What impact of eco-friendly packaging?

Eco-responsible packaging takes into account the environmental impacts over the entire life cycle and seeks to minimize the harmful impacts on human health and the environment. Reducing the overall size and weight of packaging and shipping in the right-sized boxes is the key point of a sustainable packaging strategy, along with the choice of eco-friendly materials. Innovations allow to create size-optimized sustainable packaging to generate efficiencies for the supply chain. Switching from conventional material to eco-friendly materials and reducing size of packaging allows to get greener.

Facing new customers’ expectations

According to the Antalis environmental customer survey commissioned to IFOP (march 2021), 79% of Antalis customers consider as important or very important the environmental friendliness of packaging products. 62% are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly packaging products whereas importance that can only grow in the future, with companies involved in CSR being ahead of the curve.

Even if price remains the key buying criterion for Antalis customers, environment comes second in terms of importance, which shows the potential of this aspect for customers. They even place it at the same level as the primary function of a packaging, i.e. its functionality!

Consumer needs and concern are growing

Consumers are even more environmentally conscious. They demand companies to find sustainable solutions that save waste and reduce carbon footprint. 42% of consumers said packaging made from recycled or sustainable materials was crucial in their everyday purchase habits (Globalwebindex 2019).

What’s more, regulators, NGOs and consumers are putting pressure on companies to find sustainable solutions to mitigate resource depletion and climate change. 55 percent of US respondents (McKinsey & company survey) in October 2020 report that they are extremely or very concerned about the environmental impact of product packaging, so consumers remain very focused on these issues. Since consumers don’t focus on any single area, companies acting on sustainability must address a broad range of concerns. Across all end-use segments, 60 to 70% of consumers said they would pay more for sustainable packaging. 52% of consumers said they would buy more products with sustainable packaging if those products didn’t cost more than conventionally packaged ones.

Building a better brand experience

Basic purchasing criteria and environmental challenges are now linked to commercial approach, as empty space and excess packaging material frustrate consumers and create a negative brand experience. Environment has a major sales impact, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic hit us. For example, 100% of Sezane shipping boxes are now made from recycled cardboard and can be sent back for returns or used as decorative boxes at home. The French fashion e-retailer, Sezane, is also in the process of streamlining their boxes by eliminating unnecessary labels and excess wrapping and adapting their size and shape to best fit the items they are designed to hold.

As a result of the pandemic, the importance of sustainable packaging solutions is becoming impossible to ignore. With the non-essential retail trade shut, the change of lifestyle includes much more home deliveries and much more packaging to be sorted and recycled. At the same time, consumers are requiring a satisfying unboxing experience, as they shop at home. Labels must respond to those antagonistic requests by finding smart and eco-friendly packaging solutions.

More aware of environmental issues about waste and packaging, over 2/3 of consumers say they would pay more for packaging which had less impact on the environment. People also recycle more when they know what recyclable waste becomes, according to the American Marketing Association. In the UK, 50% of the consumers have already switched brands based on concerns about packaging. It is thus important for innovative e-commerce brands to include customer involvement and expectation in their business plan.

An eco-friendly packaging from beginning to end

Designing and processing an eco-friendly packaging is not enough. To be fully sustainable, its end of life has also to be considered. This is why brands have to think effective recyclability for their products. Nespresso recycling began in the UK over 10 years ago. Different options are offered to customers to collect their capsules, in order to separate coffee and aluminum for their second life. Packaging is recyclable when it can be collected, processed and returned to use in the form of raw materials or goods. The recyclability of packaging depends on its nature and composition.

Focus on flexible or mono-materials as well as biodegradable, plant-based and other eco-friendly alternatives may integrate packaging into a circular supply chain. Almost any material is biodegradable, but some may take decades or even centuries to degrade and may not be environmentally friendly.

So, if you wish your packaging to end its life as green as it began, search accurate recycling information from CSR experts in order to make sure your packaging will be effectively collected, sent to a recovery facility to be sorted, cleaned and processed into materials that can be used in manufacturing, just like raw materials would be.

A step towards responsible consumption

Eco-friendly and Smart Packaging Solutions allow a better customer experience and reduce footprint of packing, shipping and delivering for conventional brands and e-commerce retailers. Given the growing awareness among companies and consumers about the importance of the promotion of sustainable development through green packaging alternatives, key to the success is now to accompany and educate consumers on how to responsibly use and dispose of packaging, in order to move towards responsible and frustration-free packaging.

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Sources:

1- McKinseay survey conducted between April 14 and April 22, 2020, across 2,004 German and UK consumers aged 18 and older

2 - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190516103712.htm

3 - McKinseay survey conducted between April 14 and April 22, 2020, across 2,004 German and UK consumers aged 18 and older