Christmas is less than a month away, and businesses have started to introduce holiday packaging to get into the full spirit of the season. Have you begun to manufacture packaging? If not yet, then you should focus more on sustainable packaging with attractive packaging as well. In this article, we’ll take you through some of the ideas about how you can do that. To learn about them, continue reading.
1. Keep the Packaging Size Right
Most of the times, we buy products that are packed in boxes that are made from far more materials than the product actually needed. This can have a significant influence on how eco-friendly your overall packaging is. For instance, if the packaging is too big for items, you will either have to fill the box with filler or risk damaging the product during transportation. It is not ideal for two reasons. Firstly, it will produce a lot of packaging waste. Secondly, it will come with extra expenses for your business. So, if you are looking for ideas to manufacture your sustainable product packaging for Christmas, then consider the size of the product and make packaging accordingly. This will allow you to cut down on extra materials used, and to stretch your budget more.
2. Use Environmentally Friendly Ink for Printing
If your business uses custom printed packaging, then you have full freedom to choose the printing method for making sustainable packaging. In case you didn’t know, traditional petroleum-based inks, which have been around from years, leave a negative impact on the environment mainly because they emit VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). On the other hand, if you are using soy-based inks for printing your Christmas boxes, then it is a much more eco-friendly option. It is not only a sustainable option but also a cheaper alternative to petroleum-based inks. Most importantly, it is much easier to wash off cardboard and paper while recycling, which makes the entire process way more energy efficient.
3. Get Creative with Your Wrapping Paper
There are a lot of creative options you can use to make your Christmas wrapping sessions more eco-friendly. If you are making holiday packaging like a gift, then you must be using some sort of ribbons to give your Christmas boxes that gift look. What you can do is replace the package’s bow with a real bow tie, which is a more sustainable option. Plus, if you’re making packaging specifically for children, then swap ribbon with bright and colorful laces or even a jump rope.
4. Increase the Use of Renewable Packaging Materials
The key factor of making your Christmas boxes as sustainable as possible is to use renewable packaging materials. A renewable holiday product packaging accounts for the end-of-life of the materials used and maximizes resources that provide renewal options after their first use. This keeps the packaging material in more extended circulation and manufactures more sustainable packaging economy. This doesn’t only includes your primary Christmas packaging, but also packaging inserts, filler materials, and even the tape used to secure the exterior of the box can influence your design's eco-friendliness.
5. Plantable Packaging
Did you ever though that you could be turning your packaging into a tree? Well, a few years ago, this seemed like a great idea, but now it has turned into a reality. Let’s take an example of Pangea Organics they create 100% plant-based beauty products, which is an excellent step towards the zero-waste idea. But they didn’t stop just there, they decided to take things one step further and introduced a way of turning their product packaging into trees. What they did is, they started making packaging by incorporating organic seeds, like amaranth and basil into it. So, whenever customers don’t need packaging anymore, they can simply remove the label, dip the box in water, and plant it in. Genius!
Also Read: 7 Best Practices for Eco-Friendly Packaging
6. Paper Bottles
Paper bottles can be created from recyclable material. In fact, a company names Ecologic came up with a genius idea to create paper bottles from recyclable materials. The outer shells of these bottles are made from recycled newspaper and cardboard, which hides a thin plastic recycled liner inside. Though these bottles are made from cardboard, they are water-resistant and can stand up to the pressures of a shower.
7. Invest In Sustainable Alternatives
Environmentally-minded businesses have started catching on to the destructive nature of packaging. One such example is Asipga that came up with an easy-to-use solution with its set of three reusable bags. All of these bags are of different sizes and can pack different sort of products in them. Small-sized bags can be a perfect choice to pack smaller items such as jewelry. Likewise, bigger bags can hold clothing items perfectly. If you are using Kraft paper as your packaging solution, then it is excellent too as both of them can be recycled as well. In fact, they are the number one choice for brands to pack and present their products in. Moreover, there are so many other eco-friendly alternatives available for you to choose from including cornstarch packaging, mushroom packaging, seaweed packaging, and even eco-friendly plastics. That is totally up to you which one will you pick.
Final Words
This Christmas try to be as environmentally friendly as possible. All of these ideas mentioned above in this article will not only help you have a positive impact on the environment, but will also help your business grow as well.
