As we are moving towards more sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle, we have to change the way things have been done in the past and find new ways leave less of a carbon footprint behind. With the rise of purchasing goods online, more and more packages are being shipped out than ever before. Fragile packages require a plethora of packaging materials to protect the product, which causes a lot more materials to be used and discarded. It’s time we look the damage this is causing to the environment and find a solution.
Packaging materials for fragile goods has produced over 2 million tons of waste every year that ends up in landfills and in oceans. Fragile packages account for majority of the waste in the packaging industry because of the amount of excess materials being used. This is harmful to the environment and it is getting worse and worse each year. Marine life is heavily affected by this because a lot of the waste ends up in the ocean. Now, we need to look at alternative ways to package these fragile goods so we do not leave behind so much waste. There are new and innovative materials to package fragile goods that are reusable, compostable, or sometimes even editable that are still just as effective as the traditional materials used.
Traditional materials such as styrofoam, plastic bubble wrap, and non-biodegradable packing peanuts are the cheap and fast way to package fragile goods, but at what cost to the environment? There are very limited opportunities for people to reuse or recycle these old materials. We are now shifting towards using the same concepts as traditional materials, but with a modern twist. Instead of having fragile goods in styrofoam, there are 100% recycled paper shreds available to cushion and protect the product being packaged. This is just as effective yet more eco-friendly when disposing. New bubble wrap is now made out of 100% recycled materials and some types can even be compostable. This is an easy substitution because traditional and new bubble wrap are almost identical in look and function.
There are many ways to be just as effective in packaging fragile products while being environmentally conscious nowadays. We do our part in cutting down waste by using environmentally friendly packaging materials and we want you to be aware of this issue as well. Do your part and make sure all your packaged goods have sustainable materials.
To learn more, don’t hesitate to contact us.