“Sustainable packaging is the development and use of packaging that’s recyclable, reusable, and made from rapidly renewable resources or materials. This practice reduces the environmental impact and ecological footprint of consumer product waste.
There’s been a bounty out on packaging ever since Keep America Beautiful released its notorious 1971 “Crying Indian” PSA. The advertisement follows Iron Eyes Cody, an actor famous for portraying Native Americans, as he paddles through a river of post-consumer waste.
At the end of the ad, a single tear falls down his face while the narrator admonishes the audience: “Some people have a deep, abiding respect for the natural beauty that was once this country. And some people don’t.”
While the advertisement got several things wrong, its emphasis on packaging was as appropriate in 1971 as it is today. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, packaging waste accounted for almost 30% of our garbage in 2015.
Luckily, things are starting to change. Consensus has shifted to taking a deeper look at corporate responsibility – rather than anthropogenic responsibility – for climate change.
Fortunately for brands, sustainability sells.
According to a recent survey from Accenture, more than half of consumers are willing to pay a premium for reusable and recyclable products. Meeting consumer demand for sustainable products and packaging is an urgent matter, both for consumers and for the environment.
What is Sustainable Packaging?
Sustainable packaging is about more than just recycling. It encompasses the entire life cycle of a package, from sourcing materials to disposing of them.
Sustainability is about closing the loop and creating a circular economy – that is, one where materials aren’t used once and thrown away, but renewed and repurposed. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition outlines several criteria to consider when making sustainable packaging. Evaluate whether it:
- Is beneficial, safe, and healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle
- Meets market criteria for cost and performance
- Is sourced, manufactured, transported, and recycled using renewable energy
- Optimizes use of renewable and recycled materials
- Is manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices
- Optimizes materials and energy through design
- Is recoverable and usable in closed loop (reusable) cycles
11 Brands With Great Sustainable Packaging
Thinning Down Plastic Bottles (Lush)
Lush takes an unpackaged approach whenever possible: 35% of their products come totally package-free or, as they like to call it, “naked.” Innovative solid products like shampoo and conditioner bars drastically cut down waste, and since 2005, Lush has saved 124 million plastic bottles from ever being produced through unpackaged alternatives alone….”
View the whole story here: https://blog.remesh.ai/innovative-sustainable-packaging-ideas