September 2022

Here is all about sustainable packaging. We show you which one you already own and which one to opt for when you need to buy packaging material.
We further give you tips on how to avoid packaging when shopping, as most of the products we buy are packaged.
Plus, below is an overview to help you choose between plastic, paper, metal and glass when standing in front of the shelf.

HOW TO PACK ITEMS SUSTAINABLY?

If you package something, design the packaging sustainably. That is, first take what you have.
If you have to buy packaging, buy sustainable packaging, i.e. packaging made of sustainable material.
Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

PACKAGING YOU ALREADY HAVE/ OWN

The following packaging we all have at home. Often they are by-products of our (daily) consumption.
Get started to create space in your closet to collect all these things to have them available when needed.

The following items are suitable, for example, to wrap gifts, storing food or passing on leftovers, creating order in the house and closet and sorting things.

Glass jars
Carton boxes
(Old) cloth or scarves
Reusable containers (metal, glass, plastic, etc.)
Envelopes
Shoe bags
Bread bags
Shopping bags
Textile ribbons to close and fasten or even decorate.

Check our manual entry on sustainable Gift Wrapping → for more ideas on how to tweak your items to transform them into a sparkling coating.

BUY SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING

When you buy packaging material, make sure that it is sustainable. What does that mean?
Here are a few tips:

Opt for recycled packaging, i.e. that is made of recycled materials, like recycled paper, recycles cotton, recycled plastic, etc.
Check the material for certifications. Watch out for logos like the Blue Angel, Forest Stuart Ship Council (when made of wood), Organic Certification (when made of cotton or other textile material), a B Corp, Cradle2Cradle, EU Ecolabel, etc.
Whatever material it is, the packaging should be reusable, avoid single-use packaging like plastic foil.
Look out for innovations like edible packaging.

SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING - RULES OF THUMB WHEN SHOPPING

The best thing is to avoid packaging. This works quite well for fresh food. Go to your local farmers’ market or the unpacked food shop, and choose unpackaged goods at the supermarket. Or subscribe to a Refillery online service in case you prefer delivery.
For more details, please check our manual entry on Food Packaging →.

If you buy packaged items,

look for reusable packaging.

Look out for innovations like edible packaging or those made from algae and sugar cane that are being developed and set to increase in usage.
Always use reusable containers to take goods from home or to grab them on the go – some shops will provide a discount.
And the less your goods travel, the better - buy local brands!
Buy bulk. This works particularly well with long-life goods like pasta, pulses, detergents, or cleaning products.
In any case, avoid aluminium and tinplate packaging.
Avoid plastic Carrier Bags →.

A comparison of packaging material

Ultimately, no packaging is sustainable. But each material has its pros and cons to consider.
Here is a list to help you foresee your impact:

ALUMINIUM

Aluminium Pros
- Lightweight, small in size and durable.
- The lowest carbon footprint for transportation.
- Endlessly recyclable.
- Helps cool the contained beverage faster.
Aluminium Cons
- Cans in landfill take hundreds of years to decompose.
- Harmful chemicals from cans can cause lasting health issues.
- The rawest material is not in aluminium packaging, meaning mass waste is produced.

GLASS

Glass Pros
- Endlessly recyclable.
- An estimated 80% of used glass goes into making new bottles, significantly reducing the production’s carbon footprint due to needing less energy.
- In landfills, glass leaks harmful chemicals, but recycling eliminates this.
Glass Cons
- Transportation has a large carbon footprint due to its weight, and more material is required to protect its fragility.
- Bottles take over a million years to decompose.
- Used glass is often sent long distances to reach recycling plants, and some places lack the necessary equipment to recycle it.
- The risk of breakage can make it unsafe.

CARTON & PAPER

Carton/Paper Pros
- Both are lightweight and easy to print onto.
- Cartons are 100% recyclable.
- Paper bags only need one month to break down in landfill, and laminated paper needs just 2-5 months.
- With proper forest management, the supply of paper can be sustainably cycled.
- Paper is a renewable resource – it doesn’t use fossil fuels.
Carton/Paper Cons
- Trees have been cut to make it if it's not sustainably sourced.
- The inks used tend to be petroleum-based and acidic.

PLASTIC

Plastic Pros
- Its transportation has a smaller carbon footprint due to its lightweight, tight packing and shorter travel distances.
- It has a long shelf life.
Plastic Cons
- Just a 30% recyclability rate, with many soft plastics not being recyclable.
- Plastic containers take over 450 years to decompose; even then, they only degrade into microplastics.
- Bags and film have a landfill life of 500 to 1,000 years.
- Recycling depends on the composition and polymers of each type, but making packaging out of new plastic is cheaper, which has a huge carbon footprint and relies on large amounts of non-renewables.
- Incinerating PVC plastics emits various harmful toxins.

PACKAGING RECYCLING

It is important to recycle correctly. This means packaging remains in circulation and is reused or transformed into other items as often as possible. In the following, we explain the most common recycling symbols to help you understand recyclability and separate waste properly:

In general:

Opt for packaging that can be easily recycled, such as glass or metal.
Avoid packaging that cannot be recycled. It is technically difficult (and therefore expensive) to separate chemically bonded materials, such as melanin dishes or foiled paper. Most of these are therefore incinerated.

PROMISING PACKAGING ALTERNATIVE: SEAWEED

Stay tuned. There are many upcoming packaging alternatives, such as grass, bamboo, corn, potatoes, sugar cane, etc.
And, there is packaging made of seaweed. Here are some of the rising stars in this sector.

Notpla: Sauce sachets, biodegradable cardboard coating, and home-compostable takeaway boxes.
B'ZEOS: Edible plastic-free drinking straws and food films.
Sway: Creating compostable replacements for plastic packaging.
C-Combinator (Carbonwave): Using seaweed to address regenerative agriculture, sustainable manufacturing, and scalable carbon sequestration.
FlexSea: Redefining single-use plastic packaging with an innovative seaweed-derived material
OCEANIUM: Developing a range called Ocean Ware for various packaging applications.
LOLIWARE Inc.: Plastic-free straws in various colours.
Evoware: Ello Jello seaweed-based disposable cups and seaweed sheeting.
Searo: Scalable, sustainable technology from seaweed
Kelpi: Take the plastic out of the packaging. Seaweed-based composite film for various packaging solutions.