How to make your Kraft Packaging Boxes More Environmentally Friendly?

It's hard to remember now, but in 2019, just before covid displaced all the burning topics of discussion, one of the most significant topics in media and public debate was kraft box packaging ecology.

What do surveys say about eco-friendly kraft box packaging?

Even if manufacturers of goods do not show much concern for the state of the planet, they are forced to take into account the growing demand for sustainability from consumers. According to an Ipsos survey conducted in 2019, 31% of Americans are ready to abandon products in non-sustainable packaging. 

The trend can be clearly seen in the example: in 2018, the first Zero Waste store opened, promoting a waste minimization approach. Today, despite the difficulties with opening a business, there are more than 10 similar establishments in the USA.

Eco-Friendly Packaging Attracts Customers

Of course, this phenomenon is still very far from the mass market, but it is already reflected in it. Demonstrating the sustainability of a product can make it more attractive to consumers. But how can this be achieved?

Packaging materials and finishing

The percentage of people who pay attention to the actual characteristics of environmental friendliness of kraft box packaging is still small.

So, for example, few people care about the weight of the package (a key characteristic) or the presence of an FSC certificate for paper or cardboard (certifies that the wood for the production of the material was harvested sustainably in a place where the consumed forest resources are fully restored)

Kraft Board is Quite Famous Material in Terms of Ecology

Most people regard simple baselines as packaging material. Using low-density papers and board with minimal finishing, kraft board is perceived as a much more environmentally friendly material than film or plastic.

If the focus is on environmental friendliness in packaging design, even texture matters. A matte surface looks more sustainable than a glossy surface. 

Some packaging designers use the same principle deeper, at the meta-level: they use images of textures of eco-friendly materials on plastic or film.

Packing composition

The more components made of different materials, the less environmentally friendly the packaging seems.

Reuse

One of the main trends on the environmental agenda is reuse. Most often, it is customary to perceive tin or glass containers in this way, but custom kraft boxes can also be reused. It's not so much about the actual use of cardboard boxes in the household, but about the declared possibilities. 

Using recyclable materials and demonstrating this within packaging design can increase consumer acceptance of the product.

Conclusion

We emphasize that environmental friendliness is just one of the aspects that affect the perception of the product by the buyer. There are times when sustainability doesn't help sales at all. Certain categories of goods literally require huge volumes of materials that turn into the trash immediately upon unpacking.