Are you interested in reducing the amount of waste your business produces cutting while your bottom line? Here are our 5 steps to reducing packaging waste for your business:
Start off by going through all of the packaging your business already uses. An example of the Items could look like this:
Once you have a pretty good idea of what you current use is, figure out how much you use on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis.
We understand that if you are shipping out branded products to your customers, you may not want to send them in old amazon boxes.. But in the case of sending out unbranded items or returning items to your suppliers, using recycled boxes are an excellent way to reuse shipping boxes. Another great use for used shipping boxes, is to shred them and use them for protective packaging.
As sustainability has become a number one initiative for many companies (especially in the packaging industry), many of your suppliers most likely have a more eco-friendly option for what you already are purchasing. For example, at ibox we have eco-friendly options for most of our shipping supplies. Did you know that you can order biodegradable packing peanuts?
Evaluating your current packaging with a packaging professional can significantly help reduce waste. Why a packaging professional? A packaging professional can help identify whether or not your current packaging is efficiently designed for your products. They will be able to come up with ways of redesigning your current packaging to reduce waste, improve protection and significantly reduce your overall shipping costs.
Generally the go-to for protective packaging is bubble wrap and packing peanuts. These are both great options but as mentioned before, you can purchase biodegradable versions. Another great option for protective packaging is to use recycled paper, or as mentioned before shredded used cardboard boxes. For some items, packaging designers can develop packaging protective cardboard packaging right into the box.
By implementing some of the items above into your sustainability initiatives we believe that you will notice a massive difference within and outside your business. If you would like a packaging professional to help assess your current packaging, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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