15 eco-friendly packaging for small business units (9 tips)

In this article, we are about to discuss 15 eco-friendly packaging for small business units. If you are a small business and are in search of cost-friendly yet creative packaging materials, refer to this blog.

79% of consumers are shifting their purchase preferences and moving towards environmentally friendly goals, making every attempt to decrease the environment’s load.

65% are actively and vigorously coming out and choosing natural goods and items. Everyone is trying to prevent the earth from getting overloaded by nothing but plastics, garbage, and sewage.

86% of the 15,000 European consumers surveyed agreed to pay more to make the switch to sustainable packaging options.

Some data will bring you back to reading this article as we begin.

1. Every human on this planet ends up using 69 kg to 221 kg of plastic waste.
2. Globally recycled plastic still amounts to only 9%.
3. Mismanaged plastic waste is 22%.

Countries with the highest mismanaged plastic	Amount in %
Africa other than North Africa	64%
India	46%
Eurasia others	40%
Other non-OECD Asia	45%
Latin America	42%
Middle East and North Africa	40%

There is a lot of scope, with those countries having the highest mismanaged plastic waste. Putting these waste plastics to good use is a way to re-beautify the world and prevent it from becoming a sewage dump for humans.

Countries that have most decently organized their plastic waste include:

Countries with the least mismanaged plastic	Amount in %
OECD Asia	2%
United States	4%
OECD EU countries	5%
OECD Oceania	7%
Canada	7%
Other OECD Europe	8%

It means all of it can be recycled to produce something more meaningful, something that will be put to good use by humans. In an attempt to understand what works best, we are putting together a list of 15 eco-friendly packaging for small business units.

Use recycled plastic to generate what can work better for humans rather than leaving them in dumpsters and uninhabited areas. Knowing how seriously we have unbalanced our earth’s ecosystem and how deeply wounded our seas are, it is time to rise and shine in the other direction.

Use what is thrown away and you could in another 100 years be living in a world that is greener, healthier, and fertile. Lead your generations to a better future!

What are eco-friendly packaging materials?

When you use materials for packaging that do not add to the burden of this world’s dump yard, you are using what is known as green packaging options. The Revised Green Guides by the Federal Trade Commerce say, businesses should not only use eco-friendly packaging but should also explain what makes them fall under this category. Using eco-friendly packaging in the right way is possible only when users know the best way to dispose of it. They should not be contaminating anything else and must be eco-efficient as well as sustainable.

A report by the Global Footprint Network shows we are using the resources of 1.75 Earths instead of one. Consumption is more than production and it is costing us heavily, as we know!

According to the United Nations, when the Earth reaches 2050, our population will stand at 9.3 billion, equivalent to three Earths. Resources need to be manipulated, mechanized, and recycled to reduce waste and improve the planet’s ability to hold fast the human population.

The packaging industry uses almost 40% of the 353 million tons, which is approximately 141.2 million tons.

Some examples would include cardboard, plant-based materials, recycled plastics and paper, peanut packings, among many others.

Next, we must understand why using them could benefit small businesses.

Why should they be used by small businesses is essential to know.

There are several benefits of implementing eco-friendly packaging by business owners.

1.      Improve brand perception

Eco-friendly packaging for small business units increases your creative meter and metrics. Your brand gets known not just for your products but also for the care you take to package them. People love to be handled with care, and care is the most instantaneous USP you can bring to any table. Your goods and your brand perception can change in no time.

Just watch the way Amazon is changing its packaging with every passing day. Sometimes, I just collect and keep these cardboard boxes, shelving them for future use. They are taking great care with what they use to stuff their products.

2.      Expand sales options

People are attracted to their brand when you personally talk to them in some way or another. A customer can come back to you again and again if they find a personalized touch that they can’t ignore.

3.      Small businesses can save money using these kinds of packaging options

You can save a lot of money by choosing effective, eco-friendly packaging options. All you need to do is switch to a kind you like, check its supplies, and ensure you can go on with the packaging option for a long time.

4.      Add to your company’s creativity

Creativity counts in every sector, and when your individuality and creativity take precedence, your originality can make people flock to your site.

Let’s jump to the next segment, where we will provide you with a few options for different industries. The sky is the limit, but you can begin by choosing our options.

15 Eco-friendly packaging for small business units

1.      Eco-friendly food packaging

Eco-friendly packaging for small business units in the food industry could be made of glass, biodegradable, and compostable packaging materials.

• Glass is recyclable, reusable, durable, easy to clean, transportable, and minimizes the environmental impact heavily.

• Bioplastics, cellulose, mushroom mycelium, bagasse, and seaweeds are some plant-based products that can be made into food packaging products. Most of them are thrown away as waste and are easily decomposable, recyclable, resistant, environmentally friendly, and sustainable.

• Metal for food packaging is another alternative. Metal waste and recycling account for US$271780 million, and by 2029, they will go up to US$390680 million. During the forecasted five-year period, the CAGR will amount to 5.3%. You can imagine how much metal waste is on our planet from the above data, and the good news is that metal scrap is not wasted as much as plastic.

Aluminium scrap recycling to generate virgin aluminium amounts to only 5% of energy use. It means there can be 95% energy savings. It is a great way to get things right. Using aluminium food packaging can thereby reduce the cost of packaging easily. Recyclable, resistant, and strong these could support food transport across different kinds of conveyances.

• Seaweed packaging is a wonderful option. You can eat them, dissolve them, or throw them away to decompose. The packaging material has a shelf life of two years and can be printed, branded, and colored. Packing noodles, cereals, single-serving coffee powder, milk powder, and even burger wraps are some of the best ways to use these.

Image credit: Evoware; Material district

2.      Sustainable jewelry packaging

There is sustainable jewelry packaging techniques already being used by different jewelers across different countries. Eco-friendly packaging for small business units in the jewelry industry prefers cloth, plastic (hard and soft), and Kraft paper materials. The entire packaging industry has gained a huge boost through the use of waste product recycling.

• Cotton made drawstring bags have caught the interest of jewelers’ long back. A lot of cloth waste generated by the fashion industry and tailors all around is being stitched and sewed into different items. In this way, a lot is getting regenerated every day preventing fabric waste from reaching the dump yards to a large extent.

• Plastic and recycled paper packaging is also great options for jewelry sold in stores. But they can’t be used to transport jewelry through states and countries.

• Kraft paper or brown paper boxes can be used to create jewelry boxes. These, with cushioning, can travel long distances.

3.      Eco-friendly cosmetic packaging

Cosmetic packaging is mostly made of recycled and fresh-made plastic. Those who wish to find out what else can be used as effective packaging materials will have to browse through this segment. Eco-friendly packaging for small business units in the jewelry industry would include natural products like bamboo and cornstarch packaging. The plastic industry is costlier than natural and recycled industries, and as small businesses, one can reduce their production prices through the use of alternate packaging options.

• Bamboo packaging material is turning out to be a cornerstone product for the cosmetic industry.

There are a few essential facts that contribute to its wholesomeness:

1. No insecticide or pesticide is used for growing bamboo.
2. Different kinds of species are available.
3. It provides a lightweight packaging option.
4. They make a very durable product when it comes to containing and transporting cosmetics.
5. External bamboo jars coated with glass or acrylic as the inner coating are wonderful containers for cosmetics.
6. They can also be used for screen printing, hot stamping, and engraving.

• Cornstarch packaging perfectly alternates plastic. A more organic and eco-friendly way of packing cosmetics comes from the use of cornstarch. They are made of poly-lactic acid (PLA) and are derived from cornstarch or sugarcane. Supply chain constraints exist around them; however, there are chances to produce more of them through different means.

Biodegradable, recyclable, non-toxic and emission free the cosmetic industry is incorporating it as a suitable alternative to plastic.

• Beeswax packaging is also serving as an invaluable alternative for the cosmetic industry. Containing beeswax, jojoba, coconut oil, and their essence is captured in the cotton coating. Beeswax is eco-friendly, affordable, anti-bacterial, and serves to provide protection and durability.

4.      Sustainable product packaging

Plant-based packaging is a kind where every type of system or microsystem is used for packaging material production. Once you unpack your goods, these packaging solutions can be degraded without having to worry about their aftereffects..

• The mycelium of the fungus and the foam equivalent to the polystyrene foam are stronger and more durable. They give birth to breathable, resilient, hydrophobic, and flame-resistant materials. Once you have the package, grow the mushrooms in your backyard.

• Rice husk is a by-product of rice production. Our world has some of the largest rice producers in the world, and rice husk is found abundantly. It has been found that rice husk is not just an eco-friendly alternative; it is also high in its bio-adsorbent properties. When used as an alternative to styrene, it can prevent pollution from passing through systems by trapping or absorbing it.

Check out the rice husk packaging of AORUS X17 gaming laptops!

• Bio-based plastics and bioplastics are confusing terms, and to laymen, they might sound like a single term. But the terms are used to quantify plastics on the basis of their sources.

Bioplastics refer to plastics manufactured completely or partially from biomass.

Biodegradable plastics are primarily bio sourced and biodegradable at the same time.

Examples of bio-based plastics are PE, PET, and PA.

Bioplastics cover PLA, PBS, PHBV, PBAT, and PCL.

5.      Eco-friendly gift wrap

To make your gift wraps innovative, we can try something new. I remember that gift wraps used to be my favorite papers, and their deep, rich colors enticed me more and more. But then I realized some of them were plastic and non-biodegradable, and despite my desire to have them with me, I knew I would bring harm to the environment if I had them more and more.

I have slowly shifted to gift wraps that are completely biodegradable, and I am fine; they are sometimes duller than their non-biodegradable versions.

• Seed paper is an example where the seeds are embedded in recycled paper. If and when you plant the seed in a hydroponic substrate or in the soil, the seeds will germinate and grow into the soil. Seeds in paper are one of the most eco-friendly packaging materials for small business units. When you sow these seed papers, nothing can change the way we feel.

The excitement lasts longer when the seed sprouts into a plant.

Seeing a living thing take life and form is a joy in itself that just does not come from your child but from everything that takes birth around you.

Image credit: Botanical Paperwork

• Shirt packaging boxes can be changed into coat hangers and have a Google patent on them.

The rectangular box is unfolded, and the two opposite side and end plates are attached to a bottom plate. In this way, by slowly arranging it appropriately, the packaging box soon becomes a coat hanger. Use once and then use twice and you won’t be disappointed by the results. One of the most innovative packaging and gift wrapping technology is on the way and we would soon get to have more of them. It could be an attractive eco-friendly packaging for small business units and can serve better.

Sources of eco-friendly packaging materials

Most of the sources of biopackaging come from our normal resources, which include our everyday waste.

1. Bagasse from sugarcane
2. Mushroom mycelium
3. Recycled plastics and paper
4. Brown paper recycled
5. Beeswax

All these sources, or at least most of them, are biodegradable waste that is used for no other purpose. Refurbishing and repurposing waste is becoming a booming business at a time when waste is rapidly filling the earth.

There is an adage that says that in the days of war, start selling guns and hammers, and you’ll be rich even in dark times.

In this age of dimness when waste is procuring more land and is being used for landfills and in numerous other ways, packaging it could be productive. It could be the birth of an industrial sector that can become the backbone of creativity and growth.

In this way, we could also reuse what we waste and prevent the earth from getting choked under the load of our waste. Even better: preventing ourselves from sinking in our own waste!

Is eco-friendly packaging for small business units a cost-effective way?

The waste management industry has still not found its wings. The waste cannot be left, and the waste is not yet welcomed by all. Thus, even though innovative means and sources are taking birth every day, the industry is still not becoming a brand that sells at huge prices.

Not just its lack of acceptability, there is also an abundance of raw materials. Thus, the eco-friendly packaging materials cannot be priced very high.

The third reason for the lower prices of these products is due to the ill-organized nature of the industries. Organization of the industry is a must before charges can increase.

But, as this process molds in the right way, we get to see small businesses benefiting hugely from it. They are becoming much more cost-effective wrapping methods, and every new jeweler, designer, and small-scale food and gift industry is benefiting extensively from creative packaging option priced at a price that does not outgrow their pockets or stretch them by any means.

9 tips for eco-friendly packaging for small business units

Here are some tips from us on how to try eco-friendly packaging as a small business unit for your customers.

1. Offer carbon neutral packaging for your customers.
2. Do not ship products singly but try shipping your products in bulk
3. Alongwith carbon neutral packaging, try sustainable packaging.
4. Ask your customers to return the packages to you after extracting their products.
5. Try recycling even for your suppliers.
6. Attempt transporting shipping-friendly items.
7. Use wholesalers instead of trying shipping for individual items.
8. Try more compact packaging options to prevent better waste management.
9. Start using compostable mailer options that decompose on their own.

Conclusion

Eco-friendly packaging for small business owners is one of the best ways to go ahead with their creative world. Packaging structures that were increasingly being used are changing over time. Moreand more people agree to accept and embrace the change. The good news is that people are aware that there will be a positive change if they choose the right living ways and means.

Through this list, we tried segregating packaging options according to industries. The good part though, about eco-friendly and sustainable packaging is that they are not typically bound to a single industry type. There are many research projects underway where Google has a patent, and others are trying to create durable packaging for edible seaweeds. The next decade will see huge plummeted growth in this particular direction.