There are several factors that contribute to the growing popularity of sustainable packaging, increased consumer demand for more Earth-friendly products certainly plays a key role. Many consumers do judge a book by its cover and assess the quality and value of a product by the packaging that surrounds it. As eco-conscious consumers become more aware of the negative ecological and social ramifications of traditional packaging options, they become less tolerant of their use in everyday situations and adjust their buying behaviours accordingly. All things being equal, many consumers will choose a product that will have a minimal impact on the environment over one that is heavily encased in disposable and non-biodegradable materials.
This trend can be compared to the large-scale adoption of organic foods and more fuel-efficient vehicles in recent years. In other words, today’s consumers are more aware than ever of the impact their actions and buying decisions have on their own well-being and the overall environment.
What are the benefits of these types of packaging?
- If we look at improving home compostable packaging, then it will result in less waste and will allow for fewer materials going into the landfill. Looking at the entire life cycle of packaging, the definition gives us a vision for the packaging industry all of which must be addressed if sustainable packaging is to become a major factor.
- It presents a challenge to those that stay status-quo but will offer guidance to identify the opportunities and the strategies to help us move forward. One of the key strategies is to challenge the product design, as it stands to point out we can prevent waste, if we optimize our use of resources, select safer materials and plan for the recycling process or some recoverability of our packaging.
- However, even the most well-designed packaging does not meet the sustainability test. The real challenge is to be able to put effective systems into recoverability of the value of the materials. Building effective and closed-loop recycling and composting systems for packaging materials will be one of the biggest challenges to the creation of the sustainable packaging industry, but is one from which everyone stands to gain from personal use and manufacturing.
- The sustainable packaging addresses performance and cost along with maximizing the use of renewable types of plastic materials or the use of recycling of other various materials like paper or cardboard. Hence it is beneficial in many ways.