We’ve all seen the impact of plastic packaging in the news and how some suppliers are now actively working to reduce its use or completely replace it. This is a sensible move, because as most of us know, plastic packaging is causing harm to the environment, filling up landfill sites where it sits indefinitely. What can you do as a responsible business to help reduce plastic packaging?
Why Is Plastic Packaging Used?
Well, plastic packaging is used to protect products and help them last longer. Plastic packaging can help food stay fresh for much longer, it is also used to transport products, it’s therefore useful and provides a service, but unfortunately too much of it is used.
Excess Packaging Can Be Costly
Excess packaging not only means your products are more expensive to cover the cost, but it usually ends up in a landfill site it’s not easy to recycle. We don’t have to stop using plastic packaging as it serves a clear purpose, as we’ve seen, but we can aim to use less. By reducing our use of plastic packaging we’re helping the environment enormously, especially if more businesses do it too.
Smart Packaging Equals a Safer Environment
Try to adopt a smart packaging protocol, where, if it’s possible you use only recyclable packaging, and only use plastic when no other option is available. Provide packaging which is reusable for the customer, something they can use again themselves, e.g. a bag or a cardboard box and then only use a minimal amount of plastic if it’s absolutely necessary. Your customers can use any jars, tins or boxes you supply with your product and use it for something else.
Reusing Packaging
There is also the Courtauld Commitment which was introduced back in 2005 between food and grocery retailers and WRAP which stands for Waste and Resources Action Programme. The plan is to help reduce food and packaging waste, and you can play your part too. By following this plan there has been a significant decrease in both food waste and packaging between the year it was launched in 2005 and 2009. A later stage of this in 2012 focused the use of sustainable resources for packaging, and there have been noticeable changes since this was rolled out by supermarkets across the country.
Kimberley Watson Packaging – For Environmentally Conscious Packaging Serving Scotland and Beyond
We care about the environment as much as you do, and we work hard to do what we can to help reduce the waste of plastic used in packaging. Why not get in touch today and see how we can help you reduce your carbon footprint with the quality provision of eco-friendly packaging.