We can all do better. ‘Eco-friendly’ and ‘sustainable’ have both become climate change buzzwords in recent years, increasingly used by brands in campaigns to promote their climate-saving credentials, The main issue with this is that many of these brands are slipping in these buzzwords to make themselves look good, without really altering their practices or supply chains to reflect their eco ethos.
Despite the greenwashing that’s rife in many companies, however, there are some real eco warriors out there dreaming up – and then turning into reality – innovations to solve our climate woes, with a key culprit being consumer packaging.
Here we discuss 5 key areas to improve in order to become environmentally friendly and together we can also save the world!
- Reducing Plastic Waste
Plastic waste is one of the most widespread types of pollution on the planet, with particles of this material permeating soil, water, and the atmosphere. The main drivers of this issue are single-use plastics combined with inadequate recycling capacity. Since plastic is very chemically-stable, it doesn’t break down in the wild, leading to rapid build-ups.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’. A call to action first coined around the end of the 70s, this phrase is still as relevant now as it was back then. Scientists and product developers have embraced these terms, focusing on developing packaging that fits one of these three remits: reduces the volume of packaging to just the essentials; can be reused or refilled, without sacrificing quality or purpose; or is fully recyclable. It may be around 50 years old, but ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ is here to stay.
Being incredibly versatile, plastic has been a staple in packaging for decades, helping protect our shopping and keeping it fresh. But, as demonstrated in The Blue Planet documentaries, our love of plastic is harming our home – and our love of online shopping is only fuelling this further. Cue, then, scientists and innovators thinking outside of the box and searching for solutions in some of the most unlikely places.
In a bid to help address this issue, researchers at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a self-cleaning bioplastic that degrades rapidly once it comes into contact with soils. The team envisions their material being used in packaging for fresh foods and takeaway. Since it is compostable (breaks down naturally), swapping regular plastic for this new bioplastic in these applications would lead to tremendous environmental benefits, as food packaging is one of the main applications for single-use plastic.
Nature is full of ingenious designs and solutions to a variety of problems researchers are trying to solve, and we can draw on this wealth of natural expertise when designing new, high-performance materials that can serve a variety of roles. The new bioplastic is one example of this.
- Reducing use of Plastic Bags
As for the tote bag alternative to plastic bags, they may not be the best alternative. Unfortunately, tote bags are not as environmentally-friendly as you’d think. According to a 2018 study by the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark, an organic cotton tote needs to be used a whopping 20,000 times to offset its environmental impact. This is due to the large amounts of energy and water needed to produce it, and its impact on the ozone layer. That’s the equivalent of using just one tote bag every day for 54 years.
Another issue with tote bags is that they can be difficult to recycle, as many are covered in PVC-based logos and dyes. Even if cotton totes are sent to be recycled, logos and messages printed on the bags are not recyclable and have to be cut out of the cloth, wasting an estimated 10 to 15% of materials received. You should still take your tote bag to a recycling centre or textile bank to be recycled rather than placing it in a general waste bin as wasting 15% is better than wasting 100%.
Many companies are doing their best to reduce the use of plastic. A new shopping bag made entirely from recycled materials is being launched in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. The retailers say that offering customers the Universal Bag will help them to cut down on plastic bags and become more environmentally friendly. The tote bag, which will cost £10, was designed by fashion designer Anya Hindmarch who also designed Sainsbury’s I Am Not a Plastic Bag bag in 2007. The Universal Bag, which will be available in burgundy and racing green, has striped handles and a smiley face design. Sainsbury’s and Waitrose hope that it will help the supermarkets to cut down on waste.
- Biodegradable/Compostable Solutions
A popular alternative to plastics in packaging, paper and card have become core to the sustainability-in-packaging movement. Great news, right? Alas, no. To be as effective as plastic is at protecting and maintaining the integrity of packaged items, paper and card need to be of a certain thickness and sturdiness that, unfortunately, means they can’t be easily recycled – ending up in landfill despite our best intentions.
Enter innovative alternatives to paper and card, such as bamboo paper, stone paper, organic cotton, pressed hay, cornstarch…and so on. Development in this area is constant and is set to expand further in 2022. More manufacturers in the paper product space are turning to bamboo to develop more sustainable paper products. Bamboo, which is a grass rather than a tree, is easily renewable because it grows quickly and matures in only three years. It takes up less land, uses less water than trees and requires zero pesticides to grow. In addition, bamboo reduces soil erosion and greenhouse gases while capturing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than trees or cotton.
A relative newcomer to the U.S. market, The Cheeky Panda, based in the United Kingdom, has secured major distribution deals with such notable companies as Rite Aid and United Natural Foods Inc. for its biodegradable bamboo products, including toilet paper and paper towels. The Cheeky Panda products are carbon-balanced Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved. FSC certification ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.
While criticized in the past for its less than environmentally friendly sourcing methods, Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble, the parent company of the Bounty paper towel brand, is now working to ensure that its sourcing practices have the greatest impact on responsible use of the world’s forest resources. P&G is investing a total of $20 million by 2025 to accelerate research into non-wood fiber alternatives and FSC-certified fast-growing fibers. The goal is to develop fibers that are consumer preferred and sustainably sourced, and that can be produced at scale. The company aspires to include greater than 50% of these environmentally preferred fibers in its products. Moreover, P&G claims that for every tree it uses, at least one is regrown.
A huge number of brands have invested time, money and resources into the creation of packaging that breaks down naturally into the environment without causing any adverse effects on the wildlife. As such, compostable and biodegradable packaging has become somewhat of a niche.
It allows, in essence, for the packaging to have a second purpose outside of its core one. Many will already be aware of compostable and biodegradable packaging when it comes to perishable items, but more and more clothing and retail brands have adopted compostable packaging to lower their carbon footprint – so keep an eye out for it when you shop this year.
- Microplastics need to go
Despite the name, microplastics are a big problem, entering into our water systems and food chains surreptitiously causing harm. Microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory at the levels known to be eaten by people via their food, a study has found. The harm included cell death and allergic reactions and the research is the first to show this happens at levels relevant to human exposure. However, the health impact to the human body is uncertain because it is not known how long microplastics remain in the body before being excreted.
Microplastics pollution has contaminated the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. People were already known to consume the tiny particles via food and water as well as breathing them in. Recently, microplastics were revealed in the placentas of unborn babies, which the researchers said was “a matter of great concern”. Scientists showed that babies fed formula milk in plastic bottles were swallowing millions of particles a day.
This year is all about developing natural alternatives to microplastics that biodegrade in order to reduce our reliance on microplastics, and save our waterways from their pervasive damage to animals and water quality.
- The Ink we use is important
Often, we limit our thinking about packaging simply to the waste it produces and how to reduce it without giving a thought to the other products used, such as the inks used to create the brand design and information. Many of the inks used are harmful for the environment, causing acidification, but this year looks set to see the rise of vegetable- and soy-based inks, both of which are biodegradable and less likely to release toxic chemicals.
Printing inks are made using pigment, varnish, and oil. The pigment in inks provide the colour, while the oil allows colour application. The varnish is the final component, finishing the process and protecting the colour pigment. Conventional ink uses mineral-based oils with pigments containing metals. When packaging such as card or paper biodegrades, the oils and pigments used in the printing process do not biodegrade and so contribute towards environmental pollution.
However, different types of inks have been developed over the years and are used by different companies to make products more eco-friendly and biodegradable while still maintaining the correct colour and longevity. Biodegradable inks use natural vegetable oils, such as soya, sun seed or rapeseed oil. These types of inks produce vivid colours and are generally more cost-effective than traditional inks. This is because the ink flow spreads more efficiently and, therefore, means less ink is used when printing.
This type of ink is popular to use in printing because it is non-toxic. Packaging for UK-based golfing product Green Tees, for example, is made from biodegradable bamboo and is printed with biodegradable ink. The packaging, also, can either be recycled or composted. The vivid colours that biodegradable inks produce are made using yellow, red and blue primary colours. They are less likely than conventional ink to smudge, do not emit a ‘pollutant’ smell, are non-toxic and are safe to use in packaging for both the environment and the consumer.
However, biodegradable inks also have a tendency to bleed during the recycling process, potentially making it lengthier and more expensive. These inks are becoming increasingly popular due to a rising demand for biodegradable products, according to market research company Data Bridge, which projects that the global ink additive market will be worth $993.40m by 2026.
There are many alternatives to harmful packaging and labels and more and more are being developed as you read this. It is important to everyone that manufacturers and businesses step up in the fight against climate change, and using the above-mentioned alternatives is a step in the right direction.
In Summary
75% of Millennials are willing to pay more for an environmentally sustainable product, compared with 63% of Gen Z, 64% of Gen X and 57% of Boomers. Now more than ever, sustainability is becoming increasingly important in consumers’ purchasing decisions. A recent report – “Sustainability Impact on Purchase Behavior” – shows that 59% of shoppers are making it a priority to live a more environmentally conscious lifestyle, and that 85% of those who buy green products will always or most likely buy them in the future. Consumers are continuing to place an emphasis on sustainability when making purchasing decisions, showing that eco-friendly lifestyles are here to stay. Retailers have an opportunity and responsibility to think through their environmental footprint and deliver value in ways that matter increasingly more to their customers. Are you thinking about how you can make your products more sustainable and environmentally friendly? During the next 5 years it will become essential for all businesses to consider this before producing anything so why not start today and let us help you become more environmentally friendly. Give us a call on 01344 873 952 and we will be happy to help run through our range of environmentally friendly label services.