Renewable packaging is packaging which has been specially designed to be more environmentally friendly, leaving less of an ecological footprint when it is manufactured, used and when it comes to the end of its life cycle.
With consumers becoming increasingly concerned about environmental issues and sustainability, the impact the packaging industry makes on the world is rightly coming under ever closer scrutiny – and renewable packaging is the way forward.
What is Renewable Packaging?
In order to qualify as ‘renewable’, packaging must tick a number of boxes. It ought to be responsibly sourced from sustainable raw or recycled materials, and manufacturers might be expected to use renewable energy during its creation and transportation.
Renewable packaging should also be ‘recoverable’, in other words to have some use at the end of its working life, either by being biodegradable and therefore good for composting, or being used to generate green energy. Made well, it could even be wholly or partially reused in other forms of packaging or for other purposes.
A Green Answer to a Packaging Problem
In the twenty-first century, packaging is everywhere. We are buying and consuming more than ever before, and virtually everything we use comes wrapped, sealed, boxed or labelled in something. Worldwide, more than five million people are employed in the packaging industry and the global turnover is estimated to be over $400bn. But while packaging is good news for business, it can be devastating news for the environment if not manufactured responsibly.
There is thus a growing demand for renewable packaging among manufacturers, retailers and the wider public. Packaging makers are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental responsibilities. At TriPak we are always looking for more inventive ways to make our packaging more sustainable. If we want to reduce the impact we have on the natural world, then as makers and consumers we need to turn to renewable packaging for a brighter, greener future.