Green Packaging: A Global Switch

The most recent advances in packaging technology have lead to the inevitable: more environmentally friendly packaging. This “green” packaging is aimed at significantly reducing global waste production. Lower costs of production (less amounts of packaging), combined with a more environmentally friendly packaging, has lead to an eclectic range of companies packing their products in a more green manner.

In addition to its environmental and economic benefits, green packaging makes products more appealing to consumers, according to the International Journal of Consumer Studies. Furthermore, MBA Online states that innovation relies on consumer oriented approaches, which the green pursuits are targeting. Consumers prefer packaging they believe is environmentally ethical, creating yet another incentive for companies to invest in green packaging technology.

Internet giant Amazon.com has taken recent steps to reduce its carbon footprint. Its new packaging policy, Frustration Free Packaging, is an attempt to combat overly-cluttered, environmentally-unsound packaging. The Frustration-Free boxes are completely recyclable, and often the boxes double as shipping packages, further eliminating waste associated with packaging items twice.

Frustration-Free packaging has been immensely successful for Amazon, with over 60 percent of product pages viewed being Frustration-Free. In addition, the new packaging resonated with consumers during the shopping process, and Amazon saw 70 percent of their customers leaning towards the new Frustration-Free Packaging.

UPS has also launched its new sustainable packaging service, designed to track packages that are more environmentally friendly. If a package meets UPS’s rigorous standards for responsible packaging, a special label honoring their package is created. This new program draws attention to packaging materials, using a life cycle analysis of primary and secondary packaging. This attempt to draw national attention to sustainable packaging has lead to a major switch to more sustainable packaging.

Apple has been begun incorporating environmentally friendly packaging into its most recent lineup of computers, smartphones, and tablets. Its team of designers and engineering experts actively seeks out ways to slim down packaging to reduce materials and waste. In addition to conserving waste, Apple’s smaller packaging vastly cuts down on the CO2 emissions that are a direct byproduct of its waste.

Procter and Gamble, a major pharmaceutical company, has started making initiatives to form greener packaging for the diverse set of pharmaceuticals it sells and distributes annually. In tandem with Coca-Cola, Procter and Gamble has created the American Institution for Packaging and the Environment, or Ameripen. The group plans on offering its expertise to other companies attempting to create more sustainable packaging.

Coca-Cola has also made several changes in the designs of its bottles to conserve resources. A new PlantBottle packaging has been unveiled, creating bottles out of 22.5 percent renewable plant-based materials. In addition, 25 percent of the bottle will be made out of recycled plastic. Coca-Cola has unveiled billions of such bottles since their introduction, effectively reducing its emissions blueprint and lowering its dependence on fossil fuels.

This switch to more environmentally friendly packaging has resonated across the globe. The environmental benefits, consumer’s preference for green packaging, reduction on fossil fuels, and economical advantages have lead to a rapid increase in the incorporation of green packaging into products.