Disposable, single-use plastic may be everywhere now, but things haven’t always been that way. From canvas shopping bags to cloth diapers to the milk bottles collected every morning by the milkman, reusable goods were once the norm. With consumer concern growing over the enormous amount of single-use plastic that ends up in waterways and landfills, many are asking: Could it be possible to turn back the clock to a time when everything wasn’t quite so disposable?
The business community has begun to take consumers seriously when they ask for more sustainable packaging. The global market for sustainable packaging continues to grow, and nearly every industry is now examining its options for creating cleaner and greener packaging. From consumer products to heavy industry, reusable and eco-friendly shipping materials are making their way into our lives and businesses.
At Air Sea Containers, we always stay on top of the latest packaging trends so that our customers can come to us as a trusted source for information. Today, we’ll talk about the revolution in reusable packaging and the industries in which you can see that trend playing out most prominently. We’ll also throw a spotlight on some of Air Sea’s most popular reusable packaging and eco-friendly packaging options to show our customers the kind of sustainable packaging that can help create a better world for businesses, families and individuals alike.
What Is Reusable Packaging?
Reusable packaging, quite simply, is packaging that can be used more than once. Anything from a food container to a pallet can be reusable when created according to the principles of sustainable packaging, which include:
- Used and recovered in a closed loop system
- Designed to use materials and energy efficiently
- Competitive in both cost and performance
- Uses recycled or renewable materials wherever possible
Both retail and wholesale packaging can be reusable. Retail packaging relies on consumers to return and/or reuse it, while wholesale packaging relies on other businesses to do the same—and, unfortunately, obstacles like return logistics have made the implementation of reusable packaging slower than many had hoped for. However, the barriers to reusable packaging are beginning to break down, thanks to concerted efforts by innovators in the packaging industry.
Explore Our Eco-Friendly Packaging OptionsObstacles to Reusable Packaging
If reusable packaging were that easy, everyone would be doing it. So, what are the major obstacles preventing reusable packaging from becoming a bigger part of daily life and commerce? There are a few major reasons why reusable packaging has taken some time to catch on:
- Historically, reusable packaging has been more expensive than disposable packaging. This cost barrier was once the biggest barrier to implementation for reusable packaging, but packaging suppliers like Air Sea have recently begun to offer cutting-edge new green packaging materials that are as cost-effective as they are sustainable. In addition, studies indicate that many consumers are now willing to pay more for sustainably produced and packaged goods.
- Return logistics can often be costly for reusable packaging that has to be returned to the manufacturer. That’s why many of the companies that have deployed reusable packaging most successfully are ones that interface directly with the customer in person, so packaging can be returned easily and cost-effectively. However, businesses such as Blueland (whom we’ll talk about under “Personal Care” below) have begun to find various other creative ways to get around this problem.
- For some industries, reusable packaging simply hasn’t been widely available. Fortunately, that’s changing as well as innovations in materials science continue to produce cutting-edge sustainable packaging solutions.
The business world is still working on breaking down these barriers, but progress is being made every day. The six industries we’ll discuss below are working particularly hard to integrate reusable packaging into their product lines, whether it’s retail or wholesale packaging—and all have great reusable packaging options available from Air Sea Containers.
6 Industries Exploring Reusable Shipping Materials
1. Food and Beverage
The food and beverage industry produces a disproportionate share of the world’s plastic waste, so it makes sense that they would be on the front lines of introducing reusable packaging solutions. What’s more, new evidence shows that sustainable packaging actually represents a big opportunity to save money for the industry, making it a win-win for both the bottom line and the environment.
The beer industry has been an early adopter of reusable packaging. Of course, they invented the keg—the king of reusable shipping materials—but beer lovers now have a wide range of reusable materials to fill up. That includes growlers, amber glass jugs that do a great job of protecting the delicate products inside. Many breweries now offer discounted refills for customers who bring back their old growlers, creating a virtuous cycle of use and re-use that’s good for both brewers and their customers. Amber glass growlers are available wholesale at a low price from Air Sea Containers.
On the wholesale side, food and beverage businesses can also benefit from using materials such as reusable shipping pallets. Although wooden pallets are reusable, they’re often used only once and thrown away. More durable pallets, such as plastic pallets and aluminum pallets, can save businesses money and reduce the environmental impact of throwing away dozens or hundreds of wooden pallets per day.
2. Personal Care
The personal care industry—soap, shampoo, shaving needs, toilet paper and more—is another one that creates more than its fair share of packaging waste. Think of how many soap or shampoo bottles the average person throws away per year, and you’ll see that it adds up. Fortunately, personal care companies are now beginning to offer an increased number of reusable packaging options.
Artisan beauty product manufacturer Lush has offered its products in innovative and green packaging for years, and now the company has even debuted what it calls the world’s first “carbon-positive” packaging made with cork. In general, Lush is a leader in reusable and upcycled packaging, shipping many of their products in reusable metal tins and even partnering with the Ocean Legacy Foundation to use plastic waste from the ocean as a packaging material.
The cleaning products startup Blueland has also created an innovative system for reusable packaging for household products. Blueland customers buy a set of high-quality reusable acrylic bottles, which can then be refilled by combining warm water and refill tablets sold by the manufacturer. It’s a smart way to do eco-friendly packaging while providing customers with a great value.
Personal care businesses looking for reusable packaging options will love our array of glass bottles and jugs and plastic bottles and jugs. These packaging materials are highly durable and reusable, and they’re ideal for storing cleaning solutions, soap, perfume and nearly any household product you can think of.
3. Chemicals
While retail industries like food and beverages have been using disposable packaging for years, reusable packaging is actually the norm in many wholesale industries. Chemicals are one example, thanks to the industry’s heavy use of shipping drums.
The biggest names in the chemical industry transport thousands of shipping drums every day, and many of them trust shipping drums for shipping their most sensitive hazardous materials. Both steel shipping drums and polyethylene shipping drums are highly durable containers that can be used again and again. With the proper equipment, reconditioning a shipping drum for reuse is a relatively quick process that allows old steel and polyethylene drums to be reused indefinitely.
IBC totes are another popular reusable shipping method for the chemical industry. With their enormous capacity of 275 gallons and up and their durable plastic-and-metal construction, IBC containers can create big savings through their efficiency and reusability. If IBC totes are cleaned carefully, they can be used again and again for shipping.
Air Sea Containers offers reconditioned shipping drums and IBC totes at affordable prices. We use a professional reconditioning process with steam and heavy-duty cleaners that leaves drums free of residue and ready to be used again. (Note that reconditioned drums aren’t approved for food and beverage applications.)
4. Electronics
Electronic gear is full of screens, switches and other parts that can be easily damaged, so electronics packaging needs to offer serious protection. Unfortunately, the most protective shipping materials have often been the least eco-friendly. However, today’s eco-friendly shipping materials for electronics are better than they’ve ever been.
Opus Bio Air Pillows are ideal for shipping sensitive electronics that need to be insulated from shocks and sudden shifts. These advanced biodegradable air cushions represent a huge forward leap in sustainable packaging. For one thing, they’re completely reusable and stand up to repeated use. For another, they’re made from a special plastic that’s 100 percent biodegradable and even compostable. Opus Bio Air Pillows break down completely in 12 to 24 months and, unlike some plastics, are completely biodegradable and leave no residue behind.
Experienced electronics shippers will also know that packing peanuts have traditionally not been a good choice for electronics due to the static they create, not to mention the fact that they’re less environmentally friendly than other materials. However, Air Sea Containers’ biodegradable sealed air packing peanuts are made from plant-based materials rather than Styrofoam, giving them anti-static properties that make them a superior option for shipping static-sensitive electronics. In addition, they’re reusable and recyclable.
5. Shipping
By its very nature, the shipping industry intersects with almost every other industry at some point. Other industries rely on the shipping industry to move their goods, so any sustainability created in the world of shipping is likely to create improvements at every level.
The shipping industry is already one of the biggest industries for reusable packaging, thanks to its decades-long use of corrugated shipping containers. These durable metal containers are built to last and often used for 10 years, 20 years or more. Air Sea Containers offers great prices on new and used shipping containers for businesses looking for a reusable shipping and/or storage solution that can potentially last them decades.
Reusable dunnage air bags are another important improvement in the shipping industry. Dunnage air bags are critical for protecting cargo from shifting while in transit, and Air Sea Containers’ reusable dunnage air bags represent another opportunity for shippers to improve their sustainability through reusable shipping materials.
6. Medical/Pharmaceutical
The medical field and the pharmaceutical industry both have a huge demand for something that not all industries have to worry about: precise temperature control for every shipment. Biological specimens and many pharmaceuticals must be shipped within a very specific temperature range, so they require advanced shipping materials that can be challenging to find in a reusable form.
Fortunately, temperature-controlled packaging is now available in increasingly sustainable designs. Air Sea offers our refreezable Bio-Bottle packaging that can keep biological specimens properly cooled for multiple days at a time when packed with the included high-performance phase change materials.
We also offer an industry-leading reusable cooling solution with our reusable refrigerant gel packs. Unlike dry ice or some other chemical refrigerants, these refrigerant gel packs are safe to handle and non-toxic, and they can easily be refrozen and used again as many times as necessary.
The world of reusable packaging will take some time to get used to, and the new solutions won’t arrive all at once. But there’s no mistaking the fact that consumers and businesses alike are waking up to their environmental impact, and as they continue to do so, we can all expect to see more effort to create more sustainable and reusable solutions.
Air Sea Containers has over 20 years of experience as a leader in commercial and industrial packaging, and we’re proud to keep up with the latest demands in eco-friendly packaging. Need more information about how we can help make your packaging solutions more sustainable? Just call us at (866) 596-9448 to talk to our packaging experts or contact us online for catalogs, product specs and more.
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