According to a Transparency Market Research study, the global sustainable packaging market is estimated to register growth at 5.3 % CAGR, hitting a market value of over $52 billion by 2026.
The anti-plastics movement certainly has many consumer packaged goods companies (CPGs) shifting gears.
Persona Nutrition is one company that recently made the jump from plastic to biodegradable vitamin packs. The personalized nutrition brand said they still meet the same safety standards as the previous packs, they're just better for the environment.
“We evaluated the best way to reduce the carbon footprint of each order and worked with suppliers to innovate more sustainable materials while maintaining the medical-grade sterilization required. This has been an initiative of ours for the past several months,’ said Jason Brown, founder and CEO of Persona. “We needed to ensure that the new packaging material could seamlessly feed into our current packaging machines while still resembling the current tear-off pouches that our customers appreciate.”
Breaking green packaging down
The new ‘Sustainability’ page, explains how the shipping box, dispenser box and brochure are all made from a mix of recycled and virgin fibers that are recyclable.
The new vitamin packs themselves are biodegradable, so they can be thrown in the garbage, garden or compost bin where they will start to break down in about 80 days. They are made using four ingredients: moisture-proof cellophane derived from wood and other plants, polybutylene succinate with rice powder, organic solvent and biomass ink.
Brown added that the new packaging will not have any impact on shelf life, which is 6 months.
In addition to the new packaging, Brown told NutraIngredients-USA, “Another sustainability effort this year included eliminating the shrink wrapping for each dispenser box, which resulted in the elimination of tons of plastic.”
While the more Earth-friendly packaging does cost more, Brown said the added expense will not be passed on to the consumer.
“Brands should analyze the costs and related benefits of incorporating sustainability attributes into their packaging,” said Joshua Schall of J. Schall Consulting.
Schall, a CPG strategist, said brands need to understand their consumers’ awareness of and interest in different sustainability attributes as they plan out future initiatives while delivering on consumers’ expectations.
Consumers weigh in
“Even with the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, today’s consumers consider the environmental implications of what they consume more than the generations before them, with Millennials being long been considered the change agent,” noted Schall.
Indeed, consumers are informed and more opinionated than ever, and the successful brands are listening.
“We’ve received requests from our customers who love the program but wished we had more sustainable packaging. We are excited to deliver our new biodegradable packs to these customers and others who are looking for sustainable nutrition – not just in a lasting program, but also one that’s good for the environment,” said Brown.
According to the 2018 Global Sustainability Index Institute Report, stakeholders also care about sustainability. The report examined 400 of the world’s largest businesses and found that sustainability goals had more than doubled. The report highlighted that as a result of these green efforts, company performance also positively impacted.
One Earth
“We’ve been working hard to find a way to meet the same safety standards as our previous plastic vitamin pouches, but with materials that are better for the environment. There’s only one Earth and we want people to live healthy and happy lives for decades from now,” said Brown.
