Sustainable Packaging Solutions: What You Need to Know

When looking for ways to make your business more eco-friendly, shipping logistics is unquestionably one of the most important areas to consider. A conscious shift towards sustainable packaging solutions should be at the top of your agenda.

Here at DWI Inc., our experts can provide outsourced sustainable packaging solutions and assembly services to transform your approach to shipping and logistics forever. Before making the switch, though, here’s what you need to know about using eco-friendly materials.

What are Sustainable Packaging Solutions?

As per Harvard Business School, “in business, sustainability refers to doing business without negatively impacting the environment, community, or society as a whole.” So, when discussing packaging solutions, sustainability refers to any eco-friendly material that may be used to package, store, or ship products.

For packaging materials to be considered green, they must meet environmentally-friendly standards and be proven to reduce carbon footprints. They can be recyclable materials or easily biodegradable items. Some of the most commonly used products include:

  • Biodegradable packing peanuts
  • Bioplastics
  • Brown paper
  • Cardboard
  • Cellulose
  • Corrugated bubble wrap
  • Industrially compostable PLA (starch)
  • Mushroom packaging
  • Organic textiles
  • Seaweed packaging

Sustainable packaging materials are designed to protect the environment by avoiding the damage caused by their traditional counterparts. When they are combined with other eco-friendly habits, such as using renewable energy or cutting material waste, organizations can minimize their entire negative impact on the environment. 

In addition to biodegradable materials, many companies now opt for items that can be repurposed and reused by the customer. With the global green packaging industry valued at $306.73 billion in 2022 and growing with a CAGR of over 6%, now is the time for businesses to join the sustainability movement.

Why Are Sustainable Packaging Solutions Important For Your Business?

Before embracing eco-friendly packaging, you will naturally want to know the potential benefits for your business. Sustainable packaging solutions can be embraced by businesses across all industries, with fashion, food manufacturing, and homewares among the biggest beneficiaries. 

Dozens of countries (including the U.S.) now have dedicated roadmaps to help certain industries become carbon neutral. However, companies outside of these territories can also improve their operations with eco-friendly packaging. 

Studies show that 78% of consumers now want to buy from eco-friendly brands. While there are many ways for your business to ‘go green’, such as by utilizing solar power, sustainable packaging solutions are a client-facing option. So, they will actively see that your company has taken positive steps to protect the planet. This can align with their goals and give them another incentive to choose your business.

It is a move that can potentially help you win new clients while simultaneously boosting loyalty and customer retention rates. Other potential benefits for your business include:

  • Employees take greater pride in the company.
  • Fewer harmful toxins that could damage products or people.
  • Reducing long-term expenses.
  • Less cluttered workspaces.
  • Easier disposal of materials.

For the sake of brand image, long-term finances, and taking your business into the modern day, sustainable packaging solutions are an option worth exploring. Better still, they’re certain to satisfy the responsibility of supporting our planet’s future.

How Do Sustainable Packaging Solutions Benefit the Environment?

Sustainable packaging solutions help the environment by reducing landfill space consumption, keeping harmful plastics out of the ocean, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Upgrading your shipping and logistics methods with recyclable materials and biodegradable packaging products could not be more important in the current era. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that containers and packaging account for 28.1% of all municipal solid waste (MSW) generation.

While the production of all packaging materials will use some resources, eco-friendly materials allow you to reduce the production of greenhouse gasses, heavy metal particulates, and toxic sludge. In addition to reducing the carbon footprint associated with making the packaging materials, improvements extend to the processing and breaking down of those materials later on. 

Other benefits for the environment include but are not limited to;

  • Reduced consumption of landfill space. It is currently shown that 91% of all packaging waste is sent to landfills or ends up polluting the environment. Switching to biodegradable and recyclable materials will significantly reduce this figure. 
  • Many of the sustainable packaging solutions can be reused, thus meaning that no additional resources will be required to produce new containers or packing supplies. Over the long haul, this makes a huge difference to the overall carbon footprint.
  • Even if sustainable packaging materials are not reused for shipping and logistics, the recyclable materials may be used for other products. This can subsequently reduce emissions in future manufacturing and supply chain aspects.
  • Green packaging materials often weigh less and are more compact than their traditional counterparts. In turn, the emissions caused by transportation are reduced, which will further enhance your eco-friendly endeavors.
  • Conservation of resources. Single-use plastics and other traditional packaging materials also use natural materials during the manufacturing process. By reducing your reliance on them, you’ll simultaneously conserve the demands on natural resources.

In short, if you want your business to run in a sustainable and responsible way, embracing sustainable packaging solutions is a crucial step.

DWI's Mission for Sustainability

Here at DWI, we have supported employees and businesses since the 1970s. Our mission statement has always centered around caring for both people and the environment. In today’s landscape, embracing recyclable materials in the field of shipping and logistics is one of our most rewarding initiatives.

Our core values are quality, choice, diversity, integrity, respect, independence, accountability, hope, and courage. They are all present in our commitment to sustainability, which is why we adopt green initiatives in our own work while simultaneously integrating eco-friendly habits into all of our business services (including our dedicated assembly and packaging services).

If you’re ready to take your company’s environmental focus to the next level, contact us for sustainable packing and assembly solutions. Enhance your business's green initiatives today!