Some companies are worried about making their packaging greener because of higher costs. However, going green will frequently lead to savings. As a bonus, environmentally friendly packaging will attract new customers to your product, boosting your sales in addition to the savings you get from the actual changes you make.
Custom Boxes with Printed-On Labels
Instead of printing a label that you then attach to your packaging, opt for customized boxes that come with those labels already printed into place. This is a green practice thanks to the fact that you don’t have to use an additional piece of paper on every single box. Custom packaging is surprisingly affordable, and the lack of a separate label can save your bottom line.
Choose a Box of the Right Size
Take a look at your packaging dimensions and your product to see if you are using the right size. If you settle for a box that fits your product but is too large, you will be wasting money and material. Find packaging that is the perfect size, even it means customization, and you will save money by only paying for the materials you actually need. This will also help the planet by reducing the materials used, thereby minimizing the environmental impact of producing the packaging and the number of boxes that have to be processed for recycling.
Green Packaging Materials
Although not always the case, many green packaging materials, such as cushioning and the cardboard itself, will be more affordable. If something is made from recycled materials, it will obviously help the planet, but this also reduces the cost of production since materials do not always need to be made from scratch. That reduced production cost passes onto you, the consumer who uses the packaging materials, saving you money when you buy them. At the very least, you should be able to find environmentally friendly packaging materials at a similar price point to the ones you currently use. Even if they don’t save you money directly, remember that if potential clients know you use green materials, they are more likely to become customers.
Reduce Layering
Many packages have multiple layers, such as bubble wrap, foam, or cardboard. You might include these with the goal of protecting your product, but this does not always work toward your goal. In fact, it is very likely that a single thick layer will be just as effective at protecting the item within. Compared to several small layers, one thick layer will typically have a smaller impact on the planet and cost less, since it involves a single manufacturing process instead of several.
Make It Recyclable
In addition to using recycled materials to produce your packaging, try making the packaging itself recyclable. This will help the planet and attract new clients, which improves your profits even if it doesn’t save you money directly. Depending on your facilities and resources, you can even try offering clients somewhere to bring their old containers for recycling, which would give you the recyclable materials to do what you want with, including selling them to a recycling company. Of course, this last option might not be feasible for every company, but you should at the very least be able to make the packaging recyclable.
