A Very Brief Guide to Sustainable Packaging Materials
The amount of packaging materials people and businesses use every day is enormous. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, containers and packaging make up a major portion of municipal solid waste, contributing to pollution and global warming. One of the ways to reduce the amount of packaging waste you produce is to use recyclable or biodegradable boxes and cushioning materials for shipping.
Corrugated cardboard boxes are the most common packaging option for parcels. They’re both reusable and recyclable, making them eco-friendly and sustainable. Cushioning materials, however, are another story altogether. Some of them, such as shredded paper or corrugated fiberboard, are recyclable, while others (for example, expanded polystyrene foam, commonly referred to by the brand name Styrofoam), are less so. The key to reducing your carbon footprint is to choose the most eco-friendly options available. Luckily, there are many to choose from.
If you’re not an online retailer and need cushioning materials just to occasionally send parcels to your friends and family, you don’t even have to purchase environmentally friendly packaging materials because you probably already have them at home. For example, shredded newspapers and magazines make great cushioning. Besides, they’re both biodegradable and recyclable. And when you receive packages from online shops, keep the boxes for reuse. If a cardboard box is sturdy enough, it can be reused to send a parcel. Just don’t forget to remove or cover any labels and markings that have been left on the box.
Of course, retailers can’t use shredded newspapers as cushioning because most customers won’t appreciate it. Fortunately, there are many recyclable and biodegradable packaging materials they can use instead of plastics that contribute to environmental pollution and harm the wildlife. Paper and cardboard, for example, are still a great option because they are reusable, recyclable and biodegradable. A lot of packaging manufacturers offers eco-friendly packaging and cushioning materials containing a high proportion of recycled paper.
Another sustainable option is packaging peanuts made from bioplastics. The term “bioplastics” refers to plastic materials made from renewable biomass sources, as opposed to traditional fossil-fuel plastics. They can be made from corn starch, cellulose, vegetable fats and oils, recycled food waste, etc. About half of all bioplastics are made from starch because it is abundant, cheap, and easily renewable.
And have you ever heard of mushroom packaging? New-York based biotech company Ecovative Design uses mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms, to grow packaging materials that are 100% biodegradable and can be composted at home. Other possible sources for biodegradable packaging include seaweeds and algae.
And what about bubble wrap, everyone’s favorite stress relief packaging material? Although it’s made from plastic, it definitely isn’t the worst option that you can choose. First of all, it is reusable, so it ticks off at least one of the items on the “reduce, reuse and recycle” list. Second, there are biodegradable alternatives to traditional bubble wrap. For example, the so-called corrugated bubble is an upcycled product made from shredded corrugated cardboard. It is recyclable and compostable.
Being environmentally conscious is easier than it seems. Reusing shipping boxes and switching to reusable, recyclable and/or biodegradable cushioning materials is a small step towards reducing your plastic consumption and carbon footprint. It may not seem like much, but it this situation, every little step matters.
