Product packaging determines your product’s market perception and success. Buyers look for a product they can associate with, which is attractive to the normal eye. As a manufacturer, conducting market research can help you find aspects that give your product a competitive edge, like green packaging. Adopting sustainable packaging can help you attract the attention of environment-conscious buyers and influence the opinion of your consumers.

Why Should Businesses Adopt Sustainable Packaging?

In a community worrying about global warming, the use of biodegradable materials and recyclable wrappings is becoming a deal-breaker. Environmentally-conscious consumers may be willing to try a new product in the market with sustainable packaging over a well-known product with unsustainable packaging. The shift in consumer buying habits is forcing manufacturers to adopt environmentally friendly packing materials, enhancing their market reputation and profits. Some of the reasons why a business should use eco-friendly packaging include:

Lower carbon footprint

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Human activities over the years have released harmful gases into the environment, triggering global warming and other adverse effects. In trying to minimize global warming, individuals and stakeholders encourage companies to stop emitting greenhouse gases into the environment by adopting eco-friendly manufacturing and packaging policies. Almost every product phase releases some carbon into the environment, from raw materials sourcing to manufacturing, usage and disposal. Eco-friendly materials release fewer greenhouse gases during the product cycle.

Fewer toxins and allergens

Traditional packaging uses chemical and synthetic materials, causing harm to humans and the environment. Most eco-friendly packaging materials are bio-degradable, made from allergy-free materials, ensuring the consumers’ wellbeing.

It builds your brand

 Adopting sustainable packaging allows you to position your product as the go-to option for eco-friendly consumers. You may use the environmentally friendly approach to justify the price of your item, giving you a competitive edge over cheap alternatives.

What are the latest packaging sustainability trends?

Major companies are adopting eco-friendly packaging to reduce their carbon footprint and appeal to environmentally friendly consumers. Businesses are shifting towards lighter packaging and bare minimum packaging for online purchases. Products now come with clear labeling on how to dispose or recycle the packaging properly. You also find full transparency in claims about the product’s packaging sustainability and printed commitment to sustainability. Some of the approaches businesses are implementing to ensure sustainability include:

• Using minimal packaging materials

• Meeting marketing guidelines for performance

• Adopting renewable energy sources

• Creating reusable materials

• Investing in clean technologies and the best environmental practices

How can a Business ensure Sustainability?

The best approach to ensure sustainability will vary among companies, depending on the uniqueness of their products and industry trends. Nonetheless, a company can ensure sustainability by incorporating sustainable packaging practices as the basics of every process. It should also train employees and partners to perform their duties sustainably while communicating eco-friendly practices to consumers and shareholders.

Businesses can maintain their commitment to sustainability by setting targets and monitoring the progress. The manufacturers should review the sustainable operations periodically to ascertain their effectiveness and make necessary changes to improve performance. If necessary, they should create employee awareness and train them to ensure an environmentally friendly workplace.

What are the common Sustainable Materials in Packaging?

Polyethylene (PE) foam

PE foam materials are fully reusable and recyclable, offering businesses flexibility. They are readily available and inexpensive, enabling companies to remain competitive. Polyethylene is also customizable with good cushioning properties, protecting products from water, moisture and oil-based solvents.

Mycelium

It is inexpensive and home compostable. It is also non-abrasive and customizable to meet different packaging needs.

Packaging is a big part of the customer experience. What does your packaging say about your company? Designing an unforgettable experience for customers starts with packaging. You may think that design is just a small detail, but it can have a huge impact on how people feel about what they’re buying from you. There’s more to designing good packaging than just showing off your product – it should also be designed to make people excited and show them what they’ll get out of their purchase! 

When it comes to unboxing, incorporating the following strategies will be a nostalgic experience for your customer;

Have it tidy and neat

Sure, you want to make sure the packaging of your product is safe and secure, but beyond that, it’s also important to make sure there aren’t any obstacles in the way for eager customers trying to get their new purchase rolling. Keep cables neatly tucked away, make sure that manuals are separate from the packaging itself for easy access later on, and don’t use too many items in your package. 

Be enlightened 

Yes, the customer is excited when they get their new gizmo out of the box, but that doesn’t mean you can slack on providing them with information that they are going to want or need. Have a quick start guide? Throw it in there! Need to remind someone about warranty information? Add it in too! Make sure that all relevant information is accessible right off the bat to keep your customers happy.

Be valuable

This doesn’t mean you need to include a sample of dishwashing soap (though if you’re Nike, go ahead and do that), but it does mean that you should include things that are going to be beneficial for the customer in their use of your product. If they’re buying a new laptop, for example, throw in a one-year subscription to Norton Antivirus and/or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware software. It’s free advertising and it ensures that the customer is going to get all the help they need without having to buy any additional extras later on.

Personalize

Customers love to get mail, so why not include your business card with this shipment? Include coupons for future purchases or discounts on more products that you sell (if you do, of course). Add a postcard or two that relates directly to the product they’ve just gotten in the mail. These are all things that you can do to make your shipment stand out from the rest of them, and the customer is going to appreciate that.

Make it Fun 

Yes, this is the most important one of all. It doesn’t matter how informative or useful your packaging is if it’s so boring that no one wants to pay attention to you. Make a jazzy color scheme, some creative fonts and/or shapes, or even go so far as to include some extra little toys in the box to make your packaging a memorable experience. Think about it: when was the last time you saw a phone without any kind of case or screen protector?

The important thing here is to make sure that your packaging design isn’t actually obstructing what’s inside. That means no garish colors, nothing too small, and nothing so large that it can’t fit on a shelf. Customers are drawn to things because of their appearance, not in spite of it. Make sure your packaging is aesthetically pleasing without being too glamorous for its own good.

Make it branded

This is a very important one. If you’re going to go through the trouble of making your packaging into an experience for your customers, then it makes sense that you want to make sure they associate your brand with this memory in some way. Make sure there’s ample space on all sides for branding and even include a QR code or website link so that customers can find out more information about your company. If they have a good memory of your business, then they’re going to keep coming back for even better products.

Now that winter is almost here, many people are purchasing many things from the store for their homes, including holiday decorations and Christmas trees. The question of where to put it comes up all the time when you have a small apartment or house. If you do not plan, looking at your living room full of decorations can ruin your holiday atmosphere.

Since you are planning to purchase many things for the holidays, you must plan where you’ll keep them. You don’t want to buy anything that won’t fit your home, so knowing beforehand saves you the trouble and money. If not, many stores offer contract packaging services that allow their contractors to deliver products within specific dimensions. This service is beneficial if you need to transport heavy items like trees or large boxes of holiday decors. Here are some tips on how to make sure your contract packaging needs are met before purchasing goods during the winter season:

An open space away from moving parts like ceiling fans must be available for installation or hanging decorations like Christmas lights.

Contract packaging must be able to fit in your house. Your contractor should know how much space you have and what you will do in your home.

Your contractor should also know if special requirements are unique to your area, as a permit for driving and parking during the holidays. The contract packaging service must have a team on standby or schedule deliveries accordingly to go around the traffic.

The best way to call on contract packing services is through referrals from family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers who had experiences with them before. This way, you won’t end up hiring someone unreliable and unethical that may not deliver on time or damage your furniture while delivering their products inside your homes.

The contractor should also have insurance to cover damages during transportation. This is where shopping around comes in handy because you’ll know which contractors are reliable and trustworthy. It will prevent further costs, especially if your items get damaged because of a lack of proper contract packaging precautions. 

When using vans or trucks for delivery, it’s best to ask them to double-wrap the product with waterproof materials to protect against cold weather conditions like snow during the winter season. If you’re planning on transporting these items yourself, this will save you money since there won’t be a need for professional services at all. As long as your vehicle can fit items delivered, these tips must always be followed, so accidents don’t happen along the way or damages to your home during installation or removal of goods.

Many contract packaging problems can happen during the winter season due to harsh weather conditions. One major problem is snow, which can cause accidents while driving if trucks and vans don’t get fully clear their windows. Snow may also get inside the product being transported, damaging it in the process, especially if there’s no suitable waterproof packaging material. 

Another problem could be falling tree branches that may damage homes or vehicles while falling around Christmas time when people purchase trees for decorating their houses. Contract packers should always take precautionary measures by having things double wrapped for transport, avoiding roads with heavy traffic to prevent getting stuck in traffic jams, parking permits wherever they’re delivering products, etc.

If you are looking to move your product faster and more efficiently to customers over your competitors, you should not underestimate the importance of packaging when attempting to distinguish your brand. Packaging is often the first thing the eye of the consumer sees that connects them to your product, and if your packaging is lackluster or not eye-catching, this can negatively impact your sales. You product packaging should, of course, be functional, in that it should hold and protect your product from the manufacturing point to the customer’s hands. However, your packaging should also showcase your product, and draw their eye to your product on the shelf, even as it sits among a sea of competitor products. Packaging, once it has caught the customer’s eye, should also inform and persuade the potential buyer. So how to go about doing this? Some of the suggestions below might help.

1. Standard and Accurate

Studies tend to show that most decisions made by consumers regarding which product to buy are mostly subconscious, and not often based on which product is indeed the better one. Customers will tend to choose brands that are familiar or eye catching, or perhaps a brand they have used repeatedly before. A product that has a distinct visual look about it will be well remembered from advertising, or might bring up positive associations in the mind of the consumer. The information on the package should be accurate and informative, but also brief, for the average attention span of the shopper is only around ten seconds before they move on to the next product. If there are errors, misspellings or other mistakes on the packaging, the consumer will quickly lose confidence in the brand and move on.

2. Showcase your Company Values

An ongoing trend in modern consumers is an increasing concern that they are buying products that are good for the environment, have been produced with ethically made materials, and are coming from companies known to give back to the community through corporate social responsibility. Polls of American consumers consistently show that the majority of buyers prefer to purchase products from companies that reflect their own personal values, even going so far as to purchase a more expensive product. Your product’s packaging is a good place to showcase these values, such as certifications and awards given to the company on this matter, one example being the Fair Trade membership. Packaging should also be recyclable and eco-friendly.

3. Transparent 

Your product packaging should be informative and accurate, and correctly explain what it does in a format that is easy to understand, or no higher than third grade reading level. There should be no misrepresentations or false claims about the product anywhere, and it is even better if the customer can see the product through the packaging itself. 

4. Correct protection 

The package should not be difficult to open, but should be sealed well enough to prevent accidental damage or theft. Any package that is easily damaged does not give a good impression on the company that made the product, and can discourage potential buyers from choosing the product over others. Packaged products should be transported to the sales site in containers that protect them, with the proper cushioning and shielding.

As we can see, the factors that cause a customer to choose your brand over others can be heavily influenced by the kind of packaging you use. Addressing issues that consumers care about, such as visual display, recognizable brand factors, proper information on the packaging and how the product is contributing to corporate social responsibility are small things, but important ones, that can give your product an edge over the competitor products sitting right next to it on the shelf.