With global shipping volume set to reach 200 billion parcels by 2025, brands are under pressure to streamline their packaging to reduce their environmental impact, attract consumers and save money.
While cardboard packaging is widely celebrated for being biodegradable, recyclable and environmentally friendly, there are some additional ways to make your cardboard packaging even greener. With deforestation and reusable packaging to consider, here are three ways to ensure your cardboard packaging is eco-friendly:
FSC® Certified Packaging
To make cardboard, manufacturers use wood pulp which requires trees in woodland areas to be chopped down. This is an entirely renewable process when forests are managed responsibly. Unfortunately, in many cases worldwide, forest resources are consumed faster than we can replace them, impacting the surrounding wildlife and causing further damage to the environment.
The widespread FSC® certification system enables organisations and their customers to choose paper, cardboard and other forest products that have been made with materials that preserve biological diversity and sustain economic viability.
With a strict international control system, FSC® wood must be able to be traced back to where it came from, ensuring every packaging product originates from a sustainable forest. It might be time for your business to make the switch and benefit from FSC® packaging. Here at Garthwest, we offer every client a choice of FSC® certified packaging at affordable prices to protect and reduce the environmental impact of poor forest management.
End-of-life Planning
Tags, tapes and metal eyelets are all examples of packaging contaminants which prevent an optimised recycling process.
While paper and cardboard are simple and easy to recycle, it is the brand’s responsibility to design packaging with end-of-life in mind, and to consider the recyclability of all fastenings, sealants and the packaging itself.
Organisations must strive to distribute user-friendly, sustainable cardboard packaging, ensuring every box is easy to open, return and recycle effectively; this way, cardboard packaging is awarded a second life.
Incentivise Reusable and Sustainable Packaging
Use green initiatives to encourage customers to reuse cardboard packaging and maximise the lifespan of your packaging. When brands discard single-use packaging concepts and begin testing reusable cardboard solutions, they’re taking steps to ensure their company packaging is as sustainable as possible.
Why not incentivise packaging returns with discount vouchers? This would encourage consumers to support your brand’s green initiatives and become a repeat customer.
Alternatively, high-quality printed packaging attracts consumers to reuse the boxes their deliveries arrive in. With endless opportunities for print, colour and design, give your eco-friendly packaging a second life with impactful, branded details.
Here at Garthwest, we apply a sense of value and quality to every package, offering an unlimited print area on both the interior and exterior of every cardboard package – encouraging consumers to utilise and reuse your packaging.
Make Your Cardboard Packaging Eco-friendly
As experts in eco-friendly box packaging, the dedicated team at Garthwest help organisations to achieve a greener ethos with FSC certified, sustainable cardboard packaging.
Get in touch with our team today to discover more about our responsibly sourced cardboard packaging.
