The environmental impact of packaging is closely related to the following factors the material used the intended use, the specific requirements of customers, and whether you can properly recycle or reuse it. In addition, the production or packaging requires raw materials and energy. Therefore, transporting and recycling packaging also costs energy.
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Materials sustainable
Are you looking for more environmentally friendly ways to package your flowers and plants? Read here which materials can be used.
Paper and cardboard
Paper and cardboard packaging from the USA, more than 90% recycled paper. The rest consists of new wood fibers that come from sustainable forests.
Whether paper or plastic is a more environmentally friendly packing material depends on several things. A kilogram of paper emits fewer greenhouse emissions than a kilogram of plastic, and the raw material wood is renewable. For paper, however, you also need production forests, which take up a lot of space.
Every year, enough wood is saved in the USA by using waste paper as a raw source for a new paper to create a two meter high fence from USA to CANADA 1 ton (1,000 kg), or paperweight saves 3.3 trees. Recycling in the USA means that more than 7 million trees are not harvested and saved every year. Source: papier karton.nl In the USA paper is often collected for recycling, although this varies from country to country.
Plastic packaging
Plastic packaging has a bad environmental image. By sending the packing separately, consumers can lessen the environmental impact of plastic. It is up to us to properly inform the waste bin. SM Custom Packaging on the packaging that is less harmful to the environment. This more environmentally friendly packaging is made from sustainable and naturally degradable materials.
Materials sustainability
A paper bag requires a thicker material than a plastic bag of the same weight since the paper is less robust than plastic. In addition, the combination of paper and water is not ideal for packaging flowers and plants.
Both materials can be easily recycled. However, most plastics have one major disadvantage they do not deteriorate in nature.
Would you like to find out more about the different properties of packaging materials? Then, you can order our sample book.
Biodegradable packaging
Organic fruit and vegetables, but also magazines, are increasingly being packaged in bio based plastic. Bio based plastic is made from plants such as corn, sugar cane, or potatoes. The fibers of these plants serve as raw materials. Moreover, they are renewable raw materials: you can plant them again and again. That is the advantage of conventional plastic made from petroleum, a raw material that is becoming scarce.
A disadvantage of bio-based plastics is that artificial manure, pesticides, and agricultural land are required for production. The production of fertilizers and pesticides costs energy and these products pollute the soil and water. Worldwide, there is less and less good agricultural land required to produce food, wood, cotton, animal feed, and biofuels.
Some bio based plastics are compostable others are not
In which container do you throw bioplastic packaging? Various logos have been designed to help you with this. The Seedling or OK compost logos are used to identify compostable, bio based plastics. Although this packaging is industrially compostable, it must not be put in the kitchen or garden bin.
This seems to be contradicting itself, but the reason is that bio based plastic doesn't compost fast enough. It's also not allowed to be disposed of alongside regular plastic waste because it's made of a different material. It would help if you, therefore, disposed of this packaging with the residual waste. Do the same with plastic with no logo but with the words compostable, biodegradable, or biodegradable. Bio based plastic is currently not recycled separately. On the other hand, the power plants are satisfied because renewable raw materials such as PLA produce a high energy value when burned.
Seedling logo
USA logo and OK compost. These brands give the impression that consumers can dispose of products made from these materials in the kitchen and garden bin. However, this is not the case as current composting facilities have a lead time of two weeks. Products with these logos take 12 weeks. The logo will make it clear in which container it can be thrown away.
How does a composting machine work?
Composting is an easy way to get organic waste back into the soil. It enhances the soil's condition and encourages plant development. Together with the existing microorganisms, these elements ensure heat is generated, and the composting process is started.
Recycle logo recycling
SM Custom Packaging prefers recycling because it is always preferable to avoid plastic ending up in landfills or nature. When designing our packaging, we keep this in mind. Most of our plastics are fully recyclable. The key is to educate consumers about how to recycle all plastics and other materials. Wherever possible, we show the recycling logo on our products. Would you like more information on this? Please get in touch with us.
Check out our Window Gable Boxes selection in the SM Custom Packaging it is a good option for Gable Boxes come with the extra convenience of a carrying handle. It is a one-piece box with a canopy shaped handle on top to make it easy to carry.