QUITE A PACKAGE
MOST TRADITIONAL FORMS OF PACKAGING ARE HARMFUL FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. WHAT CAN RETAILERS DO TO CUT IT DOWN?
REPORT
Packaging is one of the main global challenges created by today’s consumer culture. Shops habitually offer bags to end customers; across the supply chain, products get shipped wrapped in plastic or placed in cardboard boxes, resulting in tremendous amounts of waste. Brands are beginning to tackle this issue; retailers can help, too.
From the sustainability point of view, no bag is the best bag: eco-conscious customers carry their own reusable totes when shopping. However, there are a few other solutions that brick-and-mortar owners can offer to their clients, from upcycled bags made from waste materials that don’t require industrial process cycles, to recycled, biodegradable plastic and bioplastic products made using a natural resource, to bags made from recycled paper that is raw and exempt from plastic additives. CEAE has designed high-level packaging to replace conventional petroleum-based plastics with biobased, compostable plastics that biodegrade within 180 days. The company has also developed paper products originating from recycled organic cotton from pre- and post-consumer waste. The Indian brand El Rhino Paper offers a creative alternative to traditional paper bags: their products are made from rhino and elephant dung, along with other forest waste. The high-quality, hand-crafted paper is free from tree-derived materials and harmful chemicals. Purchasing the paper also encourages sustainable development in the Assam region of India and supports both the wellbeing of endangered animals and the welfare of local communities.
As far as e-commerce is concerned, the packaging supplier Duo offers an opportunity to switch from polythene mailing bags to a sustainable alternative. The UK manufacturer started the production of mailing bags made entirely from Green PE, a bio-based thermoplastic resin made from sugarcane. The bag is 100% recyclable within the same chain as that used for recycling traditional polyethylene from fossil sources. Another waste-reducing concept is the circular packaging service conceived by the Finnish brand RePack, used by brands such as Filippa K and Mud Jeans. Their reusable and returnable packages can be folded into a letter size when empty and be returned to a postbox. For every RePack return, there is a reward or an incentive attached, with up to 60% of vouchers offered being claimed.
The new generation of consumers prefer to work, live, shop and have fun in increasingly conscious ways: it is time for retailers to start the transition to sustainable solutions in order to match their clients’ lifestyles.