How Businesses can Reduce their Carbon Emissions with Packaging
, by Maeve Reidy, 5 min reading time
We know there is a need to lower carbon emissions. And if you’re a responsible business, this should be on your agenda too – but where do you start? Happily, ShredPack may have a solution ...
These days Global Warming, Carbon Emissions and Carbon Footprints are all a Hot Topic (sorry about the pun!) and a recent report from the EPA shows that, scarily, Ireland's emissions are 4.7% higher than they were in 2020.
We know there is a desperate need to lowering carbon emissions. And if you’re a responsible business, this should be on your agenda too – but where do you start? Strategic packaging can help by drastically cutting CO2 consumption.
Tackling carbon emissions
Reducing carbon emissions requires cooperation between every single person, including businesses. In Europe, this effort has been taken seriously. For example, Finland became the first country in the world to implement a carbon tax in 1990, with many nations following suit.
However, climate change is widespread, rapid, and intensifying. With additional measures expected in the next decade, businesses should be taking steps now reduce emissions – and that starts with packaging!
How packaging can reduce emissions
Small changes to packaging and fulfilment strategies can create major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, equating to lower carbon taxes for companies and less impact on the environment.
Protecting your products protects the environment
Consider damages. Replacing and reshipping packages broken in transit results in a huge impact on a company’s carbon footprint. In fact, each damaged product adds an average 18.3 kg of carbon dioxide gas emissions into the atmosphere. Optimised packaging can mean the difference between products arriving safely or needing to be returned. The right protective packaging solution can reduce damages, lower emissions, protect your product and your reputation, all while minimising waste and helping control costs.
High-performing in-box protection like paper, air and foam solutions that cushion impact and minimise product movement are critical. Using automated solutions, like inflatable air systems, such as Bubl Bag allow packers to use just the right amount of material for every pack, resulting in less environmental waste once an item is unboxed.
Choosing environmentally sensitive materials will reduce emissions
The appropriate disposal of packaging waste also plays a part in reducing emissions. So, using materials that are recyclable and made from recycled content are all crucial to reducing land and air pollution. Why not consider using your waste cardboard boxes to create your own shredded cardboard voidfill? Our range of Cardboard Shredders are very affordable; and considering you are using cardboard that you would ordinarily have to pay to be disposed of, they can actually save you money! A number of our customers have also told us that their rates of damaged parcel returns have been dramatically reduced - by up to 70% for one particular customer!
Or perhaps you want to reduce your reliance on bulky plastic bubble wrap? In which case our range of paper voidfill and Activa Wrap are a fantastic eco-friendly choice. With their innovative honeycomb design, you may even find you need less tape to secure your items.
Maybe you are contributing to Carbon Emissions (and reducing your profit margins!) by buying and using customised cardboard boxes. It is sometimes worth being reminded that a customer buys your product because they want your product! They don't buy it for the packaging that they'll be putting in the bin (although there are are some Instagrammers who seem to love the whole unboxing-experience thing!) Wouldn't it be more cost-effective to use sturdy, industrial-grade cardboard boxes that will get your product - undamaged - to your customer?! Shredpack has a large range of once-used Cardboard Boxes that will do just that. We carefully select and sort our boxes so that they have minimal branding and tape. And you may be pleasantly surprised at their price in comparison to brand new boxes!
Strategic packing has a positive knock-on effect on transport
The right packaging materials teamed with strategic packing can also significantly reduce the overall pack size and weight. This has a positive knock-on effect! When parcels are shipped in fewer trips, the amount of carbon generated by vehicles used for transport is reduced too. So, using weight-reducing in-box protection like Bubl®, which is 99% air, is a smart choice. If appropriate for your product, boxes and void-fill can be swapped entirely for bagging solutions, like our Poly Mailing Bags to reduce the dimensional pack weight even more. Our mailing bags are made from up to 80% recycled plastic and can easily be recycled.
ShredPack firmly believes that we can shred the packaging costs to Irish businesses with our carefully chosen range of eco-friendly, sustainable packaging solutions. Check out www.shredpack.ie or contact us to find out how we can help you reduce your carbon emissions with your packaging!
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