Earth Day: Packaging and Sustainability.
The packaging industry plays a vital role in environmental sustainability. As companies strive to align their practices with eco-conscious values, the choices made in packaging design and materials hold significant weight. Moving away from the use of plastic packaging is proving difficult for most companies. Plastics are essential to building durable, high-performance packaging products, and replicating the defensive properties of plastic required for various shipping environments is not an easy feat. Companies continue to work hard to find the balance between the sustainability of materials used versus the sustainability impacts of having quality packaging. Nonetheless, implementing strategies aimed at reducing waste and embracing alternative materials that have less of an impact on the environment emerges as a critical step towards fostering a more sustainable future.
Crafting Sustainable Solutions: Innovations in Packaging
Across industries, there’s a growing recognition of the need to prioritise sustainability in packaging practices. One notable approach gaining traction involves the adoption of generic packaging designs that cater to various product styles and ranges. This strategic shift not only streamlines packaging processes but also serves as a tangible step towards minimising waste accumulation associated with individualised packaging.
From Concept to Execution: Stepping away from Virgin Plastic
An essential aspect of packaging that is more sustainable lies in the materials utilised. Companies are increasingly turning to alternatives that have less of an impact on the environment that that of traditional packaging materials, such as FSC-certified card and organic cotton strings. These materials not only convey a commitment to environmental stewardship but also offer practical benefits in terms of recyclability and compostability, thus reducing the overall environmental impact of packaging.
Forging Responsible Partnerships: Ethical Sourcing Practices
Collaboration with suppliers who share a commitment to environmental responsibility is instrumental in achieving sustainable packaging goals. Partnering with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified suppliers ensures that packaging materials are sourced from forests managed in a socially, economically, and environmentally responsible manner. This emphasis on responsible forestry practices underscores a dedication to holistic sustainability throughout the supply chain.
Closing the Loop: Addressing Plastic Pollution
The persistent issue of plastic pollution demands urgent action from businesses across sectors. Transitioning to recycled materials, such as LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) polybags made from post-consumer plastic waste, is the first step towards mitigating plastic pollution and reducing reliance on virgin materials. By embracing recycled materials and ensuring recyclability, companies are moving towards achieving a circular economy and contributing to the ongoing fight against plastic pollution.
Collaborative Initiatives: Driving Collective Impact
In the pursuit of better packaging solutions, collaboration and collective action are essential. Embracing initiatives like the UK Plastics Pact demonstrates a commitment to driving positive change at an industry level. By aligning with industry-wide initiatives and sharing best practices, companies amplify their impact and pave the way for widespread adoption of sustainable packaging practices.
A Call to Action for a Sustainable Tomorrow
As the global community faces mounting environmental challenges, the imperative for more environmentally conscious packaging solutions has never been clearer. By embracing innovation, prioritising recycled materials, fostering responsible partnerships, and actively participating in collaborative initiatives, businesses can pave the way for a more sustainable future.
Each decision made in packaging design and materials presents an opportunity to contribute to a better, more environmentally conscious world. At Portwest, these principles are not just ideals, but actionable steps ingrained in our operations.
Portwest champions sustainability by implementing a range of initiatives aimed at reducing waste and embracing recycled and recyclable alternatives. Portwest have adopted universal packaging designs to streamline processes and minimise waste accumulation. Other innovations include the trialling of multipack products as well as the clever use of datasheets as packaging on a number of glove styles, removing plastic packaging completely. Furthermore, our commitment to using FSC-certified card and the use of organic cotton string underscores our dedication to environmental stewardship and responsible sourcing practices.
Through partnerships with suppliers who share our values, particularly those certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, we ensure that our packaging materials come from sustainably managed sources. This collaborative approach extends throughout our supply chain, emphasising our commitment to sustainability.
To address the pressing issue of plastic pollution, we have transitioned to using recycled materials, such as GRS certified LDPE polybags made from post-consumer plastic waste. By embracing recycled materials and ensuring recyclability, we are actively moving closer to a circular economy and combating plastic pollution. Portwest actively participates in industry-wide initiatives like the UK Plastics Pact, demonstrating our commitment to driving positive change and sharing best practices within the industry.
By 2025, Portwest intends to eliminate virgin petroleum sources from our primary packaging in line with UK Plastics pact ambitions, and to have all primary packaging produced using a minimum of 30% recycled content.
