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There was a time when businesses had to make a choice about how they packaged their products for shipping. Either they focused on maximizing the protection of those goods or they focused on the sustainability of the shipping materials they used. In other words, they either minimized damage to their products or they minimized damage to the environment.
Fortunately, businesses today don’t have to choose, for a few main reasons:
- Packaging from recycled materials. Advances in the development of containers and cushioning from recycled materials means that companies are helping the environment right from the start. Whether a box and foam insert are made entirely from 100% recycled material or a lower percentage, the packaging is still more earth friendly than before.
- Returnable packaging. Even better than recycling is reusing a packaging product again and again. Increasingly, companies are finding that reusable containers are a great way to protect products during shipping and have essentially zero impact on the environment. The container is returned and the company uses it for the next shipment. Not only does this have a positive long-term impact on packaging costs, it can elevate a company’s image with other businesses and consumers who understand the environmental benefit of this approach.
These and other advances enable companies to have the best of both worlds: exceptional protection of their products with minimal impact on the environment.
Leading the Way in Sustainability
Any shift away from the traditional way of doing business has to be led by companies willing to innovate and experiment with new approaches. It’s a significant commitment, especially for a company like ours that offers a wide range of products and services, including:
- Shipping cases
- Point-of-purchase packaging
- Returnable packaging
- Laptop packaging
- Phone packaging
- Electronics packaging
Each of these items has to be evaluated and a plan must be developed for its continued evolution toward greater sustainability. And, of course, new product offerings require new packaging. For example, many stakeholders in the rapidly expanding cannabis industry—from providers to consumers—want the packaging to be sustainable.
The Voluntary Move to Sustainability
One of the most encouraging aspects of the business trend toward sustainability is that while there are a growing number of regulations in this area, many companies are making changes simply because they feel it’s the right thing to do and because packaging suppliers have made it easier than ever to “go green.” At PPS, we’re proud to be part of the movement toward greater sustainability in product packaging.
Collaboration is the key to universal adoption of more earth-friendly practices. That’s why we work closely with our clients to understand their needs and take action to meet them in a way that’s good for their business and good for the environment.