How to Choose Recyclable Containers

There is no doubt about it, in order to thrive in today’s competitive market it’s essential that your business be as eco-friendly as possible. There are many changes that you can make to move towards becoming more green, but one of the simplest alterations is making sure that your product containers are recyclable. Choosing to have recyclable packaging not only helps the environment by cutting back on the 130M+ tons of waste deposited in landfills each year, but if a company recycling program is executed properly, you can also save on future packaging through full reuse. You can even take it one step further and create a loyalty program that revolves around rewarding customers who recycle your packaging like the cosmetics behemoth MAC has successfully implemented. When choosing what containers to package your product in, there are several factors worth considering. First of all, it’s important to find a packaging that fits your physical product, and especially protects it in an adequate manner. If you have a fragile product, you’ll want to have a more rigid packaging that will protect the good throughout its lifetime. Or, if you are selling something that requires more of a visible and open display, you would take the route of a more minimal and open packaging, such as a paper-based wrapping. Once you’ve determined what basics are required for properly showcasing and protecting your product, you’ll choose between physical materials, and this is when the differences in material choice will have a large impact on the recyclability of your packaging. On one hand, glass containers are 100% recyclable, and have the ability to be recycled endlessly without any loss in quality. Plastic, on the other hand, has significantly lower recycling rates as it requires a much more complicated process to break down the material for reuse. If it’s a fit based on the needs discussed in the previous paragraph, paper based packaging, such as kraft paper, is an incredibly sustainable option as it is completely renewable. Whichever option you choose, it will be important to understand the implications associated with that type of packaging. More importantly, the more emphasis you place on educating your customers about the recycling system your business develops, the more success you will see!