Sustainable packaging is still the most dominant packaging trend in 2016, largely due to the fact that sustainability remains an important topic on the worldwide business agenda. Product packaging is one of the leading causes of pollution that the globe’s natural ecosystems have to regularly contend with, so ensuring that environmentally-friendly and sustainable packaging is used is an important goal for a number of worldwide as well as local brands.
South African businesses will soon be answering to legal requirements outlined in Emissions Tax laws, and in little time businesses will need to monitor their entire footprint to ensure that they cut down on their emissions as well as waste output. This will require a comprehensive ‘top-down’ approach, whereby organisations will drastically change their entire production and supply chain to be as sustainable as possible.
Unfortunately, the consumer is less concerned about environmental sustainability than they are about user-friendliness and convenience. However, the modern consumer is not oblivious to the concept of sustainability, and they realize that, as long as their needs are being met, they have an obligation to help ‘save the environment’. The easiest way of doing that is by shifting their attention toward brands and products that use sustainable packaging.
Many well-known international brands have taken the initiative and are now developing product packages that utilize sustainably sourced materials. Many brands that use corrugated cardboard and cartons ensure that the materials used in production of the packaging come from sustainably-sourced, eco-managed forests. Many brands also ensure that their packaging is 100% recyclable, another effort to ensure environmental sustainability. However, it is most disconcerting learning that the majority of convenience foods are made without recycled materials, and in an effort to ensure longevity of food products, the packaging is made with an abundance of chemicals and materials that disallow recycling.
Studies have proven the contrary though; sustainable packaging oftentimes helps increase the longevity of foodstuffs. The National University of Singapore, a leading organisation in the development of food sciences, found that recyclable and organic packaging helps improve the longevity of the food within by 100%.
If you are looking for sustainable packaging, particularly for foodstuffs, then make sure you contact Design Packaging & Tapes as soon as possible!
