Consumers and brands alike are concerned about protecting the planet’s wildlife. Companies are seeking ways to use more sustainable CPG packaging to help protect plants and animals.
This is especially important should packaging be irresponsibly discarded. Here are four ways to incorporate wildlife-saving tactics into your packaging design.
Understand Wildlife Concerns
Packaging protects products and helps keep them safe. It also preserves food and beverage items so they last longer.
Our entire food system including farming, processing, and distributing affects the planet. According to Design Week, that entire system accounts for over 25% of greenhouse gas emissions globally. This number increases along with the demand for food.
Recycling is an important part of taking steps to save the planet. Choose packaging made of recycled materials, as this helps to conserve natural resources and reduce the need for newly manufactured materials. Sustainability is key to protecting the wildlife and environment as a whole.
Avoid Single-Use Plastics
Single-use plastic CPG packaging is often not recyclable and causes pollution. Instead, use other materials that promote packaging sustainability.
Use eco-friendly packaging materials such as cardboard, paper, and bioplastics. These materials are more sustainable than plastic and are also compostable, thus protecting the environment and helping to reduce waste.
Consider Reusable Packaging
Reusable packaging is another option that's becoming more popular. It typically comes in the form of plastic or metal containers that can be reused.
Reusable packaging is common in the shipping industry where containers can be reused multiple times. These containers easily and safely move products through supply chains and can come in all sizes.
Brands can incorporate reusable packaging into their design strategies by providing materials that enable consumers to be creative. Ideas include decorative boxes, recyclable plastic jars, and recyclable plastic cylinders. These containers can be used for product refills, to store other items, or as gift boxes.
Choose Bamboo
Bamboo is a material that promotes packaging sustainability. It's compostable, so it won't wind up in landfills or in the oceans like plastics.
Bamboo can be used as a packing material to protect products. It can also compose the outer part that holds a product.
More brands are choosing bamboo boxes and jars as CPG packaging. These items can be disposable or reusable and can go a long way toward promoting packaging sustainability.
Use 100% Recycled Paperboard
Paperboard can be used to pack and store products. 100% recycled paperboard comes in two forms: coated and uncoated.
Coated recycled paperboard (CRP) is used for a variety of goods from frozen foods to household products and electronics. Uncoated recycled paperboard (URP) is used to package many different product types including office supplies, hard-bound book covers, and game boards.
Paperboard that is 100% recycled is made from 100% fiber that has been recovered and sourced from post-industrial and post-consumer materials. Per RPA100, more than 200 companies use 100% recycled paperboard for their CPG packaging.
More Ideas
Utilize lightweight packaging to reduce the amount of materials used and decrease the environmental impact of transportation.
Use plant-based inks and adhesives to reduce the impact of chemical pollutants on plants and animals.
Use water-based coatings instead of conventional plastic-based coatings, as these are less harmful to the environment.
Utilize sustainable packaging designs that use fewer materials and reduce waste.
Conclusion
Implementing packaging sustainability helps keep wildlife safe by ensuring plastics and other non-recyclable materials don’t end up in landfills or oceans. Using sustainable and reusable options preserve the environment and promote circular economies.
PKG Brand Design is always at the forefront of new CPG branding and packaging initiatives. Subscribe to our blog for the latest package design industry news!
