Companies need to change their current ways and learn how they can adopt more environmentally friendly packaging for their products because there are several different benefits that can come from green packaging to not only the environment but also the company itself.
The most common and mostly thought of benefit from environmentally friendly packaging is to the environment. Green packaging helps reduce the environmental footprint that companies are currently leaving behind. When companies switch to greener products, the amount of raw materials needed is greatly reduced. Another plus of using reduced material for green packaging is that it uses a lot less energy to make because of the less amounts of material that are used; also, there are less carbon emissions being made from green packaging than there are when using regular packaging. Landfills will also be less abundant as green packaging decomposes faster than normal packaging.
Although it may seem more expensive for companies to go green with their packaging, these same companies need to remember the rules of supply and demand. At first, green packaging may be a bit more expensive since there is a small supply due to a small demand for it but if more companies were to switch to green packaging, then the demand for it will increase, causing the supply to also increase, all the while making the cost go down. The prices will decrease as the producers of the green packaging products will begin to compete with each other for the business of the companies. Environmentally friendly packaging is amazing when it comes to helping promote and sell because it helps expand the customer base. Today, it is important for people to be environmentally conscious of their daily lives and choices so when they see a company who is trying to do their part in the fight for a more sustainable Earth, chances are that they will be more inclined to help support that business by buying from it more often (which in-turn helps produce more income). People may also want to support an environmentally friendly company because, as mentioned earlier, it can also help them with the cost of shipping.
Environmentally friendly packaging is beneficial to all involved. It is, basically, a win-win-win for everyone. The producers of the environmentally friendly packaging will gain a higher demand for their products causing more income, the companies using the environmentally friendly packaging will be able to sell and ship more due to the lower cost and higher number of customers, and the people buying the products will be happy because they are supporting a company that is taking responsibility for their part in helping take care of the planet. A change in what products are being used is best for everyone involved, not just the Earth as most people assumed. If more companies did research, they would understand that becoming environmentally friendly with their packaging is not as hard as it is made out to be, that is why companies need to change their current ways and adopt more environmentally friendly packaging techniques.
Xochitl Jasmin Ramirez
Arizona State University