Consumers in 2022 are conscious of their purchasing behaviors, and they’re on the lookout for eco-friendly products offered by brands that value sustainability. Shrewd businesses understand this digital-native generation’s desire for greater environmental sustainability, and many are now offering green and creative packaging solutions to address that desire.
Let’s explore some of the most eco-friendly and interesting packaging ideas that budding businesses and new entrepreneurs can explore to attract a wider community of environmentally conscious customers.
Minimalist designs
Simple, minimalist designs for packaging aren’t only aesthetically pleasing; they also cut down on material costs, emissions, and storage space.
Minimalism provides a much-needed sense of transparency for consumers who may be skeptical of purchasing new products. Minimalist designs, rather than inundate customers with lots of information, instead offer digestible, easy-to-understand messages about their related products.
Minimalism is essential for ecommerce-based businesses whose products aren’t sitting on shelves in brick-and-mortar retail stores. These businesses should take advantage of minimalist packaging designs to accentuate their product messages and their eco-friendliness.
Plantable packaging
Companies that are set on making their customers feel like they’re included in an environmentally conscious initiative should become familiar with plantable packaging.
As the name implies, plantable packing is a packing type with seeds included in its material. This special kind of packaging lets customers plant it to let it grow, and it’s ideal for products like jewelry and cosmetics.
Plantable packaging as a sustainable type of plant-based packaging also offers a unique option for businesses: edible packaging! We recommend monitoring competitors active in the edibles market for plantable, edible packaging ideas. The edibles market has only a handful of competitors, meaning your business may be able to easily penetrate it with fun packaging options such as plantable tea and chocolate boxes.
Mono-materials
When you think of environmental sustainability and eco-friendliness, the chances are that one of the first words that likely pops into your head is “recyclability.”
The biggest facilitators of recyclability are mono-materials due to how much they contribute to our circular economy. Mono-material (single-material) packaging allows for a simpler recycling process that both suppliers and consumers can enjoy.
Mono-material packaging cuts down on plastic waste that goes into landfills. Plus, products packaged with only a single material indicate to customers that a brand is committed to greater environmental sustainability.
By investing in mono-material packaging, such as one-hundred percent polyethylene-based packaging, you forgo the process of separating materials and subsequently reduce the emissions you generate from product packaging.
Biodegradable packaging
Using packaging made of compostable material is another sure-fire way to signal your eco-friendliness to your consumers.
Imagine a customer of yours checks out your packaging and reads that it’s “compostable;” they immediately know that once they consume your product, the packaging they get rid of will become one with the planet. This assurance that biodegradability offers is the pinnacle of successful environmental sustainability and lends strong credence to your brand’s commitment to green packaging.
And while sustainability is more than about simply following the latest trends in eco-friendliness, it’s worth mentioning that compostability as a trend isn’t going anywhere soon. Brands such as the UK-based retailer Boots have begun doing away with their plastic bags, for example, using pharmacy bags that are completely compostable instead.
Remember to convey sustainability
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s become much harder for retailers to convey sustainability, considering their customers aren’t able to touch and feel their products as often as they once were.
Nevertheless, it’s incumbent on brands with commitments to eco-friendliness to assure their customers that the products they offer are environmentally sustainable. Whether you’re using a company-hosted website or are self-hosting it, it’s important to communicate to your customers via your landing page that your packaging solutions are sustainable. If your customers don’t have an immediate visual impression of how you sustainably package your products, your mission statement will likely fall flat.
Conclusion
Taking steps that are sustainable to guarantee eco-friendly packaging will look different depending on your resources and market. You may end up resonating with your customers through common values or source eco-friendly packaging solutions simply because you want to do what feels right. In any case, remember that your mission to guarantee eco-friendly packaging will inevitably be worthwhile as this digital-native generation continues to stand up for environmental consciousness with their hard-earned money.