Sustainable Packaging Promotes Brand Reputation

Being able to differentiate your business from competitors requires out of the box thinking. Consumers research online before purchasing goods and services, and they are making better decisions on what to buy and from whom. Therefore transparency in business practices and production is key to getting more sales and customer loyalty.

Choosing to go with sustainable packaging, for example, can work well for your brand’s reputation as customers demand environmental change that extends through the entire supply chain from product production to delivery.

Here are a few reasons for using sustainable practices.

Eco-friendly Business Promotion

Being able to differentiate yourself from others within the industry is one of the biggest challenges for any business out there. Regardless of the industry, most successful enterprises are competing for customers from the same niche target market. Therefore one way you can change for the better is to analyse how you can make real change in your supply chain and business processes.

Start with packaging, as it’s what most of your customers will see first, especially if they’ve made a purchase in your online store. First impressions are lasting so while most orders are shipped in plain brown boxes, you could customise your packaging, so it has a unique look.

Make all wrappings instantly identifiable with your brand and at the same time make sure you promote with a statement and logo that the coverings are made from a sustainable material that can be recycled.

Also consider creating a company-wide sustainability statement and unique logo that is proudly presented on all packaging as well as on your website, in your online store and in your marketing and adverting campaigns.

Reduce Waste

Now more than ever, individuals and businesses are taking steps to be more environmentally friendly, and their efforts stretch beyond the materials used, it’s also to do with waste and reducing their carbon footprint. To reduce packaging waste, start with reducing the size of boxes. When the boxes are smaller, it means there is less material that needs to be placed inside to fill the void within.

Some sophisticated packaging solutions take care of protecting the contents without the need to use polystyrene fillers or plastics.

Reducing waste in the business is a topic we’ll cover in another article; however, what’s inherently relevant to packaging, and the use of plastics is the time it takes to break down many types of materials used in products and packaging. Plastics, for example, take hundreds of years to decompose therefore companies making better choices like using boxes that are merely corrugated for protecting the goods will please customers.

Oversized boxes increase the delivery fees, too so your business can also communicate to the customer how changing the packaging is saving them money. That’s a win-win if there ever was one. Another benefit for your business with custom packaging is you can negotiate to get a better deal with transit providers.

Smaller parcels take up less space so you can pack more goods into the vehicles for less cost.

Move To An Online Store

If you can move to an online store only to reduce waste. The shop front is your website, and you can use product photography to provide the visual of the product for the consumer. Also, consider creating short product videos demonstrating the product in use. With no physical store, your business is reducing its carbon footprint and actual waste. Products don’t need to be displayed, and there’s no need for banner displays.

More businesses realise the physical store is no longer a necessity and customers will make purchases site unseen, i.e. without actually seeing or touching the actual product. Extended returns policies take care of the need for returning goods for full refunds or replacements.

Summary

The power is with the consumer, and they’re saying they want businesses to be more environmentally friendly. The opportunity to use sustainable materials in products and packaging is there for all businesses, and the early adopters are reaping the rewards, with the laggards struggling to survive. If you want your business to thrive, maybe it’s time to invest in waste reduction and more eco-friendly practices to win over the customer.