Few things illustrate our country’s packaging problem as acutely as the post-Christmas cleanup. New electronics toys, of course, can be blamed for a good part of the clutter.
Heaps of boxes and plastic packs — often impossibly difficult to open unless attacked by sturdy pliers — are stuffed into trash bags and tossed out, while many of us ask ourselves: Wouldn’t we be better off with a lot less packaging?
As Staples showed with its now heralded Smart-Size Packaging Program, investing in sustainable packaging solutions can make sense on many levels. In Staples’s case, the company realized it needed to address the number one concern of its consumers: excessive packaging. (Those same consumers also sent a clear message to Staples earlier this year — they prefer to shop online, forcing the company to plan the closing of 12 percent of its North American stores by the end of next year.)
Weary of being flooded in oversized corrugated and filling material as a result of a simple online order, customers welcomed the launch of the program. The company itself also reaped notable benefits: It cut in half the storage space needed for corrugated and reduced its carbon footprint for the 15 converted facilities by 8,300 metric tons (31,000 trees) based solely on the drop in corrugated usage.
Such results have not gone unnoticed. A recent report by Smithers Pira shows the global market for sustainable packaging is projected to reach $244 billion by 2018. Driving the increased pace of innovation is, as noted, consumer demand for environmentally friendly solutions but also corporate commitment to a better environment, reduced costs, and improved profits, as well as local and federal regulations.