Plastic-Free Packaging: Make the Switch With Custom Boxes

Why Switch To Plastic-Free Packaging?

In a 2021 report, 67% of consumers reported a preference for recyclable packaging. Fifty-four percent of those consumers also stated that they factored in the sustainability of a product’s packaging when shopping.

Plastic-free packaging, as the name implies, is manufactured free of plastics. It comes in various styles, and it is recyclable, compostable, and biodegradable. 

Consumers around the world have decided to try plastic-free packaging for a number of reasons. Plastic-free packaging helps them reach their environmental goals, and it also comes at a price that makes the switch more feasible. 

Giving up plastic packaging is no longer considered inconvenient. The cost of not making the switch to plastic-free packaging results in damage like air pollution, contaminated water, and carbon emissions.

If you are considering switching to plastic-free packaging, but don’t know where to start, keep reading to find out why you should make the switch and how easy it is to do.

Plastic-Free Is Better for the Environment

Plastic is in many products that we use every day, from our cell phones to our computers to everyday items. We even have plastic in our bodies due to our unintentional consumption of microplastics. 

Nearly 360 million tons of plastic are discarded every year, winding up in landfills and in the ocean, poisoning our groundwater by leaking chemicals and causing harm to countless wildlife that ingest plastic debris. On top of that, it takes plastic hundreds of years to break down.

Plastic is manufactured by using fossil fuels like oil and coal, the two primary drivers contributing to an increase in our carbon footprint and subsequent dangerous changes to our environment. 

Shifting to plastic-free packaging is one way to reduce your impact on the environment. Thankfully, there are many great alternatives to plastic packing available, including bamboo, hemp, and cardboard. 

Plastic-Free Packaging Is Affordable

Thanks to modern innovations, plastic-free packaging is affordable. It also requires less packing materials – no more styrofoam peanuts – which cuts down on packaging costs. Some types of plastic-free packaging are even reusable, unlike single-use plastic, allowing consumers to reuse the products multiple times. 

Plastic packaging, due to its thickness and lack of biodegradability, is more expensive than some of its plastic-free competitors, like cardboard. In fact, you can get multiple cardboard boxes for the price of one plastic box. Other types of eco-friendly packaging can save you money as well, depending on what they’re made of.

Not only is plastic-free packaging affordable, but it can also help companies increase their profits. By offering eco-friendly, plastic-free packaging options, businesses open themselves up to a large number of consumers who only want to purchase from environmentally friendly companies.

Plastic-Free Packaging Helps You Eliminate Waste

While progress has been made in producing recyclable or compostable plastic, this type of material is still largely indigestible to the bacteria that makes composting possible. A regular plastic bottle disposed of in a landfill is estimated to take 450 years to degrade. Even if a package uses minimal plastic as a sealant or coating, it cannot be recycled traditionally or considered to be zero-waste.

Packaging is considered zero-waste if it can be reused or recycled. Recyclablezero-waste packaging biodegrades without harming the environment, leaving behind no trace of chemicals or other dangerous substances.

If your customers choose not to reuse your packaging materials, they’ll need to dispose of them somehow. Take the guesswork out by omitting single-use plastic and design a line of recyclable/reusable packaging with us.

Custom Plastic-Free Boxes

Box Genie has learned what small businesses and their customers value and what they don’t. That’s why all of the packaging solutions we provide – including mailers, shippers, and inserts – are plastic-free.

Customers today are accustomed to shopping online and can tell the difference between high and low-quality materials that they receive, and they’ve likely thrown away a regrettable amount of plastic. 

They’re also more aware than ever of marine pollution and climate change and the benefits of conservation. If your buyers can tell that your boxes were designed with environmental impact in mind, they can feel good about their entire purchase – and so can you.

Custom Shipping Boxes

Box Genie’s iteration of the classic shipper box is plastic-free. When ordering, you can enter any interior dimensions you might need and upload your own designs for our HD printer, and the customization doesn’t end there.

When selecting a material for your boxes, consider kraft, a type of cardboard made without bleach and with a higher content of recycled material. Attractive and sturdy, these boxes can protect your product as they represent your brand’s eco-friendly values.

Custom Mailer Box

Box Genie has also designed the perfect mailer, and it comes just the way you need it. These boxes are also available in kraft and in all dimensions, and they feature an opening top/front with sturdy dust flaps.

Because of the way they open, these boxes are perfect for adding our custom box inserts. Certain liners, like plastic bags or bubble wrap, are glaring contributors to plastic pollution. Swap them out for a bespoke cardboard insert that matches the box and holds your valued product still.

This type of box also shines on the growing stage of the unboxing video. If your company works in skincare or as a subscription service, you’re familiar with these clips and their popularity on social media. 

When you take your mailers to their full potential with custom inserts and double-sided printing, these videos will serve as fantastic free advertisements for your business.

Custom One-Piece Folders

If you’re looking for a slick, easily assembled box for fast-moving ecommerce, Box Genie has a packaging solution for you too. Our folder boxes use one piece of high-quality cardboard each, emblazoned on one or both sides with your design. Naturally, they’re also plastic-free and zero-waste.

You can cut down even further on your carbon footprint and maintain sustainability by making sure your boxes are of the exact optimal size. Measure the products you’ll be making and reference the pre-set dimension options. It might be worth it to get a custom size.

Customers don’t appreciate wasted space; it can look unprofessional and contradict your messaging. It can unnecessarily complicate the supply chain by making packages more unwieldy, and it costs more to produce the extra packaging material. 

By cutting this down, you can lighten the load for the landfill and optimize the shipping process at the same time.

Custom Triangle Mailers

Most mailer tubes, even when made mostly of cardboard, use plastic end caps for security. These round ends are often clumsily taped over as well, resulting in an unwieldy, frustrating, and wasteful opening experience.

Box Genie’s triangular document mailers cut out all of the plastic with a folding design that tucks in securely at both ends. They’re totally recyclable, and the combination of our intuitive design and your custom art will make them highly reusable as well. Customers won’t have to worry about balancing them on their ends or watching them roll away, and you won’t have to worry about plastic waste. Everybody wins!

Wrapping Up

There are several great reasons to cut back on the plastic that you use, but it can be a hassle to figure out when and where. Box Genie makes it easy for your company by keeping all of our offerings completely plastic-free, granting you an opportunity to operate at zero waste. It makes sense for your business- avoiding wasted space, time, and material- and your customers might just appreciate it most of all.

Get started today by designing a preview on our site. You can see what your designs will look like on any of our offerings before you order. You can even buy a sample of any box with your custom art. You can also request a free sample kit to compare all of our options. We think you’ll be impressed!

Sources:

How long does it take for plastic to biodegrade? | Save Money Cut Carbon

Marine plastic pollution | IUCN

Consumers Expect Brands to Address Climate Change | WSJ

Microplastics are in our bodies. How much do they harm us? | National Geographic

Environmental Toll of Plastics | EHN

2021 Global Buying Green Report | Trivium Packaging

Is Recyclable Packaging More Expensive? (With Cost Comparison) | Citizen Sustainable