Up until recently, the most important aspect of any product packaging design was its visual appeal. While this is still an integral factor, especially when it comes to getting the attention of the consumer, another essential characteristic to consider is whether or not the packaging that you use for your products is fully recyclable.
If you look through the rubbish bin in any household at any given time, the chances are good that a considerable amount of the rubbish contained within will be that of packaging materials (stats show that more than 15% of your waste will be from packaging) – some of which could have been recycled, and some of which could not.
Either way, while product packaging is indeed necessary, it is easy to see why using non-recyclable materials has become a massive problem over the years. For those who own businesses, priority number one should be to reduce the carbon footprint… and revolutionising your packaging is a great place to start!
The question is, which packaging options are the best to use?
Good choices include paper, cardboard, certain bubble wraps and biodegradable plastic, to name a few. In terms of what to avoid, or to use in small amounts, we recommend monitoring the over-use of materials like basic plastic and foil in your product packaging design. For example, the traditional packaging used to house crisps is made out of many different layers of foil. These layers are impossible to separate which, in turn, makes the bag impossible to recycle.
Unfortunately, recyclable and biodegradable materials can be more expensive than their non-recyclable counterparts. The key is in doing your research in an effort to discover where packaging design and recycling meet – without having to watch your budget take a drastic knock in the process.
If you are currently unsure as to whether or not your products are environmentally-friendly and you want to make a change, it might be time to get in touch with Design Packaging and Tapes. Our corrugated cardboard as well as paper and board packaging options are both affordable and kind to our earth. They give you the opportunity to further enhance and complement the first impression made by your products, without having to worry about the detrimental effect that your packaging is having on our already delicate environment. Call us today to learn more!
