If you’ve been in business for a while, chances are that at some point or another you’ve looked into environmentally friendly packaging options. 

1) Eco-friendly Bags

According to a London design studios company, bags tend to take up less space than boxes since they can be compressed together without damaging the product inside. They’re also lightweight and cost-effective because they often don’t require specialized machines to assemble, which makes them easy on the wallet and on the environment. 

An average of 901 plastic bags are used every second across the globe. That’s 71,381 plastic bags used per minute! If cloth bags are hard to find or manufacture or something your customers are not used to, you can consider using biodegradable packaging from CarePac and other companies that produce eco-friendly packages. The transition from traditional plastic bags to eco-friendly ones can sometimes be challenging, but your business can be rewarded by cost savings down the line. 

Also, you have to remember that proper applications of recyclable or biodegradable packages make them effective alternatives for plastics. Use only packages that are best suited for pasta and dried goods, powdered products, nuts, seeds, candies, chips, and cookies. 

2) Earth-Friendly Packaging for Food and Beverage Products

It is no secret that food products are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to non-environmentally friendly packaging. This is due in large part because these products tend to be on the bulkier side. However, many companies today offer eco-friendly alternatives such as biodegradable and recyclable containers and paper packaging instead of plastics or aluminum foil. 

Coffee pods also known as cups represent a small but growing portion of waste generated each year in North America alone with about 9 billion coffee pods ending up in landfills yearly. 

3) Plant-Based Packaging for Food and Beverage Products

Here’s a way to take your environmentally friendly packaging one step further. Biodegradable plant-based packaging is a great option for food and beverage companies because it can be used in most situations without sacrificing the quality of the product inside or adding any unnecessary costs on top of manufacturing. 

Some types of plant-based packaging on the market today include bags made from corn starch, sugarcane, bamboo fiber, and wheat straw fibers, among others. These materials degrade naturally when disposed of in landfills and require no high-pressure processing equipment like many petroleum-derived plastics do. 

4) Recycled Paperboard Product Packaging

If you’re a small business owner, you know how essential recycling is to be an eco-friendly company. Recycled paperboard packaging is another versatile product option on the market today that can be easily sourced from local suppliers and recycled after use. There are several types of recycled paper products available including kraft boards, fiber sacks, and brown boxes. 

5) Reusable Cloth Bags

Cloth bags have been given a bad reputation by our generation as something only grandmas use to carry their groceries around with them. However, cloth shopping bags can be utilized as eco-friendly packaging for many different products and industries. One of the easiest ways to reduce plastic waste is by encouraging customers to bring their own reusable bags to your business when they make their purchases. To encourage this, offer discounts or other incentives for bringing in cloth or paper bags!

6) Custom Reusable Pouches

Pouches are another one of the more popular packaging options that have been around for a while and continue to be used by many different types of businesses today. While they may seem very similar to bags, there is one key difference: pouches often have resealable zippers or tear-proof designs whereas bags typically do not. For a product like tea, coffee, or spices, a pouch can be an ideal choice given their secure sealable functions. 

7) Reusable Jars

One of the best ways to reduce plastic use is by switching from single-use to reusable containers. For your business, this needn’t be limited to jars only – even tea bags and coffee pods can be packaged in reusable tins.             

A great way to encourage customers to reuse jars is by offering attractive discounts. For example, if a jar contains 50g of product, offer 25% off for reusing the same jar!  

After reading this article, it is clear that paper packaging and other eco-friendly packaging innovations are some of the most effective ways to decrease your business’ carbon footprint. By taking all of these things into consideration when choosing environmentally friendly packaging for your business, you’ll be helping reduce your carbon footprint, energy consumption, and waste levels. Not only that but there are so many ways you can go green, it’s amazing! So why not take advantage of these options? You might even get some great ideas that aren’t on this list.