With sustainability becoming increasingly relevant in today’s economy, implementing a circular economy has been a global initiative to address the world’s sustainability issues. This collective shift has encouraged businesses to be more conscious about their packaging. 

Regardless of their size, age, and authority in their respective industries, many businesses are beginning to make small changes in how they produce and distribute their products. One of their biggest transitions is in product packaging.

What is a Circular Economy?

A circular economy aims to improve a product’s longevity and promotes responsible disposal once it reaches the end of its shelf life. The circular economy’s philosophy of production, consumption, and end-of-life management is an alternative to the linear economy’s “take, make, and dispose” model. 

At its core, the circular economy wants to lessen or eliminate wastes and other byproducts created by the mass production of goods. On the other hand, a linear economy favors quick and easy disposal of products once you’re done using them, which increases the amount of global waste. 

What is Circular Packaging?

Circular product packaging involves collecting and recycling materials that would otherwise make their way into landfills. These packaging types are made of reusable materials such as paper or cardboard instead of the plastic predominantly used today. 

Changing from traditional packaging methods to circular packaging brings many benefits for your business, customers, and the environment. Besides the sustainability factor, circular packaging helps you reduce operational costs and allot more money for your other business functions. It also helps you avoid costs associated with pollution cleanup.

Shifting to circular packaging can also create a more positive image for your brand. This improved brand image can also give you a competitive advantage in your industry since more customers are becoming conscious of how product packaging is disposed of.

Circular Packaging Solutions for Your Business

Small to large businesses can implement circular. The simple decision to replace plastic with sustainable or biodegradable materials already contributes to the circular economy. 

If you are not yet ready to shift to entirely eco-friendly product packaging, you can always opt for packaging that is easier to recycle. Instead of using harmful non-biodegradable materials, like plastic, you can use post-consumer content such as aluminum cans, glass, recyclable folding cartons, and paper as your packaging. 

To participate in the circular economy, you can also reduce the materials used for packaging without compromising your product’s integrity during shipment. Reducing materials used in making product packaging can result in more reliable product safekeeping since sustainable equivalents cannot harm your product.

Environmentally Friendly, One Package at a Time

With so many people sending or delivering packages daily, it’s important to recognize that sustainable efforts allow businesses to operate as usual while lessening the amount of waste produced. Overall, proper implementation of circular product packaging can improve the efficiency of production lines and deliver higher-quality products to consumers worldwide. 

To learn more about how your business can contribute to the circular economy and bring your sustainable packaging to life, refer to the infographic below from Meyers Printing.