In modern days, following sustainable packaging trends is key to prospering and making a positive environmental change as a business. With climate change, pollution, microplastic release, wildlife endangerment, resource depletion, and other pressing environmental problems under the spotlight, brands have no other choice but to meet consumers’ sustainability expectations and lower their negative footprint.
Switching to sustainable packaging is a great first step to achieving that. To help you make the best decisions for your business, in this article you will learn about the most significant packaging trends.
What is sustainable packaging?
Sustainable packaging is eco-friendly packaging that is recyclable and/or biodegradable. It does not lead to depletion of natural resources and reduces the negative environmental impact and carbon footprint during material sourcing, manufacturing, transportation, and storage.
The sustainability trend has become extremely popular in recent years and directly affected customer preferences and brand loyalties. So if modern companies want to prosper, stay relevant, and not fall a victim to the ‘cancel-culture’, they need to adapt and become more eco-friendly with their consumer packaging.
5 trends in sustainable packaging for 2022
1. Compostable / biodegradable materials
Switching to sustainable packaging made of compostable and biodegradable materials is one of the best decisions you can make for your business. This type of packaging makes perfect use of natural and renewable resources that break down extremely fast upon disposal and have no negative environmental effects. It is safe for people and wildlife.
With the intention of most consumers to be more eco-responsible, such sustainable packaging solutions have become a hit across all industries. Biodegradable wraps, boxes, and containers solve your packaging waste problems and significantly lower your company’s footprint.
2. Recyclable packaging
The social blow-up and increased interest in the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ movement is one of the best things that could have happened to the environment. Since people became more eco-oriented and nature-preserving, their preferences and brand loyalties also changed to reflect their values.
In this challenging market situation, brands are expected to catch up with the sustainable packaging trend if they want to stay in business. Yet, adapting to some of the eco-friendly packaging solutions is more challenging than it seems.
The simplest thing companies can do to be more environmentally friendly is to invest in packaging that is easy to recycle. If your product packaging is recyclable, refillable, or reusable, and does not harm the environment upon disposal, you are on the right track and that is better than sticking to traditional plastic packaging.
3. Getting rid of plastic
In an effort to seem more sustainable but not really willing to take the necessary steps towards it, some companies try to get away with deceptive packaging. That is consumer packaging that looks like it contains no plastic components but in reality, it has microplastics.
The release of plastic contaminants and microplastics into the environment and waterways is one of the most serious ecological problems our generation has to face.
One of the best ways to make a positive change as a brand is to reduce and replace plastics in products and their packaging. Cutting off plastics and switching to biodegradable and compostable materials is a great initial step towards sustainability.
4. Eco-friendly inks
One important thing about consumer packaging is it needs to display certain information about the product, its origin, contents, company details, and so on. There is also the design customization factor. All these packaging elements typically require printing and the use of inks in one way or another.
For that reason, eco-friendly inks are another sustainable packaging trend worth looking into. While traditional chemical inks are not always environmentally safe, the good news is there are more eco-conscious alternatives.
Fortunately, in recent years, the consumer packaging industry pays more attention to natural solutions and right now we notice the boom of soy-based and vegetable-based inks. These types of inks are biodegradable, free of toxic substances, and promise safe disposal.
5. Flexible packaging
The idea behind flexible packaging is to ditch rigid materials and start using renewable alternatives which are less expensive to produce. That means cutting off standard heavy supplies like plastic and glass from your packaging.
Another feature of flexible consumer packaging is the perfect-fit sizing policy that optimizes packaging and saves storage space. And since the new materials would be more lightweight than traditional ones, your company would also be saving money from distribution and transportation. As a result, you could drastically lower your carbon footprint emissions.
Is sustainable packaging here to stay?
Eco-friendly packaging is here to stay. Moreover, the future of packaging is in sustainable practices and renewable materials. Plastic packaging and unrecyclable supplies are slowly but steadily becoming a thing of the past.
Sustainability has taken over almost every industry and companies are massively starting their eco-conscious journey by making smarter packaging choices. The easiest, most accessible, and cheapest way for brands to begin their environmentally-friendly business transformation is to invest in sustainable packaging solutions. No wonder why almost every new product that comes out has biodegradable, reusable, or recyclable packaging.
Have you switched to sustainable packaging, yet? The packaging professionals from Packlion can help you choose the most suitable eco-friendly packaging for all your products so that you could reap the benefits of becoming an environmentally-responsible brand.
