Why compostable packaging is not just a trend but essential for your business

compostable, plastic packaging

Whilst COVID-19 has temporarily shifted the attention away from climate change, the issue has by no means disappeared. The fight against waste continues, with businesses considering how they can operate more sustainably and analysing their environmental stance. One of the key areas where businesses can make a tangible difference is through evaluating the impact of the materials they use, including packaging, have on the environment.

The pandemic has led to a significant increase in online shopping. Customers are receiving more packages at their front door, logistics managers are seeing orders piling up, and business owners are considering how to continue to get their products to customers without impacting the environment. There is a need, now more than ever, for businesses to consider compostable packaging solutions as the best environmental fit. Consumers are increasingly questioning the ethics of the brands they buy from and demanding a change in business practices.

With a range of alternative packaging materials entering the market, it can be confusing to work through which solutions are the best fit for your business. Compostable packaging is different to traditional plastic packaging as it is made to break down naturally and return nutrients to the soil under specific composting conditions. Here are some reasons why you should be embracing compostable packaging within your business.

  • Compostable packaging is sustainable: Compostable packaging is made from renewable resources such as plant fibres. These include corn starch and cassava root. This means that products, such as Hero packaging compostable mailers that are used for e-commerce businesses globally, do not leave a negative footprint on the environment.  
  • Circular economy: The packaging is made to be returned to nature after its use. Disposing of compostable packaging is as easy as home composting or placing it with your green waste. Customers can dispose of your packaging without guilt, and the use of compostable packaging and taking an environmentally friendly stance generates consumer goodwill. 
  • Reduces waste: Compostable products, such as compostable mailers,  completely break down in 90-120 days in a home composting environment, with no materials or toxins left behind, thus reducing waste and any harmful environmental impacts. You reduce waste by using products that reduce waste. 

Compostable packaging is more than a “greenwashing” term a business can use for marketing purposes. Companies such as ours are providing Australian-certified home compostable solutions for the e-commerce space so that businesses can contribute to the fight against plastic in an effective way that creates a more sustainable business. With legislation changing all over Australia as the government and councils focus on reducing waste, it is important for businesses to keep up to date and stay ahead of legislative developments. States and local councils are quickly looking to ban single-use plastics and encourage the use of more sustainable materials in business. By choosing better alternatives now, you are not only protecting the environment, but you are also setting your business up for success when these changes are implemented. 

Anaita Sarkar, Co-Founder, Hero Packaging