Flexible packaging is a perfect fit - not only for the goods packed in it, but also in terms of environmental protection.
This fact cannot be refuted. Because flexible packaging convinces with diverse material properties, which makes it particularly sustainable.
They are lightweight and thin packaging, which also do not have more material than what is needed to protect the product.
This puts them far ahead of any other packaging on the market in terms of sustainability and resource efficiency.
Flexible packaging goes through an optimal life cycle: from production to reprocessing, it generates minimal emissions and saves resources.
The reasons why flexible packaging is an optimal solution for manufacturers and retailers will be explained later in this article.
To do this, we will take a look at the past, because this is necessary to fully understand the further course in terms of sustainable packaging and environmental protection.
Time travel - Why environmental protection became necessary
If you let your eyes wander, you will see that pollution is quite advanced.
The packaging industry is not uninvolved in this. After all, packaging has always been indispensable to mankind.
Although many would like to do without packaging completely, this is not possible.
After all, they are indispensable for protection and shipping of most goods.
The only solution can either be to dispense with packaging as far as possible, or to pay attention already during production to the extent to which this process will affect the environment further down the line.
Especially because countless tons of packaging waste are generated and have to be disposed of every day, both by industry and by consumption in German households.
A look around the world shows that people in different countries deal with the issue of waste disposal in very different ways.
Dumping waste into the sea - not prohibited in many countries
Imagine that it is possible to simply dump one's waste into the sea without any problems. This includes very dangerous substances such as nuclear waste drums or dilute acid. That this does not pass the environment without leaving a trace is actually self-explanatory.
Only certain types of waste may be disposed of in oceans as an exception. These include, for example:
- Sewage sludge
- Fisheries waste
- Waste from ships and structures built at sea
- inert, inorganic, geological substances
- organic natural substances
Waste incineration at sea is fundamentally and globally prohibited.
The London Protocol is only valid for the contracting states. So far (as of February 2020), 22 of the total of 34 states of the EPC (European Patent Convention) have signed:
- Albania
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Germany
- Finland
- France
- Ireland
- Iceland
- Croatia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Slovenia
- Hungary
- United Kingdom
Plastic waste - the cause of the great fish and species extinction in the world's oceans
Plastic waste, which is responsible for species extinction in the oceans, is a major challenge. Therefore, it is important to avoid this heavy burden. Although Germany and some EU countries have quite strict guidelines regarding waste disposal nowadays, this is still a considerable problem.
This is due to the fact that the need for climate and environmental protection is not seen in the same way worldwide and the corresponding handling is lacking. A large part of the pollution can be attributed to China and India. This is because there are still no laws regulating waste disposal there. There is no evidence of recycling systems such as those introduced here in Germany around 3 decades ago and which have been steadily developed further.
In the last 70 years or so, looking back to 1950, a total of 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been put into circulation.
brought. According to a study from America, 5 billion tons of plastic waste have been disposed of either in landfills or in the environment (sea, forests or other wild waste disposal sites).
Of this gigantic amount of plastic waste, only 9 percent was recycled and 12 percent incinerated. In addition to all this plastic waste, there is an equally large amount of waste from other materials.
You now see how imperative it is to create a sustainable approach to our resources. From production to disposal. Because both have a significant impact on our environment.
Which brings us to the topic of circular economy. It is directly related to our flexible packaging and therefore we would like to introduce you to it a little bit.
In our blog you can find even more information about flexible packaging. If you have any further questions, we will be happy to answer them personally. |
Circulation system - Not a new idea, but indispensable
The idea of environmental and climate protection is basically not a new idea, which only manifested itself more and more in the industry with the enactment of the 1994 law and is constantly evolving.
There was already a guideline a few years earlier that dealt with the subject of the circulation system. A guideline from 1975 gives the following point:
"The processing of waste as well as the use of recovered materials shall be encouraged in the interest of conserving natural resources of raw materials."
This is the Directive 75/442/EEC. You see, what was already promoted at that time, has strengthened in the necessity. This can also be clearly seen in the new laws and the high objective of the EU Commission.
The specific aim here is to avoid waste as far as possible and to prepare it for further processing after recycling.
Waste prevention also involves using as few materials as possible to manufacture a product - in our case, packaging.
Flexible Packaging - Optimal Circular Products
Now we have reached the point where we would like to introduce you to all the factors of our flexible packaging.
Because overall, flexible packaging offers numerous benefits for everyone who comes into contact with it.
Briefly touched on in advance:
- Manufacturers need much less materials for production.
- Retailers can use optimal packaging for their products or even shipping.
- Consumers enjoy much less packaging waste.
But this is just one of the many benefits that result from flexible packaging: From our point of view, flexible packaging has a very beneficial effect on climate protection overall.
In addition, they save numerous resources - which can be listed well understandable by the following facts.
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 |
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bio-based |
recyclable |
Biodegradable |
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Flexible packaging is bio-based because it is made from recyclable raw materials. |
Flexible packaging is an optimal closed-loop product because it is almost 100 percent recyclable. |
Due to the fact that flexible packaging is produced from natural materials, it is biodegradable. |
Innovative in every respect
Flexible packaging makes a particularly extensive contribution to resource conservation thanks to its individual adaptability.
Flexible packaging is actually a true innovation, and actually it is not understandable why it has not been used for packing various items since time immemorial.
Because if everyone had only used as much packaging material as was really necessary right from the start, a large amount of waste could certainly have been avoided to date.
We can't turn back time, but we can learn from the past and take advantage of innovative flexible packaging in the future. We explain to you now why they are a real step forward.
Their very nature makes it possible to save resources significantly. As a rule, flexible packaging is quite thin and lightweight compared to traditional packaging.
This is due to the fact that an optimum of cost-saving measures is observed in every respect during production - without compromising the stability or quality of a package. After all, a package must also be able to withstand the correspondingly required load.
Material is not only saved in the thickness of a flexible packaging, but essentially also in the size of the packaging. An example: A retailer wants to send a small ballpoint pen to his customer. Instead of packaging the pen in a small package tailored to the product, he packs it in a shoebox and adds a lot of filler material.
Even today, this is not uncommon - small items are often still shipped in this way. From this example, you can see how unsuspectingly and resource-wastefully the topic of packaging is handled in general.
Flexible packaging puts an end to this unnecessary waste: only as many materials as necessary are used for production. Basically, you can say that it is a "tailor-made suit" for your product.
As a result, not only raw materials but also other resources used in production are saved. Electricity and water can be mentioned here as examples. But it also reduces CO2 emissions during the production process.
The advantages of flexible packaging cannot be denied: They actually have a major impact on climate and environmental protection.
Conclusion: Flexible packaging - small change, big effect
The choice of packaging used already has a major impact on our environment: flexible packaging offers maximum sustainability.
By using flexible packaging, materials are saved, reprocessed and recycled.
Depending on the material, flexible packaging can be reprocessed several times. It is a very economical and thus highly efficient solution for fulfilling its purpose on the one hand and not unnecessarily polluting the environment on the other.
FAQ
Question: Can flexible packaging also be customized?
Answer: Yes, flexible packaging can be fully customized and finished.
Question: How many times can flexible packaging be recycled and reprocessed?
Answer: That depends on the raw material from which it was fabricated. For example, a corrugated cardboard box can be reprocessed and made into a new box up to 25 times.
Question: Is it expensive to have flexible packaging made?
Answer: No, rather the opposite. Because the amount of material needed is much less with flexible packaging.
