A major part of "green living" is finding ways to reduce consumer waste. As more consumers turn their attention to being more environmentally conscious, waste reduction is paramount to their purchasing decisions. Fortunately, packaging suppliers have been responding with eco-friendly shopping solutions designed to reduce our "carbon footprint" on the world.
"There are so many options for the retailer to consider when making eco-friendly, in-store packaging choices," states Dave Spendiff, v.p. of sales and marketing for Gift Box Corporation of America. "Our paper bags, both plain and colored, are all recyclable, and some are made with varying amounts of post-consumer or post-industrial paper waste and can be printed with water- or soy-based inks."
According to Spendiff, Gift Box produces a variety of environmentally friendly choices to take the concept of green packaging well beyond the traditional brown paper bag. While eco-friendly packaging does come with a slightly higher cost - approximately 10 to 15 percent, according to Spendiff, he points out that a growing number of consumers generally don't mind paying a little extra for environmentally conscious materials. "We must all do our part -- the manufacturer, retailer and consumer alike -- to make wise choices to preserve the resources we have."
Gift Box has expanded its selection of green packaging products to offer a variety of designs and solid colors in recycled boxes, bags and tissues - all of which can be personalized with the retailer's logo. In addition, the company also produces one of the most popular products in terms of recent green trends: reusable shopping bags. "Much of what we are seeing in the marketplace now is the bag made of a fairly durable, non-woven fabric that gains its 'green' credentials from the fact that they can be reused time and again," explains Spendiff. "In fact, some of the non-woven bags are themselves made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled materials, like plastic milk cartons."
One example of reusable canvas bags made of recycled materials is the line of "Inconvenient Lifestyle Bags" from The Inconvenient Bag, which offers both branded and custom-branded bags. Says Marc Sahara, president and creative director of the company: "For our branded bags, we use certified organic cotton. For our custom branding, we offer cotton, certified organic cotton or hemp. We also offer different printing options depending on the fabric, design and colors used on the bags, from heat transfer to water-, vegetable- and PVC-free-based inks."
The Inconvenient Bag carries a variety of reusable shopping bags in different sizes and styles, from its original "Save The Polar Bears" bag emblazoned with the company's "It's Worth the Hassle" slogan, to its "Talking Owls" design that urges consumers to "Recycle the Love" for our environment. "From a business standpoint, retailers need to see that some of their traditional ways of doing business are outmoded. They need to rethink their business strategies and offer the new, green products their consumers are demanding," comments Sahara.
The retail-packaging company Bags and Bows has also realigned its product line to incorporate more environmentally friendly offerings. "We've introduced many new eco-friendly packaging products, from shopping bags and giftwrap to boxes and tissue papers," says Barbara Whitney, associate merchandise manager.
For example, the company's new "Manhattan Eco Euro Totes" come in a range of eco-friendly substrates, including 100 percent bamboo. "The 'Manhattan Eco Euro Tote' line is the latest in a Euro shopper-style bags," reports Whitney. "They have cotton twill handles, sophisticated designs and are available in a range of recycled contents, making them very eco-stylish. We also have a line of reusable, woven shoppers called 'L.A. Shopaholic Shoppers' that reduce customers' impact on the environment because they can be used again and again. They're available in four trendy colors and two different sizes."
Another company producing environmentally friendly packaging is Nashville Wraps. In 2008, the company introduced its "Green Way" line of eco-friendly, in-store packaging products, and now many of its new designs are made from recycled materials and branded under the "Green Way" line. "Last year, we introduced eight new Christmas designs made from 30 to 100 percent recycled material, and this spring we introduced five new 'Green Way' collections," notes Joni Compton, advertising coordinator for Nashville Wraps. "What's more, we've introduced recycled gloss shopping bags and offer recycled giftwrap for retail packaging."
The company's "Green Way" line includes a variety of in-store packaging products, including recycled-paper and plastic shopping bags; recycled tissue paper; recycled giftwrap and ribbons; recycled gift, candy and gable boxes; and even recycled gift basket shred. "They all vary in content from 25 percent to many being 100 percent recycled materials," says Compton, adding, "Many of our gift and gourmet boxes, along with our jewelry boxes, are made from 100 percent recycled box board, and we also carry biodegradable cello bags and cello rolls, as well as reusable shopping bags."
"There is simply an endless number of environmentally friendly choices available to retailers to take advantage of," remarks Spendiff. "Ever since the first astronauts looked down on the Earth and shared their pictures of our little self-contained planet, the realization that we must be stewards of our own environmental destiny has slowly gained a stronger foothold. We should all know by now that what happens on the Earth stays on the Earth!" Article Captions:
1. Gift Box Corporation of America (800/GIFTBOX) offers this jute tote ($12 retail) made from natural, renewable plant fiber.
2. Poppy Fields shopping bags ($68 wholesale/assortment) from the "Green Way" line of Nashville Wraps (800/547-9727) are made from 30% recycled gloss white kraft paper.
3. "Manhattan Eco Euro Tote Shoppers" ($142.95/100 wholesale) from Bags & Bows (800/225-8155) comes in six colors.
