancy electronics to family valuables, the added flavoured deserts and that perfect cufflink, it is pretty imperative to make your product standout from the competition. It has often been observed that your product can either make or break a sale and utilizing attractive packaging like using clear plastic packaging gives your product more visibility, makes it attractive and engaging. If your product is rigid you can always opt for clear polystyrene plastic boxes that are an excellent way to store and display you product.

Technology and Packaging:

Whenever we talk about techno deals, a good investment is always involved. For techno lovers, even a scratch is a huge matter of concern and they cannot offer one of it on their product. Now, while the product is in shipping or at display under a bright light and what so ever the condition is, there is a very good chance of the product to get damage. Sometimes it is the shipping bruises or it is the dust and moisture that can damage the circuit boards. The cardboard packaging won’t be able to protect the way a clear plastic cover can do. With an addition of foam inserts for extra protection  in a tangible value-added packaging solutions.

 Those Shiny Products:

The most common factor with the shiny products like jewellery is, more the time they are kept in packages more the tarnish it will adapt. As per jewelrymakingjournal, Sulphur and Airborne chemicals are the main reason behind tarnishing. It said that, “ … jewelery tarnishes much faster if it’s left out in the open than if it’s stored away in an acid-free, closed container.” Use of boxes that can be printed on, which gives a door to introduce your own brand making it an ideal packaging that the customer would love too.

Using boxes that can be printed on so you can include your brand logo or personalization will create a chic packaging your customers will love.

Jewelry + time = tarnish. According to jewelrymakingjournal.com, Sulphur and airborne chemicals are actually the main cause of tarnish—but you get the picture. And, they add, “ … jewelry tarnishes much faster if it’s left out in the open than if it’s stored away in an acid-free, closed container.” People don’t buy shiny chains and precious gems only to watch them discolor and lose that beautiful shine. When it comes to displaying, packaging, and storing, jewelry requires special attention and handling. Displaying your jewels in polystyrene boxes that are naturally clear and can withstand environmental variations helps maintain the integrity of their beauty. Using boxes that can be printed on so you can include your brand logo or personalization will create a chic packaging your customers will love.

Packaging Solutions for Your Business

With Isell Packaging you can get solutions with all the above solutions. With our general-purpose polystyrene rigid plastic boxes, no matter what you deal to ship, it can be boxed under a magnificent plastic packaging that is not only safe but long lasting too. Our products re:

• FDA compliant—non-toxic
• Good dimensional stability
• Low cost compared to other materials
• Easy to paint, glue, and print on
• Excellent aesthetic qualities

Let us know how you plan to bring change in your product packaging in the comments section below.

 

How do you define a right food packaging?

A right food packaging is more than an attractive wrap up.

It should be functional as well.

For example, a right food packaging protects the content from weather or normal wear and tear. It should be easier to handle. And the important thing is that a right packaging makes your product stand out in the sea of the similar products.

Being a responsible business owner, you want your food packaging right for environment and waste management practices as well.

Also Read: Needs of plastic in custom food packaging

So you must have understood that a food packaging should have all these points.

However, it is not easier to balance all these factors in a packaging material. This is because each packaging material varies by certain properties which are determined by…

• Material
• Design
• The Type of Food to Be Packaged
• Respond
• Shelf-Life
• Environmental Conditions
• Ease of Use
• Disposal
• Cost Related to Production and Distribution.

Simply put, every food packaging material has its own characteristics. These factors may be interrelated as some packaging types interact with certain type of foods.

Therefore, it requires a deep analysis for each product to come up with an optimal packaging.

A through research over the packaging characteristics must cover the points like…

• Life expectancy
• Interactions with the content inside
• Distributions
• Safety of the product it stores
• Resistance to Gases, Heat and Moisture
• Portability
• Consumer Friendly

Here we will go through the characteristics of major food packaging products.

Glass:

Advantages:

• Moisture and heat resistant
• Non-reactive
• Transparent (lets consumers see products)
• Reusable/Recyclable

Disadvantages:

• Brittle and Breakable
• Not Easy to Carry
• Heavy and Bulky to Transport

Aluminum:

Advantages:

• Resistant to Moisture, Heat, Gases and Corrosion
• Lightweight
• Recyclable

Disadvantages:

• Not being able to welded
• Less strength
• Limited shapes
• Expensive

Tinplate:

Advantages:

• Water and heat resistant
• Durable
• Recyclable and easy to separate from waste (as it is magnetic)
• Cheaper alternative to aluminum

Disadvantages:

• Reacting with foods
• Requiring a can opener
• Heavier than aluminum

Tin-free Steel:

Advantages:

• Strong and Durable
• Resistant to heat
• Recyclable
• Cheaper than tinplate

Disadvantages:

• Not being able to weld
• Prone to corrosion
• Requiring a can opener
• Heavier than aluminum

Paper and Paperboard:

Advantages:

• Lightweight
• Good strength
• Low cost
• Made from renewable resources
• Recyclable

Disadvantages:

• Prone to moisture and humidity
• Poor barrier to light
• Tears or damages easily

Polyesters:

Advantages:

• Strong
• Ideal for hot filling
• Excellent barrier characteristics
• High clarity
• Shatter and tear resistant
• Easy to recycle in rigid form

  Disadvantages:

• May pose environmental threat in debris

Also Read : 7 Types of Plastics and Which One You Should Use

Bottom Line:

The key objective of a food packaging must be maintaining the quality, safety and taste/nutritional value of food.

Apart from that, it is also essential to determine the environmental impact of a package. Therefore, analysis should cover the concerns related to environmental costs, energy consumption and waste generation related to a packaging. The impact of packaging waste can be lowered by following EPA guidelines, assessing requirements in terms of environmental impact and selecting the packaging materials wisely.

Therefore, joint efforts by consumers, industry and government are essential for creating optimal food packaging solutions that not only prove eco-friendly, but also maintain the quality and safety of the food.

With Halloween round the corner, you must be ready to create “scary” crafts. From crafty pumpkins, flying bats, backyard cemetery to hanging ghosts, there are so many things you can give your home a complete Halloween makeover.

Instead of spending money on expensive crafts, make them at home using used items around you. This way, you not only save money, but also recycle the waste which otherwise will go to the landfills or ocean.

If you think that you don’t possess good craft skills to make your own decoration, don’t be disappointed. Here are projects for the people with any skill level. All you need to collect the old stuff like bottles and packaging.

Ghost from Soft Drink Plastic Bottles:

This is one of the easiest Halloween arts from the used things. All you need a transparent plastic bottle (without any color) and muslin cloth and a piece of iron wire.

Remove the label from the bottle. Noose a piece of wire around the neck so that you can create the arms of a ghost. Now cover it up with a muslin cloth. And draw the eyes of the ghost over the cloth with a black marker.

Your ghost is ready to scare. Place it in a dark lit spot. The effect would be superb if you could create couple of ghosts in similar manner.

Cardboard Tombstones:

Another great Halloween decoration idea is from the cardboard or corrugated boxes at your home. Fold the box and you will get two sides at one end. Cut them in U shape. Use tape to join the sides. Wrap them with a glace paper (grey colored). Make more cardboard tombstone using the same technique and place them in your courtyard.

Bat from Egg Carton:

Creating Halloween bats from egg carton is easy. Make sure to have paper type egg carton, black paint with paintbrush, glue, white paper and wiggly eyes. Also cut the bat wings out on the front of egg cartons.

Cut a line of three egg carton cups. Paint them black from inside and outside. Let them dry. Afterwards, add the wiggly eyes to the middle cup of the carton. Make a hole in the top of the bats to place a thread or string through to hang them.

Lanterns from Old Tin Can:

Without lanterns, Halloween decoration seems incomplete. Good thing is that you can create them using old tin can. Let’s see how to create them.

• Take clean empty tin cans of coffee, processed foods or spices. Any size will work.
• Fill them with water and keep in the freezer. Take them out when the water is frozen.
• Use marker to draw the image or word onto the can.
• Use the hammer and nail to puncture the design on the can.
• Once you are done, place the can in hot water to melt the ice.
• Pain the tin can using spray or acrylic pain. Once the pain is dry, use toothpick to poke some of the holes through as pain can clog them up.
• Place a candle inside the can.

Pumpkin from Cardboard Boxes:

Do you have a plethora of cardboard boxes lying around? This is a great opportunity to make Halloween pumpkin out of them.

• Find a large cardboard packaging box. Unfold it in a way so that it lays flat on the table.
• Draw a shape of pumpkin with a stem on the top.
• Cut around the outline using a knife.
• Pain it in orange. Let it dry.
• Carve out a pattern to make teeth and eyes.

Your Jack-O-Lantern is ready!!!

 

 

So these are some DIY ideas to create Halloween decorations from old and used stuff. Do you have such interesting ideas to share? Please share with us by commenting below.

In one of the incidents, it was found that a store in Amsterdam made headlines by introducing an aisle without plastic packaging and by doing so he became the first one in Amsterdam to do so. Now it might be good for making headlines but ask yourself that is this a way to get rid of plastic waste? Every problem has a designated solution and the move taken must have a design to cope up with.

Are we trying to reduce food waste?

It has been seen that in the US that about 30-40% of the food that is grown goes uneaten, and as per the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The statistic is simple, the longer the food item would stay fresh, it gets consumed eventually. As per few studies conducted on the usage of plastic, it was found that when plastic is wrapped around cucumber, it stays fresh for around 11 days, which is much more than when it is left the unwrapped. The same goes with a banana which stays for around 21 days than their unwrapped brothers and even beef can be stored for as long as 26 days if wrapped in an oxygen barrier vacuumed plastic. And most importantly it has also been found that the countries that tend to package their food items have generated much less food than we have been doing.

Thinking about environmental impacts:

Well, there is a good amount of investment when we talk about growing a food. It needs water, land, energy, and fuel along measured labor with constant overlook. Now imagine throwing of 30-40% of all the grown crops, which took almost half a year to harvest and some of them took more than a year too. The amount of energy, time and resources which goes in vain is more alarming because the money which is irreversible does have been spent by the farmers, by the investors, and by the buyers. If the food goes waste, it simply means we are wasting a great amount of resource which has a vast accountability.  Now think of spending a minute amount for food packaging that can protect all the resources which were exhausted during the production.

Alarming environmental fact:

Did you know that food is the most prevalent material in our landfills? Things go dangerously when a food decomposes; it produces methane that gives birth to greenhouse gas that is too 21 times more potent than CO₂. Now the present percentage of landfills generate 20% of all methane emissions, so plastic packaging won’t be as hurting as we imagine, rather it will be reducing a great amount of emission.

It is not only about FOOD WASTE:

There is no hindrance in making packages other than plastics. We can always come up with paper packaging, glass, aluminum, and steel but there is a hard reason for not using it. There have been several studies which claimed that plastics are the more efficient in many ways. They tend to be strong and lightweight at the same time, which gives the opportunity to ship more products with less packaging material.

In one of the studies by Trucost found that “replacing plastic with alternatives in packaging and consumer products could raise environmental costs at least fourfold“. There is more to it, in another study it has shown that if we replace plastics with alternatives in packaging, that would increase the packaging waste generated in the US by 55 million tons annually, and that would increase energy use and carbon footprint by 82% and 130% respectively. No sight of improvement in any way.

Morality and recycling might be one of the major outbreak and solutions to this problem. Throwing away and littering will never help us in any way, does not matter if it is plastic or paper. A wise use can always help us to fight against the problem rather than stop using it.

Most consumers are nowadays environment conscious and are looking for the products coming in eco-friendly and sustainable packaging. Thanks to the “go green movements” and environment awareness campaigns being run on the global scale.

And this is downright essential as only 1 percent of plastic bags are returned for recycling while the rest goes to the landfills as litter. Plastic bags not only clog the waterways, but also pose a great threat to the wildlife. Nearly 100,000 marine animals are killed by consuming plastic bags annually. The plastic releases toxins and harmful chemicals into the environment.

Here both consumers and businesses can save the environment and wildlife by carefully choosing the packaging. And using eco-friendly shopping bags can be one of those great initiatives to save the environment.

In fact, the ecofriendly packaging may not remain optional for a long time due to the increasing awareness, corporate demands and government policies regarding the environment.

Giving your products in ecofriendly or reusable packaging or bags not only helps your business minimizing waste and pollution but also attracts today’s environment conscious consumers towards your business.

Here we have rounded up some reusable shopping bags that are eco-friendly.

Reusable Paper Bags:

Paper bags are used by the most grocery and non-grocery stores. They are biodegradable and create less litter. They can be continually reused and recycled, posing less threat to environment and wildlife. Paper bags are made from a renewable natural resource. They can be used repeatedly and can be sent to a paper mill where they are transformed into new paper.

Besides, they are good for the branding of your business as they are ideal for printing. You can put your brand logo on them in any style you want. They are ideal packaging for coffee, tea, nuts, cookies, candy and spices.

Despite the fact that they lose strength and tear when wet, they can be reused (at least to wrap up small items.)

Jute Bags:

Jute bags are made from the fibers obtained from jute plant. These plants grow in heavy rainfall areas and no pesticide is used in their cultivation.

They also have a very low water and CO2 footprint. Since jute is a natural renewable resource, it is decomposed without posing threat to the environment.

Besides being eco-friendly, jute is strong and highly durable fiber. The bags can be reused for many times. Unlike plastic, jute bags don’t contaminate the products in them.

And they are good for branding as you can have your business logo on them. For example, sturdy and affordable jute bags carrying your logo will be used again and again by its recipient, leading to wide exposure to your business. This way, jute bags are the great alternative to the plastic bags.

Cotton Bags:

They are made from natural fibers like organic cotton, recycled cotton and traditional cotton. Since cotton is a plant product, the bags are ultimately biodegradable. They are eco-friendly bags and don’t cause harm to wildlife.

These bags are easy to clean when they are dirty just like you wash your cloth.

Coming to their strength, they are thicker than plastic bags—which makes them durable enough to be used again and again. Some types of cloth bags come with a stiff cardboard at the bottom for additional stability.

Cloth bags are available in variety of shapes, sizes and colors. They are not only great for shopping, but also complement your personal style. The surface of cotton bags is ideal for printing, making them suitable for your brand promotion. These bags are good for exhibition, promotions and product giveaways.

Hemp Bags:

Hemp is an eco-friendly crop as its cultivation requires no pesticides and little water. Its long roots minimize erosion and maintain topsoil. Hemp is counted among the strongest fibers in the world. In fact, it is three times the strength of cotton. Hemp can be blended with fibers like silk and cotton. Hemp bags are easy to wash and dry in machines. Although they are a bit expensive, they give wide exposure to your business. They can be used for years and people always see your logo wherever the customers carry them.

So these are the reusable bags you can use to save environment. They are eco-friendly, practical and cheap alternative to most of the disposable bags. Customers can use them for years, given that these bags are durable and can carry all routine items. Besides, it helps market your business as eco-friendly.

What do you think? Do you have other eco-friendly packaging ideas? Please share with us by commenting below.  

Biodegradable items tend to break down into natural materials by the microorganisms without harming the environment. The examples of biodegradable items are food scraps, wood, cotton, human and animal waste.

Can plastic be biodegradable? Well, it sounds strange if this term is associated with something “eco-unfriendly” like plastic.

To your surprise, it is true. Plastic bags can be biodegradable. Biodegradable plastics are made of specialized enzymatic or chemicals that break down the material once exposed to sun and air. Standard plastic is made with chemical fillers that can be a threat to environment when they are released when the plastic is burnt.

U.S. Environmental Agency has alarmed that only 8% of the 31 million tons of plastic is recycled each year. The rest part goes to landfills and waterways, creating litter and threat to the wildlife.

In this scenario, biodegradable plastic bags can be a savior to the environment. Here’s how…

1. Less Carbon Emission:

Traditional plastic releases four tons of emissions while biodegradable plastics only emit nearly .8 tons of carbon. This way, they ensure the minimal amount of carbon emissions into the air in the process of manufacturing.

Also Read: Going Green is Not Easy: Top Green Packaging Challenges

2. Waste Reduction

Traditional plastics make up the 13 percent of the waste. As we have told you that only 9 percent go for recycling, while the rest enters water bodies and landfills. The good thing with biodegradable plastics is that it breaks down over the course of time, depending on its exposure to sunlight, soil and air. Although not all biodegradable plastic will completely break down, any reduction will create space and minimize the pressures on the waste fills. Therefore, biodegradable plastics may eliminate the need to add more landfills, saving lands for other purposes.

3. Recyclable:

Given that they take a lot less time to decompose than traditional plastics, they are easy to recycle, that’s too without releasing toxic elements. Another advantage of biodegradable plastic bags! They are moldable as traditional plastics and can be turned into various appealing ways to suit your requirements.

4. Source Reduction:

Biodegradable plastics also minimize the use of petroleum supplies. Nearly 2.7 percent of country’s petroleum is consumed by the manufacturing of traditional plastics. Their oil molecules are heated and treated so that they convert into polymers.

Biodegradable plastics, on the other hand, are manufactured using corn, orange peels, starch, plants and switchgrass. Their manufacturing requires less energy and generally not involves the burning of fossil fuels. The corn based plastics require 60 percent less energy than generating a similar polymer from raw petroleum. Many bags are also made from organic materials or paper.

More biodegradable plastics can be manufactured with less energy which also lowers the amount of pollution.

5. Non-Toxic:

It can’t be denied that traditional plastics are made using harmful by-products and chemicals which are a threat to environment and life as well. They are likely to emit these harmful substances during the breakdown process. But this is not a case with biodegradable plastic.

They are safe and don’t release toxins during their breakdown process. They are absorbed by the soil. Such benefits of biodegradable plastics are welcoming, as the toxic plastic heap on the planet is on the rise and this ever increasing rate will pose health problems for both human and wildlife.

Bottom Line:

So these are the benefits of using biodegradable plastic bags. They are safe for the environment and their use should be encouraged. However, the need of plastic usage awareness and education regarding their repurposing is necessary as the wise use can make a difference.