The government’s single-use plastics ban has undoubtably forced many businesses who would have never otherwise considered utilising eco-friendly packaging to start using products made from bamboo, sugar cane and other environmentally friendly materials. While it can be easy to focus on the inconveniences and additional costs associated with the change, there are many advantages that come with utilising eco-friendly packaging, which many small business owners are unaware of.
So here’s four benefits that your business can start capitalising on today;
1) Eco-friendly packaging can expand your customer base
As conversations around climate change are becoming increasingly prevalent, consumers are becoming more and more conscious of their own environmental footprint. As such, the demand for eco-friendly products, brands and services is rapidly rising with many people taking sustainability into account when making purchasing decisions. By making a commitment to using eco-friendly packaging, your business will appeal to likeminded customers, expanding your customer base to include a previously unreachable segment.
2) Eco-friendly packaging can become part of your marketing message
By utilising eco-friendly packaging, you have the opportunity to promote yourself as an environmentally conscious business, giving both existing and prospective customers yet another reason to buy from you. Research has shown that modern consumers are more likely to engage with companies who are conscious of minimising their environmental impact as they provide opportunities for consumers themselves to reduce their own impact without having to modify their existing lifestyle.
3) Eco-friendly products can be more aesthetically pleasing
Visit any café, coffee shop or burger bar and you can almost guarantee that they’ll be customers sharing a snap of their daily coffee run or brunch spread to social media – something which you don’t often see when the food is served on a cheap plastic plate or with a flimsy plastic fork. The ‘natural’ aesthetic offered by paper straws, kraft coloured burger boxes and artdeco Biocups will naturally lend your product to be more appealing in photos, increasing the chance that your business will be freely marketed on social media by your customers.
4) They reduce your environmental footprint
This most obvious benefit of eco-friendly packaging is the reduced environmental impact. Eco-friendly packaging is made from biodegradable or recycled materials, which not only reduces the amount of plastic waste in our landfills, rivers and oceans but also requires fewer natural resources to be produced. All of this makes for a happier, healthier planet – something which will benefit each and every one of us in the long term.
It’s also important to note that advantages increase the more a business commits to operating sustainably. While ditching plastic straws and cups for good will go a long way in achieving all of these, there are plenty of other actions businesses can take to reduce their footprint even further. At PacPlus, our environmentally-friendly range also includes bags and cleaning products. Call or visit your local store to find out more.
PacPlus Rockhampton: (07) 4926 1681
PacPlus Bundaberg: (07) 4151 1324
Mackay Cleaning and Packaging Solutions: (07) 4953 0200