There are very real reasons why we haven’t totally eliminated packaging from products.  Even if we aim for zero packaging or green packaging and declare less is more, there are some products that just need to be wrapped up in one way or another.

Plain ol' banana leaf: the all-natural packaging. Image from packagingdigest.com

Here’s why packaging works:

• It makes products easier to carry (flour and sugar for example)
• It protects products from spoilage and extends shelf-life (consider cookies and chips)
• It prevents breakage (think light bulbs and computer parts)
• It ensures a product’s hygienic quality (especially important for medicines)
• It discourages tampering
• It facilitates transportation
• It makes it easier to arrange and display on store shelves.
• It offers convenience in variation of sizes
• It provides information regarding ingredients and instructions.

And let’s admit it, packaging when done artfully and with maximum visual impact piques consumers’ interest, and eventually translates to brand recognition and hopefully brand loyalty.  Sometimes, packaging can spell the difference between a successful sale and complete disregard.

Some products come excessively packaged though, or even if they are minimally packaged, we just don’t see the reason to.  At your friendly neighborhood hardware for example, hammers, safety razors, screws and bolts, batteries, kitchen sponges, electrical tapes, and many others come packaged for no other reason than to carry the product’s name, and possibly to reassure people that what they’re buying is new.

Some even carry additional tags that have no purpose other than to trumpet the product is new and improved.  More often than not that excess packaging ends up being thrown away.

It’s high time companies think of innovative ways for their products’ green packaging.

1.      Use sustainable, non-toxic materials.  Consider eco-friendly alternatives: soy ink, postconsumer recycled content, non-toxic adhesives, paper fills.  Say no to PVC, Styrofoam, foam peanuts, and new materials.  Dell for instance proudly uses bamboo certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to package and cushion its tablets and laptops.

2.      Go minimalist.  Determine the least amount of packaging your product can get away with, and go with that.  If you can do away with the plastic wrap or redundant cardboard insert, then you’ve done your part in reducing your product’s footprint.  The simpler the better.

3.      Redesign.  Think up of clever solutions to better reduce your product’s carbon footprint:

• Make the packaging stackable for easier transportation
• If you can’t make packaging minimalist, go the other way: make it durable so it can be reused: sturdy tin cans, for example
• Make bottles readily crushable to encourage recycling
• Make packaging that can be repurposed.

4.      Spruce up the label.  Don’t be too wordy.  Say what you have to say about your product, and only what’s necessary and useful for the consumer.  Needless to say, this no frills labeling might just mean less packaging.

No-fuss labels means less paper and less adhesives. And they look spiffy too.

5.      Enlist your packaging company’s help.  Ask your packaging company if they use post-consumer recycled content for their packaging. If not, encourage them to do so.  They might be a little hesitant at first, but if you work out a solution together that’s cost-effective for the both of you and sustainable at the same time, they just might give it a go. If they’re just not open to the idea of a greener alternative to packaging, take your business elsewhere.

6.      Conspire with shops and retailers.  Encourage retailers to refuse to carry and display merchandise unless they’re reasonably, sustainably packaged.  That will send the message to manufacturers to be more eco-aware.

7.      Be creative.  Green packaging doesn’t have to be boring; there’s plenty innovative ways you can wrap your product which combines form and function.  Think from the perspective of the consumer: What can I do with this packaging afterwards? 

Bury the box, plant a tree. Eco packaging by Pangea Organics. Image from igreenspot.com

• Pangea Organics come in “plantable” boxes laden with seeds that people can simply bury in their garden and wait to sprout into a spruce tree.  Nice, right?
• 

  minimalist collapsible shoe boxes by Puma. Image from design-muse.blogspot.com

• 

  Puma shoe box, with reusable bag

• Puma sneakers come in minimalist shoe boxes that use 65{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab} less cardboard, with a reusable bag to go with them.
• 

  Not your usual egg tray. This one cuts down paper use. Image from earthtechling.com

8.     Consider bioplastics. Unlike regular plastics that’s petroleum-based, bioplastic use resin derived from corn.  Bioplastic is biodegradable and comes from a renewable resource.  Bioplastic isn’t totally a green alternative though, just like ethanol isn’t a true green fuel: they use up corn, which eats into everyone’s food supply.

Nokia's Take-Back program

9.     Take it all back.  Ensure your company has a take-back program for your product’s packaging.  Green packaging isn’t just about making sustainable packaging, it’s also about being responsible and involved in the full life cycle of every bit of packaging your product comes in.  Nokia for instance has drop boxes where people can toss in their old cellphone batteries, broken gadgets, and whatnot.  You can even offer incentives to consumers for every used plastic container or bottle returned to the store.

10.     Keep researching.  Be on the lookout for new innovations and trends in green packaging.  Join Sustainable Packaging Coalition.  Attend conferences, ask advice other manufacturers already greening their products, and Google.

11.     Finally, be proud.  Don’t be so modest about your efforts to have green packaging.  Let people know and appreciate.  Declare your product’s eco-friendliness on its label, and inform buyers about your product’s reduced costs/added savings over other excessively-packaged competitors.  More than just simply boasting, this potent declaration should encourage your rivals to green up as well.

These are just some of the ways you can green your product’s packaging.  Don’t wait for your customers or any concerned environmental group to point out your product’s wasteful packaging.  Don’t even wait for policies and guidelines issued by the government.

No doubt you can come up with more ways to achieve that if everyone in your company just put on their thinking hats.