Sustainability

When it comes to being environmentally friendly, folding cartons are among the best types of packaging available. Their primary substrate is paper, which is a renewable resource, and the cartons themselves can be recycled and reused multiple times. Whether using paper with virgin fiber or recycled content, both options are environmentally-friendly. 

But there are ways to further reduce your packaging’s impact on the environment. Here are five steps you can take:

1. Choose a biodegradable adhesive.

Most folding cartons are sealed with some type of adhesive. Traditional adhesives often contain harmful chemicals, so improve the sustainability of your packaging by requesting an adhesive that’s biodegradable. When the package breaks down, it won’t release toxic chemicals into the environment. 

2. Use water- or vegetable-based inks. 

Traditional inks are oil-based and release toxic chemicals (called VOCs) into the air during the printing process. By printing your folding cartons with water-based ink, you eliminate a source of toxic emissions. Vegetable-based inks break down even more quickly and easily than water-based inks, making your folding cartons even easier to recycle.

3. Avoid Lamination.

Recycling requires the different substrates used in the packaging to be separated into the appropriate recycling streams. Once plastic film is laminated to paper, that paper becomes much more difficult for mills to de-pulp and reuse.

4. Make the recycling logo visible.

Your packaging might be recyclable, but do your customers know? If you’ve gone to the effort to design in recyclability, make sure the recycling logo is visible on the outside. Don’t make your customers go looking for it.

5. Choose a paper with an environmental certification such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).

Each of these organizations ensures that every step – from harvesting to manufacturing – is done ethically and to rigorous environmental standards. When you choose environmentally certified paperboard, you can add this logo to your packaging and let your customers know that you’ve gone a step above and beyond. 

At Hatteras, we are committed to helping you create packaging solutions that not only meet your business needs but also align with your sustainability goals. However you boost the sustainability of your packaging, be sure to alert shoppers on the packaging itself. This way, your customers are fully aware of all the steps you’ve taken to reduce your carbon footprint and care for the planet we all live on. As a certified Sustainable Green Printing Partner (SGP) with expertise in printing and packaging, Hatteras can help ensure your packaging is both visually appealing and environmentally responsible.

As print buyers, we all want to be friendly to the earth, but what is the best strategy for doing so? Often, our first thought is to use recycled paper with varying percentages of post-consumer waste (PCW) content, and this is a good approach. Yet there are other ways to make earth-friendly decisions when designing and ordering print materials. Let’s look at six simple ways beyond recycled paper to make your print more sustainable.

#1. Spec paper with virgin fiber. While this might seem counterintuitive, virgin fiber is an important aspect of the sustainable print lifecycle. Sixty percent of forests in the United States are privately owned. Demand for pulp-based products keeps our forests a viable source of income for forest owners, making them a valuable asset. If private forests don’t provide revenue, they risk being sold for other revenue-generating opportunities like real estate.

Virgin fiber is also a vital component of the recycling stream. Paper fibers can only be recycled five to seven times before they are no longer usable. To maintain a strong, high-quality pool of recycled paper, virgin fiber must be flowing into the system.

#2. Ask for environmentally friendly inks and coatings. While solvent-based inks and coatings have many benefits, including extremely high scuff-resistance, their use in the print production process emits toxic fumes, and the resulting products cannot be recycled. Water-based inks and coatings, on the other hand, have high performance qualities and do not emit toxic VOCs. Many coatings allow the paper to be repulped and recycled, as well.

#3. Avoid lamination. If you’re specing packaging, try to avoid designs that require lamination. Once plastic film is laminated to paper, that paper becomes much more difficult for mills to de-pulp and reuse. 

#4. Limit foil stamping. Some sources claim that the use of foil stamping in your printed materials does not negatively impact the recycling stream, while other sources state that foil should be used on less than 30% of the material for it to be safely recycled. 

#5. Utilize print-on-demand.  Marketers often print a significant supply of “overs” and store materials in inventory to cover possible future needs. When inventory becomes obsolete and gets thrown away, you’re wasting money and the environmental resources (consumables, chemicals, and energy to run the press) used to create those materials. Making the decision to print-on-demand helps you reduce your environmental impact and reduce your cost.

#6. Clean and de-dupe your customer lists. Nothing says “waste” like undeliverable mail. For the lowest environmental footprint, keep your mailing list accurate, up to date, and free of duplicates.

Each of these six proactive measures counts. Follow all six and you’re a sustainability hero!

Embrace a greener future with Hatteras as your sustainability partner. Our expertise in sustainable printing can help your business make a positive environmental impact. 

Consumers of health and wellness products are demanding more from their brands when it comes to sustainability. From naturally-sourced ingredients and clean labels, to recyclable packaging and sustainable business practices that encompass the entire supply chain, It was a change that was bound to happen.

A strong sense of holistic personal wellness can’t help but foster an awareness of the health of the world around us, and the old “greenwashing” marketing tactic has become much more under the spotlight. This is why genuine sustainability messaging is becoming more integral to wellness brand marketing every day.

A 2021 Global Sustainability study found that 85% of consumers are changing their shopping habits to incorporate a greener lifestyle, particularly in the younger demographics, and governments are already acting to support this shift as well. The new Anti-waste and Circular Economy Law plans to phase out single-use plastic packaging by 2040, and in the U.S., states like Colorado are following the examples of Oregon and Washington in the gradual elimination of plastic bags.

For wellness brands, this means that a full commitment to sustainability is absolutely necessary to remain relevant, competitive, and most importantly, genuine. As one of the first points of contact between you and your customers, reflecting this commitment in your packaging is essential when it comes to maintaining authenticity, creating a cohesive brand image, and increasing customer loyalty.

Authenticity Resonates in Wellness Brand Marketing

As abundant access to information continues to pull back the curtain on tried and true marketing tactics, businesses can no longer rely on gimmicks or catchphrases to elevate themselves in the eyes of their customers. Brands need to be authentic. This is particularly the case in sustainability-focused wellness brand marketing. 

But brand authenticity goes beyond customer perceptions of how well a brand aligns with its own stated values; authenticity also encompasses how well a brand enables consumers to remain true to themselves. This is where incorporating sustainable packaging comes in.

Opting for recyclable packaging materials and circular packaging systems doesn’t just serve as physical representations of your commitment to sustainability, it also reassures your customers that they are not going against their own values by continuing to buy from you. This is essential as the focus of our society continues to shift toward personal environmental responsibility.

In terms of the slightly higher costs that may come with sustainable packaging, even that may not be a deterrent if your customers feel the decreased environmental impact is worth it. In fact, one study found that 74% of consumers are willing to pay higher prices for sustainable packaging. 

Genuine Sustainability Messaging Stands Out

In a 2022 study, 69% of consumers said that eco-friendly packaging was what prompted them to return to a brand. This number may even increase in the future as environmentally-savvy Millennials and Gen-Xers continue to take over as the dominant consumer demographic. One thing is clear: it’s likely that sustainable packaging will soon become non-negotiable for the vast majority of consumers.

In the sphere of wellness brand marketing, this presents a unique opportunity for brands to stand out as leading voices in sustainability within the industry.

The good news is that sustainable packaging makes this easy. While many still associate high-gloss plastics and single-use packaging with luxury, there is a growing movement that wants to change this. 

The aesthetics of simple cardboard packaging and other earthy, eco-friendly materials are set to take the consumer world by storm. Packaging designers can help your wellness brand feel more grounded and connected to sustainability practices. With materials like recyclable cardboard and paper-based products, you can create a unique look for your wellness brand that prioritizes your customer’s holistic experience, rather than catering to an aesthetic that will likely fall out of favor in the coming years.

Lead by Example With Sustainable Packaging from Hatteras

Wellness brand marketing that showcases an authentic commitment to sustainability will do more than connect with customers on their values. It will also position the brands that do take early action on this as thought leaders and proactive problem solvers.

The demand for sustainable packaging is only going to grow. A packaging partner that has experience blending sustainability with aesthetics for a strong communication of brand personality and values will soon be an invaluable part of your business.

As a certified Sustainable Green Printing Partner (SGP), Hatteras places sustainability at the heart of everything we do without compromising on quality. We offer a wide variety of packaging options ranging from folding cartons to influencer kits to point-of-sale displays, that are produced using eco-friendly print technology.

Reach out today to find out how we can help you ingrain sustainability into your wellness brand marketing strategy.