Conventional packaging materials are significant contributors to environmentally harmful landfill waste all over the world. As a business, storing and transporting your products in secure packaging materials is essential—but at what cost?
Plastic packaging can take over 1,000 years to degrade (if it can degrade at all naturally). Plus, when it breaks down, it leaches chemicals and microplastics into the soil, polluting the ground around it. It also comprises a vast percentage of non-reusable materials that worsen the state of air quality, water quality, and global emissions rates.
So, what can companies that want to be more environmentally responsible do to keep turning a profit while still providing robust, quality packaging for fragile items?
The answer is simple.
They need to start using fragile packaging materials that are 100% sustainable, high quality, and good for the planet.
As the corporate world becomes more eco-conscious, the brands that adopt these sustainable solutions will survive and thrive.
Sustainable Solutions For Fragile Packaging Materials
When it comes to fragile and easily breakable products, solid packaging that you can rely on and won’t cause damage is crucial.
But that doesn’t mean you have to use non-recyclable plastic or acid-washed cardboard. Other excellent packaging options are readily available, made of a wide range of materials from cassava starch to shellfish waste.
Here’s a list of sustainable but sturdy packaging solutions that suit a variety of products:
1. Compostable packaging
When it comes to eco-friendly product packaging, compostables are first prize. You can’t go wrong with packaging that naturally and quickly degrades into the earth, can be reused, or can be tossed in your curbside recycling for another useful life. Cruz Foam is producing packaging options with exactly this purpose in mind.
One of the many great points of Cruz Foam’s packaging is that it can be made in a wide range of shapes and structures. Regardless of whether you need packaging for glassware, such as wine bottles, or small pharmaceutical glass packaging, there’s an option for you.
Cruz Foam makes sturdy curbside recyclable envelopes, foam wraps, and insulated boxes. Additionally, Cruz Foam provides compostable block-and-brace style cushioned units for extra fragile wares.
2. Biodegradable packing peanuts
If your products require cushioning with packing peanuts, you’re in luck because they have one of the most readily biodegradable alternatives. You can find these biodegradable little puffs quite easily, and many of them are made from natural substances such as wheat or corn.
3. Cassava starch packaging
Natural cassava starch makes a great biodegradable alternative to plastic wrap. If you’re tightly wrapping up a lot of products to prevent them from jostling around, you can end up with a very high plastic consumption rate. But not if you use alternatives like cassava.
Cassava is a tuberous root vegetable whose starchy texture can be dried out and turned into surprisingly durable “plastic.” The best part? It dissolves in water.
4. Corrugated cardboard bubble wrap
Bubble wrap is a prevalent packaging product that keeps fragile objects safe during transit. But not only is most bubble wrap made from plastic, but it is also extremely difficult to recycle, resulting in immense amounts accumulating in landfills.
Fortunately, alternatives are becoming available, such as corrugated cardboard bubble wrap. Instead of little plastic bubbles, companies are using hard, fan-folded recycled cardboard to wrap around fragile products that create safe pockets of air for protection.
Best Practices For Packaging Fragile Items | Fragile Box Packaging: What Your Company Can Do
In addition to switching to sustainable packaging solutions, there are a few other actions your company can take to alleviate the strain of plastic materials on the environment and contribute to a healthier, happier planet—and economy—for everyone.
Adopting some best practices for both fragile box packaging and general awareness around sustainable alternatives can make your business more appealing to the public while moving a big step closer to a plastic-free planet.
1. Educate staff
One of the main reasons why sustainable packaging for fragile items has taken so long to catch on is the lack of education around this subject.
People aren’t sure about the effectiveness of compostable alternatives, so they stick with what they know. But through educating your staff (and your consumers) on the invaluable benefits of using plastic-free packaging and sustainable glassware packaging boxes, you can help the whole world move forward.
2. Understand your CSR requirements
All businesses should make an effort to comply with their respective Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) requirements.
CSR compliance regulations exist to ensure that your business is not only synchronized with current environmental standards and goals but also factors in social regulations such as diversity and inclusion. Complying with them keeps your business in check and makes sure you can stick around for the long haul.
In certain geographical regions, the presence of limited concrete CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) regulations provides a unique opening to embrace voluntary benchmarks and enhance your own company's CSR initiatives. Engaging in actions such as pledging to attain specific levels of gender diversity, establishing science-based targets, and incorporating employee volunteer days all present excellent avenues to surpass the basic requirements for the betterment of your company, your workforce, and the environment.
If there’s a way to adapt your packaging and supply chain system to accommodate better environmental responsibility, it will help strengthen and elevate your annual CSR report.
3. Keep up with the latest trends
Whether you need sustainable solutions for glassware packaging or glass cosmetic packaging, there are ways to work around the level of environmental hardship we are facing today. One of them is by following the news and keeping up with the latest sustainability trends.
Stay in the loop with new sustainability initiatives and the latest carbon-minimal packaging technology so that you never miss out on an opportunity to make your supply chain more environmentally conscious.
The Bottom Line
Naturally, companies around the world will prioritize the protection of their products during distribution and transportation. But we no longer need to rely on toxic packaging to perform this service. Innovative, nature-inspired technology has spurred the development of new solutions.
Cruz Foam is a leading brand of sustainable packaging alternatives that specializes in creating durable, strong, and completely biodegradable and recyclable packaging products for companies to use while storing, transporting, or delivering their goods.
Cruz Foam’s diverse range of packaging solutions means that your business can offer its consumers the level of sustainability they want without compromising on style or quality.
It’s no longer necessary for brands to default to plastic for their packaging needs. A new era of eco-friendly solutions has arrived. Cruz Foam is the beginning of an industry transformation that proves we can prioritize both excellence and sustainability at the same time.
Contact Cruz Foam to find out more about what you can do for the environment while achieving your business goals.