Green Packaging Market Makes Landmark Strides as Top Brands Go the Green Way
In July 2022, Coca-Cola Company’s two leading brands Sprite and DASANI confirmed their plan to cut down their use of plastic packaging. DASANI is expected to roll out new bottles developed using completely recycled PET plastic while Sprite will be making a transition from green to transparent/clear plastic to heighten its likelihood of being recreated into new bottles. The announcement by DASANI is followed by the introduction of recycled plastic bottles in California, Texas, and New York.
The Pack-Track database by GlobalData records a surge of a whopping 170% in sustainable packaging launches between 2017 and 2022. The spectacular rise in innovative and green packaging industry launches worldwide can be seen as a great measure of the growth prospects of the industry in the years ahead.
What Is Green Packaging?
Green packaging or sustainable packaging makes use of materials as well as manufacturing practices that lower energy use and bring down packaging’s harmful effects on the environment. Green packaging solutions generally include recyclable and biodegradable materials in place of materials such as Styrofoam and plastic. Green manufacturing techniques help bring down power output and cut down the level of greenhouse emissions generally produced.
The Sustainability Trend Captures Consumers’ Attention
With unsustainable packaging materials’ surging toxic effects on the environment leading to growing concerns among consumers, the focus is now on adopting sustainable packaging materials. Despite the worldwide health crisis brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak, consumers are still focussed on purchasing sustainably packaged products.
The latest survey pertaining to the evolving views in the COVID-19 era reveals that 26% of consumers consider buying reusable/recyclable packaging, now more so than before the pandemic.
Another survey assessed the impact of COVID-19 on consumer choices. The results showed around 87% of consumers wanted to purchase products with very little packaging while 26% stopped buying certain brands given their unsustainable packaging.
Which Materials are Used for Green Packaging?
The major examples of sustainable packaging materials that naturally decompose include:
Cardboard
Given its sturdiness, cardboard is one of the best alternatives for packaging. Unlaminated cardboard decomposes easily and is therefore considered a great sustainable material for packaging.
Bagasse Paper
It is one of the most rapidly emerging sustainable packaging materials made entirely from juice extracted from sugarcane fibre pulp. Bagasse paper is increasingly being used for replacing conventional packaging materials in food services.
Corn Starch
Packing food products like peanuts and other fragile items uses plant starch material or corn. This packaging material is generally utilized in lieu of unsustainable plastic bubble wrap. Starch-based packing material is fully biodegradable.
Paper
Considered one of the best packaging options, paper is recyclable, biodegradable, reusable, and has a host of crucial applications in diverse industries. The majority of the paper packaging seen today is made of recycled paper.
How Does Packaging Design Come into Play?
Eco-friendly material isn’t the only component that makes for great sustainable packaging, a substantial part of it is design. An appealing design makes the product easily catch the consumers’ attention. Piqued consumer interest means higher sales.
Packaging design is especially vital for brick-and-mortar businesses, given that it shapes the customer’s perspective during the interaction with the product. People seeing and assessing the product are able to form a good first impression on the basis of the look of the packaging.
Branding
An appropriate logo, design, and color palette used in packaging render brand recognition tangible. The packaging must prominently showcase the brand fonts, trademarks, and colors for a bold statement as brand representation. Steady adoption of branding standards as well as guidelines helps bolster recognizable among the audience.
Customer Attraction
An impressive, eye-catching packaging design helps lure in a lot of customers, compelling them to pick the product from the shelf and buy it. The packaging design should be able to hook consumers in and push their curiosity about the brand.
Information
The packaging design is seen as a major tool to give a better understanding of what the product is and also the brand. The packaging should be designed in a manner that gives extensive information to the customers, keeping them abridge the features and ingredients before buying the product.
Utility
Well-thought-out and extensive packaging of the product has its own purpose and function. A functional product packaging not only protects but also simplifies the process of shipping, collecting, and storing. Moreover, if the packaging displays a useful feature or function to the customer, the value of the product considerably rises.
Which Brands are Going Green?
Over 90% of CEOs today consider sustainability a deciding factor for success. With consumer groups consistently publishing studies pushing businesses to take up eco-friendly practices, it’s not a surprise that green marketing strategies have become extremely important.
Companies are now thinking beyond the basics of sustainability and are making a big difference by:
• Creating sustainability-based reports for business transparency.
• Offering sustainable services and products.
• Creating roles such as Chief Sustainability Officer.
The Major Brands are:
Alima Pure
Alima Pure, a renowned natural cosmetic brand makes use of soy-based refillable boxes and palettes as packaging materials for its products. The packaging is made from entirely post-consumer recycled paper.
PVH
PVH, the reputed apparel giant and owner of brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein is now working on achieving its goal of using completely sustainable packaging by 2025. The global company has already made massive strides in obtaining this goal, with 74% of the company packaging now completely recyclable.
Allbirds
Allbirds, a sustainable footwear firm, generally makes use of a single-box solution for packaging. Each shoebox is developed using 90% cardboard and is totally recycled.
Parting Thought
With consumers as well as most brands worldwide turning their attention toward sustainability along with ecological processes, sustainable packaging is touted to remain the top trend in the next several years.
Rini Das as a writer, an avid reader, and a market enthusiast, finds passion in her quest to attain knowledge through her researching skills and creating solid and proof-backed content. With three years of experience in content writing and editing, she has managed to make a noteworthy mark in expanding her scope in all the domains of healthcare, information technology, food and beverage, and packaging.
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