Championing Circular Packaging Design

Championing Circular Packaging Design

You might be dreaming of a white Christmas, however, our vision is for a greener world.

Unfortunately, we’ve all seen and experienced more devastating consequences of climate change in recent years. Severe flooding, hurricanes, typhoons and other extreme weather events are occurring more frequently. While we can’t control the weather, we can take action to minimise our carbon footprint.

The focus of COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan this November was ‘In solidarity for a green world’, a mission that we buy into. At the event, Brazil and the UK signalled a desire to ramp up climate action for both environmental and economic reasons. Now, that’s promising to hear, yet we can’t rely on politicians and their commitments to global collaborations. So, we all need to make changes that are focused on lowering our environmental impact. And, that includes circular packaging design.

Motivations for Going Green

Fortunately, sustainability actions have far-reaching benefits, so the motivation isn’t limited to doing good. In our experience, the initial investment in resource and energy-efficient technologies has been offset by cost savings. As one example, we’ve made significant steps to cut waste, which has reduced the cost of waste management and minimised taxes.

In addition, we’ve applied our knowledge of cardboard and other packaging materials to inform and encourage our customers to adopt circular thinking.

What is Circular Packaging Design?

Circular packaging design is about making decisions that encourage the reduction, reuse and recycling of materials.

It means designing packaging solutions that look good and take responsibility for:

• Using the optimum volume of packaging to protect goods without any excess.
• Keeping the range of materials used to a minimum.
• What is likely to happen to the packaging once the product is unboxed?
• Encouraging consumers to refill, reuse or recycle the packaging.
• Increasing the likelihood that the packaging material will be recycled

In some cases, the packaging can be part of the product. This was the case for a British firewood box containing kindling, where the packaging was designed to be safe to burn with the contents. The result is a perfect, warming fire.

At Aylesbury Box Company, we are specialists in the manufacture of cardboard packaging. However, we also offer other sustainable solutions including recycled plastic handles, paper, wool and plant-based fillers, plastic-free coatings and water-based inks. Whenever possible, we recommend solutions made from recycled or waste products that have been given a purpose.

If your brand has prioritised sustainability and you want our advice on solutions to match your green credentials, get in touch. Our friendly team will answer your questions via phone 01296 436888 or email enquiries@abcbox.co.uk.

You are also welcome to read our environmental and social sustainability policy.

Research into Sustainable Packaging Solutions

Our interest in sustainable packaging and circular thinking means we are delighted to hear that UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) has committed investment into research. The research hubs that received funding have innovative solutions that could provide viable alternatives plastic packaging. Equally, they are exploring options for converting existing plastic waste into viable and valuable resources.

Interestingly, biological engineering and enzyme development are the science behind these future packaging solutions. Whether these will replace cardboard is yet to be seen! For now, cardboard remains one of the most widely recycled packaging materials and the recovered fibres are used to make more boxes. What’s more, cardboard packaging is biodegradable and compostable, so it won’t last for decades or more, like plastic.

By proactively reducing our carbon footprint and producing a circular product, the Aylesbury Box Company team feel proud of our business model.