Retail Packaging and Environment: Not an Easy Affair

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Retailers are aware of the environmental concerns caused by packaging. However, eliminating plastic is not the total solution.

In a recent survey, 71.4% of consumers said that they want food and grocery retailers to be more eco-friendly. In other words, today’s customers are more aware of environmental concerns and want shops and businesses to reduce their impact.

The ever-increasing environment awareness among consumers has prompted many major retailers to reduce plastic usage. Some retail stores are using paper bags for loose fruit and veggies while some are using recyclable plastic packaging. 

Is “zero plastic” possible?

While most retailers are thinking about eliminating plastic packaging, it may not be feasible for them unless a powerful alternative is discovered. Plastic perhaps makes up most of the waste that goes into the ocean or dumped into landfills every year. However, the target of “zero plastic” isn’t realistic. Plastic is counted among the most flexible and durable packaging ideal for storing and transportation. Besides, it is great for branding.

However, it is worth to mention that many major brands like Nestlé, Unilever, The Body Shop, Procter and Gamble and PepsiCo have announced a reusable and refillable packaging model. Walmart has also announced that it is looking to reduce the packaging waste generated by its private labels with the goals of achieving 100% recyclable or compostable packaging for its private brands by 2025.

Some companies are launching their products without packaging. For example, Lush, a skincare brand, has launched Lush Naked Shops where they sell packaging-free products like shops. This new packaging concept has been termed as “Nude” packaging.

Humankind has gone one step further as they refill the products like deodorant, shampoo, and mouthwash of their customer once they are emptied. It means that customers have to buy those plastic packaging or container one time. This way, the company is minimizing the use of plastic.

Eliminating Plastic Only Can’t Serve the Purpose

It’s not only the plastic that impacts the environment. A better way to consider the environmental impact of materials is to look at the entire system, from manufacturing, transportation to warehousing.

For example, many companies want to use glass as a potential substitute, but the product also leaves a carbon footprint. The glass manufacturing process involves the furnaces being fired with fossil fuels, consuming more energy than the energy being consumed by the plastic. Then, when a glass is transported, it’s heavy, which simply means that it impacts the environment.

Glass isn’t an evil product, either. Both plastic and glass materials are important.

The Case is More Complicated at E-Commerce Store:

The packaging seems to be an inseparable part of eCommerce. While a customer can decide on packaging while shopping at a physical store, online shoppers don’t see packaging. They instead get a view of the final product and make their buying decision.

 

In an e-commerce scenario, the role of the packaging in encouraging the customers to buy the product is not nearly as important. The role of packaging is to protect the product from damages during shipping.

 

Here Amazon deserves a pat on their back. The e-commerce company is trying to ship the products on its inventory in more streamlined packaging. Amazon has started shipping in recyclable boxes that are easy to option and free of excess materials like hard plastic clamshell cases, wire ties and plastic bindings. It eats up less space in shipping containers and boxes, making shipping more efficient. It translates into the reduction in the consumption of greenhouse gases and fuels.

 Bottom Line:

To conclude, eliminating plastic from retail packaging is not an easy goal. However, consumers can play a big role in this scenario. For example, the can reuse or re purpose the plastic packaging they get.

 

 

Essential Tips To Select the Right Retail Bags for Your Business!

For every business, it is important to differentiate from the competitors. And all the difference you make depends on your marketing plan…

“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.”

But, nowadays it is no more constrained to the products and services. There are several other factors influencing. Hence, in order to standout in the competitive market place, it is vital to think and implement some innovative ways. You need to think out of the box to make your target market buy from you.

Tips To Select the Right Retail Bags for Your Business

Choosing the right type of retail bags can be a crucial decision for your business. There are number of factors to be considered including the type of material used, cost, durability, etc. Let’s help you to select the one which best suit the needs of you customers. Here are some tips to consider:

  • You need to be very careful while choosing retail packaging stuff if you are into animal feeds and food supply. Make sure you get the correct grade of bag so that the content is suitable for the animal or human consumption.
  • Are you into sand or gravel business? Then you need to ensure that you pick the builders bags. These offer highest durability and are resistant to wears and tears.
  • For the retail environment businesses, who wish to reduce the use of plastic bags, paper packaging would be better. This will be more beneficial option for both, you and your customers.
  • If you have been using paper bags for long and now want to replace them with something more durable, high quality plastic bags can be chosen.
  • Other thing to be noted is to get your bags customized. You can simply get the bag printed with your logo and contact details. Let the people know you, where to contact you, and so on. You’ll get plenty of free advertising.
  • If you are working in a location where there’s risk of flooding, i.e. for emergency services, sandbags are the perfect solution. Hence, if you live near a canal or river, these help you rest assured that you’re protected.
  • If you are chemical manufacturer or distributor, you can pick up the packing stuff which holds chemicals and avoid contamination and spillage.
  • Looking for a great alternative to wheeled bins, recycling bags will be the right choice. It will simple make sorting out and collecting recyclable items easy for you.
  • Go for reusable bags. This helps you reduce your costs and it is nice way to make your customers reuse the same bags, and put their contribution in saving environment.

Being an entrepreneur, it is important to understand the basic needs of your consumers. Moreover, you must keep an eye of the ongoing trend in the industry. For many businesses owners, shopping bags can as a simple object used by the customers to carry all the purchases. But for an intelligent business man, it is a tool to attract more customers and form brand awareness in the market. Hence, make a smart decision, and choose the retail bags wisely.