Sustainable Print & Packaging
Every year, about 8 million tonnes worth of plastic wastes escapes into the ocean and coastal areas, causing detrimental effects to wildlife and possibly, us humans (National Geographic, 2019). Our landfills are piling up with waste with close to 80% of plastic wastes produced every year.
With recent global concerns over environmental conservation, large corporations such as Hyatt, Starbucks have since stopped the supply of plastic straws at their restaurants and outlets. Some businesses that have taken up the social responsibility to work towards being environmentally friendly have turned to paper packaging as part of their movement towards sustainable development as a corporation. Uniqlo, a worldwide fashion retailer has recently announced a shift from their retail plastic bags to recycled paper bags certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) (Hara, 2019). Apple, a leading innovator, replaced its polystyrene padding iMac Pro packaging with 100% recycled paper padding.
With companies stepping up their efforts to reduce the use of plastics and its carbon footprint, paper and plant-based packaging are seen as alternatives. Food & Beverage (F&B) giants McDonald’s and Starbucks are spending millions of dollars investing heavily in research and development of an eco-friendly replacement (West, 2019). L’Oréal, one of the world’s largest cosmetics company, is maximizing the use of paper in its packaging. In hope of reducing industrial waste, the company aims at switching to paper packaging (Agrawal, 2018).
What then is sustainable print & packaging? How does one constitute that a product packaging is eco-friendly or to large conglomerates, how can one work towards sustainable development?
Fig 1. FSC Certified Paper (Source taken from fsc.org)
1. Material
Large portions of the plastic products we use today are not biodegradable. Reports have shown that 30% of these are non-recyclable; hence it adds waste to our land and is affecting the ecosystem. A large portion of those goes into the ocean, polluting the waters and damaging wildlife.
Paper, on the other hand, is a much more eco-friendly option, with 90% of these products being recycled in the world today. Working towards zero waste and corporate social responsibility, how can one determine if the paper packaging or printed material is 100% recyclable?
Firstly, one can choose a paper that is approved by FSC or recycled paper. FSC is an international non-profit organization that aims to promote responsible management of forests, i.e. papers made from wood pulp are sourced through an environmentally friendly, socially responsible and economically viable method.
2. Food-Grade ink
The material may be an important source yet one often overlooks the process of producing the packaging. In Octogram Press, we use food-grade ink that is 100% biodegradable and not harmful to the environment even in the process of printing.
Fig 2. Octogram Press’ Printing Ink
3. Post-Production
While it may seem that all printed-paper packaging can be recycled, the finishings (post-production) one chooses to use after printing is equally important. If one were to choose lamination or Spot UV (a plastic-coated material over paper), it might not be 100% recycled. Albeit, it is possible to separate the plastic sheet from paper after disposal, the technology to do so is unavailable in many countries due its high maintenance cost. On the other hand, it is great news to share with all our clients looking to do print marketing; both hot and cold foil stamping products can be recycled (Peterson, 2008).
Sustainable Print & Packaging is the way to go.
In this ever-changing market, how can one stand out from another? Research according to Asia Pulp and Paper, shows that 1 in 3 consumers are more likely to shop with a brand that offers products in sustainable packaging over brands that don’t offer such options (Lifshitz, 2017). While it may be true that FSC paper and other recycled paper or even compostable materials are more expensive than the usual materials, yet the long-term pursuit of sustainability is beneficial to the corporation growth and branding. To meet the demands of the future, one might look to sustainable print & packaging as a means of branding and marketing.
Bibliography
.Hara, Y. (. (n.d.).
Agrawal, N. (2018, October 17). Well-Known Brands Are Moving Towards Paper Packaging. Here’s Why?