As the world experiences more environmental challenges and threats than ever before, environmental awareness is growing rapidly. It will come as no surprise that one of the biggest threats to our ecosystems is packaging, which is responsible for litter pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, injury to wildlife and landfills that are bursting at the seams. In our latest blog, we look at 5 of the best sustainable packaging ideas that you should try in 2022.
Why is sustainable packaging so important?
Single-use and plastic packaging are direct contributors to environmental damage. By shifting towards more sustainable, environmentally friendly packaging you can minimise your carbon footprint and amount of waste, reducing the burden on the environment.
Sustainable packaging ideas:
-
Look for corrugated packaging
-
Switch your fillers
-
Explore recyclable packing tapes
-
Reuse your packaging (or gift it to someone else who will)
-
Think about food packaging
A study by Mastercard last year found that 85% of respondents were willing to adjust their own actions to combat their personal impact on the environment. Are you up for the challenge? Here’s some information to help you make more environmentally friendly packaging choices.
Look for corrugated packaging
Corrugated cardboard is one of the most environmentally friendly types of packaging that you can use. It is usually made from recycled paper, is strong enough to reuse multiple times and is biodegradable. Typically, corrugated cardboard is manufactured without the addition of bleaches or other products which means it contains little to no pollutants.
Switch your fillers
When it comes to packaging, bubble wrap is often the main material used to fill voids and protect the contents inside a box. However, it is notoriously damaging to the environment due to the fact that it is made from plastic and is not biodegradable.
If you need something to pad out a box and protect your items, why not look at using a sustainable alternative such as hive wrap, shredded paper or compostable packing peanuts?
Plastic sticky tapes cannot be recycled, they are well known for contaminating batches of cardboard during the recycling process. There are plenty of options which are far more environmentally friendly such as paper tape which is often made from renewable kraft paper and water-activated tape which only becomes sticky when it is made wet (and often boasts a stronger seal). You can also purchase plant-based tape.
When sorting your waste at home, make sure you remove all traces of sticky tape from any boxes before you send them to be recycled.
Reuse your packaging (or gift it to someone else who will)
Packaging can often be reused in order to store things sustainably. If you have some packaging that you think will come in handy, try and keep a store of it for future use so that you won't need to go and purchase more. Cardboard is also great to reuse for craft activities.
If you’ve recently received or used some packaging that you no longer need, try offering it out to people in the community who may be able to make use of it.
Think about food packaging
It can be easy to pop your sandwiches or leftovers into a plastic food bag or wrap them in cling film, neither of which are environmentally friendly packaging options. If you want to start using sustainable food packaging, look at investing in beeswax wraps, reusable sandwich bags, glass jars and stainless steel containers.
At Make Space Self Storage, we are committed to making changes to ensure our business is environmentally sustainable and responsible. Take a look at our environment strategy to see our goals and what we have achieved so far.