The Importance of Reducing Packaging Waste in Business

While not all packaging waste is necessarily harmful, it’s still important to highlight why businesses should be aiming to reduce packaging waste wherever possible. In this guide, we’ll explore the different types of packaging waste businesses might generate, the impact it can have, and how you can minimise packaging waste.

Packaging waste is generated by the packaging used for all kinds of products, from cardboard boxes used to deliver food to restaurants to plastic tubes containing makeup products. It can contain a variety of materials, including plastic, metal, cardboard, foam and bubble wrap. The types of packaging waste and the volume will likely differ depending on your sector and the scale of your business, too.

Packaging waste can not only negatively affect the environment, but it can also have financial repercussions for businesses, which we’ll explore in more detail below.

Environmental impacts

Packaging waste, particularly when it’s made from non-recyclable or reusable materials, can pose serious environmental risks. From overloading landfills to contributing to water and land pollution, excessive packaging waste is increasing our carbon footprint.

If you’re using excessive packaging, it’s also likely that the extra space taken up in shipping transportation means you’re contributing further to pollution. Plus, you’re essentially paying to ship fresh air in some cases, which means that you’re paying to cause extra harm to the environment that could easily be avoided.

Economic impacts

Excessive packaging waste can have a negative financial impact for a few different reasons. One of the main issues is that the rising costs from transportation, disposal and waste management need to be covered by the business. Sometimes this can be absorbed by customers who are becoming increasingly aware that they’re footing the bill for excessive packaging waste, leading to distrust and affecting profits.

Under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging scheme, businesses found to be non-compliant with their approach to packaging waste could be fined. If a business doesn’t appear to be taking reasonable steps to recycle packaging waste and contribute to a circular economy to take reasonable steps to recycle packaging waste.

Void packaging, which just refers to the packaging used to fill any gaps when larger boxes or containers are used, is also commonly used with packaging that’s too large, and this can cost businesses through fines, extra transportation and disposal, reducing profit margins.

Taking steps to reduce your business’s packaging waste can ultimately help cut costs and minimise your environmental impact with improved sustainability practices. This can support compliance with the latest legislation and regulations regarding packaging waste and sustainability, such as the UK’s ban on single-use plastics and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, aiming to overhaul packaging waste management by assigning greater responsibility to producers. Businesses must address compliance issues as quickly as possible to avoid legal, financial and reputation challenges.

Brand reputation can also be improved by reducing packaging waste. It shows a dedication to sustainability, setting you apart from the competition, in turn, boosting profits, customer loyalty and other key business metrics.

How can your business reduce its packaging waste? From the design to the materials and packaging contents, here are three of the best ways to ensure you’re cutting down waste and reaping the benefits.

Opt for sustainable packaging

One route you can take is to audit the materials within your packaging and find out whether these could be swapped for more sustainable options. Even if you can’t reduce the size or scale of your packaging, you can still minimise waste by ensuring your packaging won’t end up in landfill after it reaches the customer.

There are plenty of recyclable or compostable packaging options for businesses in all industries, including food-safe and longer shelf-life containers, pouches, boxes and more.

Refine your packaging design

Another option is avoiding off-the-shelf packaging options. A custom solution helps ensure your packaging is the correct shape and size, alongside being tailor-made for the specifications of the project. Refining your design to use as little packaging as possible keeps your packaging waste to a minimum. Whereas off-the-shelf packaging often means you need to choose a larger size to accommodate the product, leaving you with excessive material that could’ve been avoided.

You should also consider other ways packaging could be refined. Could your branding be printed directly onto packaging rather than using printed sleeves? Are all the inserts, dividers and packing fillers necessary?

Consider refillable products

While it might require some strategic planning and alignment from your product and design teams, making your products refillable means that packaging can be reused by customers. Not only does this reduce the lifetime cost of a product for the business and the customer, but it also helps keep consumers engaged and boosts loyalty.

Provide clear information on packaging labels

Already have recyclable or compostable packaging? Your labelling should make the disposal procedure clear for consumers to prevent unnecessary waste. And with new legislation planned in the UK for product labelling, doing so can help you exceed industry standards, while also supporting customers with sorting waste effectively.

At Tyler Packaging, sustainability is a huge part of what we do. Our goal is to reduce the environmental impact of packaging and be socially responsible, which is reflected in our product range. From refillable products and refined packaging design to clear labelling and a push for sustainability, we provide everything for businesses looking to keep packaging waste to a minimum.

For flexible packaging with 70% less material compared to rigid options, our conventional packaging can be the ideal solution for everything from pet food to chemicals. With customisation choices in colour and finish, conventional packaging helps you stand out from the competition while being more sustainable.

We also offer compostable packaging made from renewable materials and built to break down under specific conditions. Perfect for keeping dry products like pet treats or tea safe and secure, the packaging breaks down and goes back into the ground without adding to landfill or contributing to waste.

Another option is our recyclable packaging, which uses fewer fossil fuels, less water and cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions in production, all while being recyclable after use as packaging.

Want to find out more or enquire about how we can help your business? Let’s chat!