One of the most common packaging-related topics our clients ask about is sustainable packaging options, especially for secondary packaging.
We live in a time when environmental responsibility is demanded by a majority of consumers, there’s regulatory pressure to reduce plastic waste, and operating with more sustainable measures makes good business and ethical sense for companies.
Many of our clients want to use more environmentally friendly packaging for their products, and suppliers like us are actively looking for ways to make packaging more sustainable.
What is secondary packaging?
Unlike primary packaging, which directly touches the product (like a bottle of milk, a tube of toothpaste or a plastic blister pack holding pills), secondary packaging is typically the additional layer of packaging that surrounds individual products. It can further protect its contents, makes handling of bulk goods more efficient, and often includes branding elements.
Secondary packaging takes different forms. In food packaging, for example, secondary packaging can include corrugated display boxes, cardboard cereal boxes and paper/plastic sleeves that surround microwavable/frozen meal trays and display nutritional information. Pharmaceutical secondary packaging can include paperboard cartons that hold and protect plastic pill blister packaging.
Traditional secondary packaging is often made of petroleum-based plastic, virgin paper stocks (made from new wood pulp) or a combination of both. It can require significant amounts of energy and natural resources to produce, and is often not easily recyclable or reusable.
Understanding sustainable packaging options
Eco-friendly secondary packaging aims to minimise environmental impact throughout its lifecycle. This includes the materials it’s made from, the manufacturing processes used to make it, how easily it can be transported, and how it’s disposed of when consumers are done with it.
These days, demand for eco-friendly options has driven innovation and resulted in many green packaging alternatives to traditional secondary packaging.
Paper and cardboard
Paper and cardboard fibre-based packaging stand out for their renewable nature and recyclability—and it’s our specialty at Rawson Print & Packaging. We offer 100% recycled, partially recycled and environmentally sustainable board packaging options including FSC® certified substrates sourced from sustainably managed forests.
Paper-based packaging is cost-effective, easy to print on, quick to turn around, and can be used to create a range of packaging designs from boxes and sleeves to labels, inserts, wrapping and more.
Fast-growing organics
Bamboo and mycelium (from mushrooms) are fast-growing and biodegradable sources of packaging material, including paper, fabric and styrofoam replacements. Cornstarch is another popular alternative to traditional styrofoam packaging (such as packing peanuts and takeaway containers). It’s easy to shape and breaks down with water, making disposal easy.
Bioplastics
Bioplastics are made from organic sources such as vegetable oils, food waste and woodchips. Unlike traditional petroleum-based plastics, they’re biodegradable.
Environmental benefits of green packaging alternatives
Sustainable secondary packaging offers a host of benefits aimed at reducing environmental impact.
Using renewable materials
Sourcing materials from rapidly renewable resources such as responsibly managed forests helps ensure resources are harvested in a sustainable manner that maintains them for future generations.
Plastic-free packaging solutions
While plastic is often important in primary packaging, secondary packaging doesn’t necessarily need to contain plastic. Plastic-free packaging solutions can include coatings that are water, wax or clay-based for water resistance, and eco-friendly adhesive tapes made from biodegradable and/or recycled paper.
Recyclable packaging options
When considering the most important factors Australian consumers associate with sustainability, 69% identified recyclable packaging options and 55% said biodegradable elements. Using packaging materials that can be easily recycled into new products helps reduce the reliance on new materials and natural resources.
Biodegradable and compostable
Many of the packaging options made from organic materials can break down naturally without leaving harmful residues in the environment and reduce how much landfill space we need.
Manufacturing efficiency and lower carbon footprint
Packaging that requires fewer resources and energy to produce and transport helps reduce emissions and the environmental footprint of its production.
Other benefits of environmentally friendly packaging
Consumer demand
82% of Australians value sustainable packaging, and 55% of consumers are willing to pay more when products are wrapped in eco-friendly packaging. Simply put: many consumers factor sustainability into purchasing decisions.
Stand out on the shelf
Being able to spruik your environmental credentials on your packaging can make your product stand out from competitors.
Budget
Sustainable packaging is becoming cheaper to manufacture, which means suppliers can pass these savings onto their clients, and in turn, to consumers.
Working with sustainable packaging suppliers in Australia
At Rawson Print & Packaging we’re proud to be a leader in the growing market for sustainable packaging suppliers in Australia.
When you’re considering how to improve the sustainability credentials of your packaging, we’ll help you address a few key steps:
- Material selection: Assess the lifecycle impact of packaging materials and opt for those with lower environmental footprints.
- Design efficiency: Minimise packaging size and weight to reduce material usage and transportation emissions.
- Supplier engagement: Partner with a certified supplier that prioritises sustainability and offers certified eco-friendly packaging solutions.
We’ve built our business around four pillars of sustainability—human, social, economic and environmental—which guide everything we do.
Combined with implementing more sustainable printing processes, we’ve worked hard to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of our operations across the entire supply chain.
We offer many options for plastic-free, fibre-based, folding carton packaging, and water-based (instead of plastic) coatings, and eco-cello and compostable cello coatings. And it’s all manufactured in our closed-loop manufacturing facility, which is optimised to reduce energy consumption, reuse or recycle waste byproducts, and remove the need for harmful chemicals.
Sustainability isn’t secondary when it comes to secondary packaging
When you’re planning your next secondary packaging job, embrace the many alternatives to traditional secondary packaging and work with a supplier with sustainable packaging expertise and production processes.
Your business will not only enhance its brand reputation and meet the demands of environmentally conscious consumers, but contribute to reducing environmental impacts for future generations—and that’s something we all benefit from.