The pace of Earth’s contamination with human garbage increases exponentially, which predicts a negative future for our planet. A careless attitude toward the environment and neglect of the concept of waste sorting lead to the misbalance of the flora and fauna and the complete destruction of the environment. To reduce the devastating effects of human activity, people should implement sustainable solutions and turn to responsible waste sorting.
Eco activists call upon the introduction and integration of eco-friendly solutions to reduce the negative impact of factories and enterprises on the environment. Facilities are forced to switch to a green path by implementing innovative technology and contributing to material recyclability. Consumers also become more conscious. They give preference to eco-friendly products and recyclable wrappers.
The Need for Eco-Friendly Packaging
Since 90% of all products offered on store shelves come in packed forms, wrappers take a significant part of the garbage sent daily to landfills. Here are some statistical data for you to realize the importance of the issue. In 2020, the amount of garbage produced by US citizens only exceeded 350,78 million tons. While this number rises, consumers realize Earth contamination concerns and stick to green shopping. Thus, 75% of consumers prefer eco-friendly products, which comes as a competitive advantage for businesses.
So, shifting towards environmentally friendly concepts and solutions comes as an essential need for modern society. This is why manufacturers turn to a step-by-step switch to recyclable packaging materials.
Defining Eco-Friendly Packaging
First of all, let’s define what “eco-friendly” materials mean. This class of products implies that materials can be:
- reused multiple times (carrying bags are used for shopping multiple times);
- recycled and remanufactured for the second use;
- they are quickly and easily biodegradable when they are thrown into landfills.
According to these criteria, eco-friendly materials should possess a row of characteristics. Reusability is an important feature since multiple use of one container or cover leads to the reduction of the produced packages. Biodegradability guarantees that garbage won’t contaminate the planet for hundreds of years; such covers decompose in several years, causing a low impact on the environment. Minimum environmental impact and carbon footprint are other crucial characteristics of green packages.
Based on these criteria, the packaging industry offers the following sustainable covers: mushroom-produced covers, recycled paper pulp, seaweed wrappers, edible films, organic textiles, and recycled plastics (mono structures). These solutions come as the best eco-friendly packaging materials for small business.
Nowadays, plastic wrappers take an overwhelming part of the packaging industry. It is impossible to exclude it since bottles for beverages, containers for cakes, bags for cereals and sweets are products from plastic. However, it’s possible to make such covers eco-friendly by making them from mono-structured materials.
What is Mono Material Packaging and Why is it the Best Option?
Since this class of wrappers comes as a green alternative to complex non-recyclable packages, we’re going to consider them in more detail. First, let’s answer the question “what is mono material packaging?”.
Mono-material flexible packaging is the most popular type of sustainable plastic wrapper. In this regard, more and more covers are produced from mono structures. Uniflex stands as a trusted manufacturer of this sort of eco-friendly wrappers. Its high reputation is explained by its wide expertise in this field. The company is well-versed in packaging and produces customizable solutions for every client.
In most cases, product covers compose several layers of different materials, for instance, PET + PP, which makes recycling impossible, since the inability of separation of different polymers from multi-component packaging solutions. A mono material refers to a wrapper produced from one type material: polyethylene (PE) or propylene (PP). The use of mono structures gives packaging every chance for recycling when collected and sorted appropriately.
Nowadays, mono PP and mono PET come as the brightest examples of eco-friendly wrappers. These are the best eco-friendly shipping supplies due to their physical properties. They form perfect covers without worsening barrier properties. Mono covers have excellent protective characteristics and can be used for a wide range of products, including liquids, food (cookies, sweets, dried fruits, etc.), frozen semi-finished products, etc.
The application of mono-covers for product packaging allows for coping with recycling challenges that mixed structures face. By implementing modern technology, businesses can improve packaging recycling, while reducing operational costs and product footprint. This is why the growth in the demand for mono-material covers is expected in the coming years.
Nowadays, we live in a world where the issue of planet pollution is topical. The Earth suffers from over-contamination, and it’s high time to start taking this concern with particular attention. Eco activists urge humans to shift to an eco path. Enterprise holders should implement eco-friendly solutions such as the use of mono-material wrappers for packaging their products, while consumers prefer eco-packed products to stimulate brands to use sustainable solutions.
