More and more, consumers are looking for brands with sustainable practices and eco-conscious initiatives. So, as you gear up for the festive season, you may want to consider making some changes to reduce your company’s environmental impact. With a lower carbon footprint, you can rest easy knowing you are doing your part while attracting more customers at the same time.
In this article, we share 5 ways to improve your carbon footprint this festive season. From big to small, these ideas will help you to have a ‘green Christmas’, and a happy new year!
5 ways to make your business more sustainable
Before the Christmas panic sets in, now is your chance to implement sustainability best practices. For a few practical and effective ideas, start with these:
1. Improve order dispatch
If your customer orders are prone to being re-routed, delayed, or arriving in poor condition – fixing the freight process should be your priority. On top of the financial implications of failed deliveries, the greenhouse gas emissions required to send the order again or trace the original are staggering. In 2019 alone, Amazon's emissions were as high as a small country – many of which could have been avoided with better delivery operations.
With an improved delivery process, your customers will not only be happier but the fossil fuels required to deliver orders will be cut down drastically. Start by using automation, improving stock management, and partnering with a delivery company that understands your values. Not only will this cut down transport costs, but it will also help reduce packaging waste from lost items.
2. Anticipate demand
Unfortunately, this time of year is notorious for being wasteful with many companies stocking up on more inventory than they need. By forecasting your demand and understanding customer behaviour, you can avoid a lot of this surplus product and only prepare what will sell. You’ll also save time and money on materials, storage, and general overheads that can prove costly, at an already expensive time of year.
3. Launch sustainable initiatives
Straight after Christmas, the New Year’s resolutions kick in, so why not beat the rush and get started now? By launching a sustainable initiative, you can demonstrate your dedication to the environment and offset your emissions at the same time – a win-win!
We have a few initiatives here at Primepac, such as:
- Striving for a paperless office.
- Recycling as many materials as possible.
- Promoting recycling with The Packaging Forum and Soft Plastic Recycling.
- Partnering with Future Post to recycle disposable face masks.
4. Digitise your systems
The more streamlined your internal operations are, the smoother the Christmas season will go and the fewer mistakes will be made. With an automated approach, you can reduce dispatch blunders, simplify workflows, and save resources because there’s less room for human error.
One of the key benefits of digitisation is the reduction of hard-copy paperwork. With a Warehouse Management System (WMS) and packaging barcodes, you can save time, money, and the planet in one fell swoop.
5. Adopt sustainable packaging
Perhaps most important of all, our final tip is to improve the sustainability of your product packaging. Today’s consumers expect companies to opt for green packing materials – or they’ll simply look elsewhere.
According to the Packaging Council of New Zealand, New Zealanders are recycling only 58% of packaging every year, despite 97% having access to the necessary facilities. To improve this, companies need to make packaging as easy to recycle as possible.
Fortunately, we now have access to numerous sustainable packaging options, from tapes and cartons to bubble wrap and void fillers. Let’s explore them all in a bit more detail.
Recyclable cartons and boxes
First and foremost, your boxes should be fully recyclable. At Primepac, you can choose from a wide range of recyclable boxes, including stock corrugated cartons, die-cut boxes, pallet boxes, parts boxes, and even pizza boxes.
Plant-based cellophane
When it comes to products like confectionery and clothing, cellophane is ideal. It protects products from moisture and grease but is also naturally biodegradable. See the range of sizes available here.
Compostable courier bags
For smaller items, a courier bag is convenient, practical, and simple to use. At Primepac, our compostable courier bags are made from plants and non-toxic inks and can be composted at home or in a commercial facility.
Sustainable packaging tape
When securing your boxes and labels, reliable packaging tape is critical. At Primepac, our range of sustainable packing tape solutions includes Kraft paper tape which is a great general packaging tape – strong, flexible, static-free, and recyclable. Furthermore, the adhesive is made from natural rubber.
Recyclable protectives
While packaging protectives should be used wisely, delivering products safely the first time around will reduce emissions. Therefore, find a protective that is both sustainable and effective like our Eco bubble wrap, paper Airwave pillows, or Geami WrapPak protection wrap. With these, your products can arrive in perfect condition and customers can recycle the packaging with ease.
To improve your company’s sustainability during the holiday season, these six tips are a great starting point. For more ideas on sustainable packaging, check out our product range for anything with a sustainable choice logo. This way, you can be confident the product is either compostable, degradable, biodegradable, recyclable, or reusable.
For more on Primepac’s sustainable initiatives and product range, click the link below.
