Earth Day comes around each year bringing up conversations about sustainable packaging options. At Indepak, we have quite a few options that can help you reduce your carbon footprint while still protecting your precious products.
Our Commitment To Sustainability
It might surprise you to learn that a plastic packaging manufacturer is focused on sustainable packaging, but this is actually something we’ve been working on for more than 50 years. Our headquarters are located in the Portland, Oregon metro area, which has long been a center of environmental innovation. At Indepak, we’ve been reducing, reusing and recycling long before it was popular or required.
We have received several environmental awards from our city, including the Gresham Great Recycler and Great Business awards. We also have attained ISO 14001:2015 certification, which is an internationally recognized set of standards. Only companies that adhere to these standards, which pertain to minimizing our operation’s impact on the environment, can earn this certification and we strive always to go beyond these standards, resulting in a very low-waste operation in every part of the company.
Sustainable Packaging Options
Our design team creates custom packaging for a wide range of industries including the specialty foods industry, medical and pharmaceutical industry, agricultural industry and electronics industry. Additionally, we design and produce retail packaging for a myriad of products, from office supplies to toys to personal care items and beyond.
One of our most popular sustainable packaging options is creating packaging using recycled content rather than opting for virgin materials. We can create a portion of your packaging using recycled content or create the package entirely out of recycled content, depending on your budget. Either way, this can be an excellent way to boost your company’s sustainability factor.
We also can create packaging using starch-based biomaterials. These bioplastics are created using renewable resources, such as corn starch. If you’d prefer to avoid traditional plastics, this may be an option to consider. It is important to keep in mind, however, that bioplastics may or may not be compostable, but typically even if they are biodegradable or compostable or recyclable, they will need to be taken to a facility that can create the conditions necessary to break down these materials.
While bioplastics won’t simply compost or degrade in a typical landfill and most cannot be handled by a recycling center, using plastic materials from a renewable source is an eco-friendly option and as the demand for bioplastics grows, more recycling and composting options are sure to become available.
While bioplastics and plastics with recycled content can be sustainable packaging options, our design team also works diligently to reduce packaging sizes, which reduces the amount of plastic needed for your packaging project. This is just another way we work toward a greener future. Additionally, just about every material we use at Indepak is recyclable and after we have created your packaging, any remaining plastic is always recycled for use in a future project.
Why Plastics Can Be A Sustainable Packaging Choice
Whether you opt to use bioplastics, plastics with recycled content or even ask us to produce plastic packaging made from virgin materials, plastics have some significant advantages over other types of packaging materials.
Did you know that transporting items in plastic packaging requires far less energy than transporting packaging made from glass, aluminum or even cardboard or paper materials? In terms of weight, plastic is the lightest packaging material available, and you will use far fewer fossil fuels transporting products encased in plastic packaging than with other materials, and that is a big win for the planet as well as your budget because it costs less to transport lighter items.
When it comes to food packaging and medical packaging, plastics are highly protective. With plastic modified atmosphere packaging, you can keep food products fresh and safe for far longer than with other packaging materials. This allows you to expand your market, but it also reduces food waste, which is a huge issue in the United States and around the world.
At Indepak, we have served the specialty foods industry for decades and can create any type of custom food packaging you might need. If you need MAP packaging, we will work with your lidding supplier to ensure material compatibility.
Plastic medical packaging also can ensure that the items in a medical kit remain sterile until use, which is crucial in any medical setting. We can create medical packaging suitable for non-sterile and downstream sterilization applications, and we provide detailed record-keeping down to the box level. Plastics are the only materials that truly provide the level of safety needed by the medical and pharmaceutical industries.
Types Of Sustainable Packaging From Indepak
Through the years, we’ve designed packaging for thousands of companies, and we can create all types of blister packaging, including trap blisters, face seal blisters and more. We also are clamshell packaging experts, and we can provide you with a variety of sealing options, including RF welding and heat sealing.
If you need thermoform trays, we can provide you with these as well. We can create trays for retail products, medical kits, toys, specialty food products and much more. We also can design tubs, with or without lids. If you need a completely unique packaging design that doesn’t fit into these aforementioned categories, our design team will create something that meets your specifications, including finding ways to create the most sustainable packaging possible.
Get Started Today! If you need custom product packaging, the team at Indepak has 50 years of experience and innovation behind it. We can provide you with a sustainable packaging solution that meets your needs and your budget. To get started, just fill out our quick Contact Us form or call us at (800) 526-6273 or email at sales2@indepak.com.
