Plastic. It’s not me, it’s you
Packaging plays a huge part in the production of plastic - what can we use as alternatives to plastic packaging products? Find out in this article.
It seems everyone has jumped on the anti-plastic bandwagon. Ever since David Attenborough declared plastic as the enemy of the ocean, we’ve started seeing and hearing more and more about how “harmful” plastic is for the environment. I’m sure you’ve heard statistics like: eight million tonnes of plastic are dumped into our ocean every year, plastic bags can take up to 1000 years to decompose and, more than 40% of plastic is used to create packaging.
Now, not by any means are we going to sit here and defend plastic to the extent that we’re saying, “it’s not harmful for our environment”, because it is. But, only because of the way we (as humans) carelessly dump/ decide not to recycle it appropriately. The right plastic can be recycled many, many times, is extremely durable and cheap to produce. Put simply, plastic is not our enemy, our single-use mindset is.
In an ideal world, we’d have everyone recycle plastics perfectly by tomorrow, but this isn’t realistic is it? So, seeing as packaging plays a huge part in the production of plastic - what can we use as alternatives to plastic packaging products?
Alternatives to plastic packaging
At Swiftpak, we take recycling and the health of our environment very seriously. With our extensive range of recyclable and eco-friendly packaging products, we encourage and help others to stay away from single-use plastics.
Biobased Machine Stretch wrap
Have you heard of biobased machine stretch wrap? It’s an extremely new, eco-friendly alternative to machine stretch wrap. Thanks to its micro layer technology, the performance, tear resistance and cost-effectiveness is much greater than regular machine stretch wrap. On top of this, it produces a 90% lower carbon footprint. If this sounds like an eco-friendly product you’d be interested in, get in touch with Swiftpak today.
Biodegradable Foam Chips & Paper Void Fill
Do you currently use plastic void fill? Why not try biodegradable foam chips or paper voidfill, these options are manufactured using natural materials and are either 100% biodegradable or recyclable. A lot less harmful for our environment!
Paper Tape
Paper tape is a perfect alternative to manual plastic tapes. Being made from renewable natural resources means that paper tape is 100% recyclable. Not only does this help protect our environment from plastic pollution, many companies find that using paper tape boosts their green credibility with existing and potential customers.
Reinforced Paper Machine Tape
Are you a frequent user of machine tape? If so, our reinforced paper machine tape is a perfect eco-friendly alternative, and it’s stronger too. You could help protect the environment as well as your goods. two for the price of one! This product is brand new, so if you want to try it, get in touch.
What are the government’s views on plastic packaging?
Put simply, we’re going to start seeing fewer plastics being used in the packaging industry. But why’s this? The government has announced that by April 2022, a new tax on the production of plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled material will be introduced.
Not only this, but the government has now introduced a ban on all single use plastics by 2021. With these new laws, the world is swiftly moving to an eco-friendlier way of packaging, and rightly so.
With increased production costs, new taxes coming in 2022 and the global drive to reduce plastic consumption, there has never been a better time to start substituting your plastic packaging for greener alternatives. If you’d like to see how Swiftpak could reduce the amount of plastic packaging your business uses, get in touch today to speak to one of our packaging experts.