You’ve probably experienced this to some degree. You go to the store, getting a package that’s wrapped in plastic that’s twice the size that it needs to be. 

Overpackaging is something that’s present in a lot of different sectors. While this is a minor occurrence at the surface level, it’s actually terrible for the planet. Here, we’re going to talk about overpackaging, and why you need to reduce this, not just for the environment, but also for your brand as well. 

What Overpackaging is 

Overpackaging is when you literally use too much packaging. This can include plastic, cardboard, bubble wrap, and the like. While the goal is product protection, the result is wasted resources and effort. 

It isn’t good for the environment, but it actually costs a lot more for people that are using this packaging. The customers are the ones that pass on this expense, so it can make products much more expensive for them. 

Why Reducing Overpackaging is needed for sustainability 

The bad impacts of overpackaging aren’t just that customers don’t like it, it actually affects society and the economy.

There are reasons why we’re looking to curtail this, and here they are. 

First, let’s talk about the waste of these resources.  It depletes the resources that we have, which includes paper, plastics, and even the energy that’s used to make this. through the making of this, transit, and the disposal, the excess packaging does lead to a larger production, and more costs in terms of transportation. It also jeopardizes these resources for future generations. That’s why businesses need to make sure that they have the right packaging, and then adopt better, more eco-friendly alternatives. 

Overpackaging also is bad for the environment.  Generating too much packaging actually pollutes the landfills we have, but also our oceans. This in turn harms the wildlife, and thereby damages the ecosystems. This decomposition of the packaging material is also far slower, and it leads to a much larger pollution of the environment, and a higher carbon footprint.  Making of this also takes a lot more water, energy, and even resources, which causes more greenhouse gasses to come out, and climate change too. That’s why we need to curb overpackaging, in order to safeguard the environment. 

The Economics of Overpackaging 

It also causes issues with the economics of society too. When you use too much packaging, you’re spending more, inflating the price not just for you, but your customers too.

An inefficient supply chain because you need more storage also adds to this.

This waste of resources also causes energy prices to skyrocket, and this wastefulness is going to cause the resources to be far less available, and the costs for the cleanup are going to negatively impact everything. 

In conclusion, in order to have a future, we need to stop over packaging. 

How to Fix this 

There are a few ways for you to fix this as a business. 

Some of them include: 

• Eco friendly packaging that’s compostable, biodegradable, and further recycled to reduce the landfills and burdens 
• Minimalism packaging to reduce the weight and size, and to eliminate any materials in excess, which will save on the costs of shipping and wastes 
• Educating consumers by raising awareness of this, in order to show off the importance of packaging. Giving good labeling and design will inform the customers of the environmental perks of this, and the demand for more eco friendly types of alternatives 
• Government regulations to put a curb on too much packaging, to help with reducing waste and to provide a green future.