Sustainability has never been higher on both business and political agendas. It is increasingly defining strategies and shaping the way our world plans for the future, with natural resources and the health of our planet now at a critical crossroads.
If we strip things right back, what does sustainability mean? Well, as defined by the United Nations, sustainability is:
“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
With the threat of climate change looming large, pressure has never been greater on individuals and groups to make positive changes and protect future generations wherever possible. The more we delay change, the worse the impact will be for decades to come – and corrugated packaging has a vital role to play in the future world order.
Packaging has been largely plastic based since the years following World War II when as a material, it became more widely produced for commercial purposes. Plastic can be recycled but, despite global efforts to recycle more, a significant amount of the world’s plastic still ends up in landfill sites or discarded in our oceans or green spaces.
Plastic production and disposal also generates roughly 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and the average person in the UK discards 400 kg of waste per year according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) – with plastic making up a significant proportion of this waste.
When businesses adopt corrugated packaging over plastic, they’re adopting a change that will benefit themselves, their supply chain, local communities and the global community. Sustainable packaging supports businesses with achieving environmental targets by significantly reducing their carbon footprint, while making them a more attractive partner for suppliers and customers with shared values.
Corrugated packaging is intrinsically eco-friendly in its makeup. Not only is it made from recycled materials, but it can be recycled again to reduce waste.
It is vital for companies to begin building their strategies around sustainability. Consumer purchasing decisions are becoming increasingly led by the environment, with a growing passion to support brands that are aligned to their way of thinking. It’s not enough to simply talk about being sustainable, or to think of it as a ‘nice thing’ to do. It is a necessary component if businesses want to remain successful. By using resources wisely, brands can build consumer trust and remain ahead of the competition.
With five generations of packaging expertise and a dedicated team of in-house CAD designers, we’re leading the way when it comes to educating brands about the benefit of ditching plastic and switching to corrugated packaging.
As well as supporting the adoption of a more environmentally friendly material, we always assess how we can maximise every inch of board to minimise wastage. Corrugated is a flexible material, so we always consider how products are packaged and how we can save valuable space in transit to further reduce supply chain emissions.
At the same time, some packaging solutions such as shelf-ready packaging can serve multiple purposes – doubling up as a transit box and on-shelf container for products to further reduce our reliance on the production of wasteful solutions.
At Colton Packaging, not only do we produce sustainable solutions for our customers, but our own business model is designed around reducing carbon emissions and being part of a cleaner, greener packaging life cycle. From the installation of solar panels to relying on Tesla storage batteries as a source of power at our Loughborough HQ, we’re passionate about finding new ways in which we can play our part in supporting a more sustainable world.
If you’re searching for a packaging partner with the knowledge to support your own sustainable agenda, then get in touch with our team of experts.
