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03/15/2011 by Ashley (comments: 0)

The minimalist expression has emerged in the packaging industry over the past few years as companies shift their focus to sustainability. Manufacturers are searching for innovative ways to reduce the amount of packaging used in their products. If you think minimizing waste is as basic as using less paper, think again! Companies have become extremely creative from using vegetable and soy inks, to water soluble products, and even starch based raw materials.

Popular shoe company Puma released some innovative packaging to reinvent the classic shoebox. By using a recycled nonwoven material for the outer packaging and minimal recycled cardboard on the inside, Puma was able to dramatically reduce their cardboard waste by more than half! Many beverage companies have also been switching to post consumer waste (PET) bottles, which are bottles recycled after being discarded by consumers. One example of PET bottles are the popular stainless steel eco-friendly bottles that have emerged on retail shelves over the past few years. In fact, 2010 showed the highest recorded year ever for bottles being recycled into PET bottles!

Think packaging materials are limited to paper, plastic, and glass? Well, water soluble starch packaging materials are emerging as an eco-friendly leader in the packaging industry. Starch Tech Inc, an innovator in eco-friendly packaging solutions, has invented biodegradable packing peanuts! The non- toxic peanuts can be dumped in your kitchen sink after use and dissolved with water. The photo above shows the Starch Tech peanut in the water cup on the left, and a regular packing peanut on the right. Can you see how much the eco-friendly peanut has already dissolved? Sustainable company Ecoactive Design has also created an eco-friendly packaging material called the EcoCradle. The material is actually grown from agricultural byproducts such as mushroom roots to replace synthetically molded packaging foams. Companies are also switching to environmentally friendly printing inks such as vegetable and soy ink. Dion Label Printing offers both soy and water-based solvent-free inks, which you can read more about on our Sustainability webpage.
To read more on packaging material trends, check out GCI Magazine online.
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