Maximising Economy and Minimising Waste when packaging your products

At current standings, between a quarter and a third of all domestic waste is packaging. Where business waste is concerned, it is also one of the biggest contributors. As a result of this packaging professionals have seen a renewed focus legislative precautions by authorities surrounding waste management within the packaging industry…

Packaging waste isn’t just bad news for the environment. Irresponsible or unsuitably packaged products can also put significant strain on businesses from a monetary position, and companies that are either unable or unwilling to review not just their primary but also their secondary and transit packaging often end up costing themselves money.

Depending on the amount or frequency that it is engaged with, often little thought is put to the design of transit packaging. By spending time understanding more about your packaging processes and exploring the economic and environmental implications on your choices you can ensure the best possible outcome for your business.

The brand image implications of improper packaging

Consumers are fully aware of the environmental implications of unsuitable packaging, and are willing to go the extra mile to call out businesses who ignore these regulations. With social media has come an extra level of brand awareness and it’s not uncommon for consumers to avoid certain producers as a result.

The monetary implications of improper packaging

Improper and unsuitable packaging can also have a multitude of monetary implications for a business. To begin with, there is an issue of adequate protection to contend with. When you do not use the correct packaging products, for example void fill or strapping, your products can be harmed in transit, having a knock on monetary effect. Using too much of the wrong products will also become a substantial economic strain.

UK packaging waste responsibilities

As part of the government's ongoing initiatives surrounding waste management and recycling, there are a number of regulations regarding the responsibilities of businesses that engage with packaging in order to minimise waste and meet recovery and recycling targets, in order to reduce how much goes to landfill and increase the amount that is recovered. For producers who use large quantities of transit and secondary packaging to supply their products the onus lies around ensuring that your solutions do not create excess waste by limiting the amount of packaging product.

Businesses who do not sufficiently meet regulations are required to pay for their excess packaging - this is where smart solutions come in handy.

Your bespoke waste audit

In order to help businesses better contend with these regulations and reduce the amount of money that a business has to give back for the amount of packaging they use, Swiftpak offer a free waste audit service where they will fully audit your current packaging solutions, highlighting any areas that will be of issue and giving suggestions to help combat these. If you are interested in this, please get in touch.