If you’ve purchased any new products in the past six months, there’s a good chance they were wrapped in plastic. 90% of the packaging we use is made from plastics. If you’re an e-commerce business, you can also look into upcycling your packaging. How? You can turn your plastic bags into reusable packaging that reduces plastic waste and helps the environment.
By using fewer plastic bags and switching to more sustainable packaging solutions, you can help the planet too. But what are these solutions? Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to reduce your packaging footprint and help the environment at the same time.
Packaging Made From Upcycled Materials
We all have old clothes that we can’t bring ourselves to throw away. Before you give them a new life as rags, turn them into a fashionable reusable bag. You can even use upcycled fabric to make reusable bags from recycled materials. If you’re an e-commerce business, you can also look into upcycling your packaging. How? You can turn your plastic bags into reusable packaging that reduces plastic waste and helps the environment.
For example, you can turn your plastic bags into light-tight drawstring bags that can be used to store herbs, spices or other small kitchen items. You can also turn your synthetic bags into compostable bags that you can use to store loose garden supplies.
Recycled Materials
“Recycling” sounds like a process that only happens once. Recycling is a process that happens over and over again. When you use materials that have already been used, you’re recycling. When you buy new materials and put them in a recycling bin, you’re recycling. When you use up materials that have already been used in other products, you’re recycling.
Before you throw away an old shirt, turn it into a reusable tote bag. You can make reusable bags from recycled materials like old towels, clothing, and paper. You can also make reusable totes from recycled materials like cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, and fabric scraps.
Incorporate Reuse and Repurpose
There are millions of things you can use to make your packaging — and you don’t have to use them all. For example, when you make a bottle out of paper, you’re not required to use the recipe again. You can reuse the same materials to create multiple bottles.
For example, you can reuse the same recipe to make a different bottle if you only have one bottle left. You can also repurpose items you used in another packaging. For example, if you used a yoghurt container to package your shampoo, you can turn that container into a bottle. You can also repurpose the bottle cap or other parts of the packaging you used.
Here’s an example: say you used a plastic bottle to package your perfume. You can repurpose the bottle and turn it into a spray bottle for your next perfume. You can also repurpose the bottle to create new items like bottles for cleaning products or storing items.
Upcycling is when Old Things Become New Again
You don’t need to buy new things to add to your supply chain. You can also reuse items from your work or home to create new products. For example, you can repurpose paper that’s already in your office or repurpose home materials like old cabinets, shelves, or clothes. You can also repurpose items you already have at home like cans, bottles, or paper.
Upcycling is when old things become new again. For example, you can repurpose an old paper bag into a new bag. You can repurpose an old bottle into new items like storing items or creating items like cleaning products. You can also repurpose upcycled materials into new products like a home chemical test kit.
Food Waste Removal
You’ve probably heard that food waste causes the biggest environmental impact. That’s because the resources used to produce food — like water, land, and energy — must be taken from other areas of the ecosystem. To reduce the amount of food waste, try to plan your meals and shop for groceries during off-peak hours.
Try to avoid using plastic bags when you grocery shop and only buy fresh food that’s easy to prepare. When you make meals at home, try to use less food that’s easy to prepare. When you eat out, ask your waiter or waitress if you can take your plate and plate back. This way, you can avoid using disposable plates and cut down on food scraps.
Bags Made From Fleece or Polypropylene
Plastic bags are bad for the environment, but you can reduce your plastic bag waste by using reusable bags made from recyclable materials. You can make reusable bags out of upcycled or recycled materials like upcycled fabric scraps, upcycled paper bags, or upcycled synthetic bags. You can also make reusable bags out of upcycled fleece or upcycled polypropylene.
Learn to Sabotage Your Supply Chain
You might be surprised to learn that companies that produce the majority of your products have an environmental impact. That’s because these companies control your supply chain. You can reduce your impact on the planet by influencing the companies who produce your products. Try to buy from companies that source their products from a clean and sustainable supply chain.
There are a few ways to get involved in your supply chain. The first is to ask your company what they’re doing to reduce their environmental impact. You can also boycott companies that don’t have clean and sustainable supply chains. Depending on who controls your supply chain, you can also boycott companies by boycotting products they make.
For example, you can boycott companies that make products that are produced by companies with bad environmental footprints such as oil companies or other companies with a bad environmental impact.
The Bottom Line
You don’t have to live in a world full of plastic waste. You can reduce your plastic waste, be more mindful and use sustainable packaging solutions to help the environment. These solutions will also help you to save money and help the environment.
Take action and start making small changes in your daily life to help protect the environment. You can also look into sustainable packaging solutions that will help you to reduce your plastic waste.
