Reduce First

The Waste Management Hierarchy

As a business considering how to align your packaging to consumer taste, legislative requirements, and brand values, it’s good business sense to remember that ‘Reduce’ comes first. Why is that, when you hear so much about recycleable and compostable materials?

First, it is infallible. When you Reduce, you eliminate the entire ‘end of life’ conversation for every bit of material and every second of processing time. Money never spent. Tree never cut. Forever chemical never manufactured. Labor cost never incurred. The essence of lean.

Second, it is entirely within your control. If you give a consumer a cotton tote bag, certainly that eliminates the use of single use plastic. But will they reuse? Will they bring it with them next time they shop with you? You can find excellent recyclable materials with highly protective properties. Will your packaging be part of the 8% that is actually recycled in the US?

The good news is that Reduce can be achieved in a number of ways.

1. Size and Configuration. Make it smaller, taper it, remove headspace, make it nest better, palletize to ship more efficiently, consume less material to manufacture.
2. Strength, Layers, and Weight. A lot of lightweighting has been done, for example the move to thinner plastics and different paper combinations for boxes. Maybe it’s time to eliminate a layer entirely. We’ve seen a move toward eliminating paper inserts by printing the inside of retail packages with the relevant information, for example. A better box design can mean one package instead of a retail or inner pack AND a shipping box. Can a new closure eliminate a film layer? Are you using a heavy film when a lighter thinner high-performing film can do the job?
3. Use recycled materials. If you can reduce virgin material, you are winning. And buying recycled materials creates markets for recycled materials, which incents waste management companies and municipalities to expand recycling opportunities to more consumers. Win win.

You can explore any or all of these options and Packumen can help you choose the best solution for your own unique goals.