SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT IN PACKAGING

In this post we will talk to you about safety and the environment, in packaging, in what is our new reality due to the pandemic crisis we are going through. So and beforehand, the packaging sector has proved to be an essential industry for the world to continue functioning, due to the COVID-19 crisis. Thus, packaging:

• It has been crucial in ensuring the safe transportation of food and pharmaceutical products;
• It has enabled increased e-commerce sales and home deliveries by simplifying order preparation;
• It has helped to reinforce hygiene in areas such as hotels and restaurants.

However, protecting oneself from the virus by disinfecting packaging and using disposable products also has the other side. Thus, we are dealing with an increase in plastic consumption that has temporarily replaced other more sustainable packaging. In this sense, is it viable to take care of our health and, at the same time, the planet with this new normality? What role should packaging play?

Consumption of containers, packaging and hygiene and cleaning equipment during the coronavirus crisis

Firstly, the demand for packaging due to the pandemic has mainly been in the food, pharmacy and e-commerce sectors. Consumers have been opting to do their shopping at home, whether by phone or internet. As a result, the consumption of packaging, for e-commerce, has increased greatly.

On the other hand, supermarkets and delivery and take-away establishments have been investing, besides packaging, in the safety of their customers and employees, providing them with products to protect them against COVID-19.

This individual and collective protection equipment (PPE) is precisely and largely responsible for the increase in plastic waste management. Many of them, such as masks and gloves, are disposable. Others, like glasses or acrylic panels, will see their consumption greatly reduced when the pandemic ends. The problem is aggravated by the fact that, to avoid the spread of the virus, they must be thrown away, outside the recycling circuits. Therefore, one of the great global challenges, in the short term, will be to make the correct management when disposing of these materials.

The role of packaging and single-use products

According to a Nielsen survey, internet shopping habits are here to stay. 24% of respondents indicate they will continue to buy fresh food online, while 26% will do the same for packaged foods and 27% for beverages.

Also some retailers indicate that they have found packaging and plastics a major safety advantage against COVID-19. They therefore highlight the of these packaging solutions during the pandemic and believe that this trend is a “necessary step backwards” in environmental terms. However, they highlight that alternative solutions, such as promoting recycling and the circular economy, will remain a priority.

Principles for sustainable packaging

But on the face of it, what can you do to continue your prevention against COVID-19 environmentally friendly packaging selection for your business? We give you three tips:

• Reusable packaging need not be less safe than disposablepackaging. Simply subject it to a proper cleaning and disinfection process;
• Do not confuse anti-coronavirus protection with excessive packaging. The packaging must be the correct shape and size for the products it covers: not putting one box inside another or overlapping several layers of materials;
• RAJA has Eco-Responsible packaging, made from recycled and/or recyclable raw materials.

Discover the 5-R’s of packaging! Visit our website and equip your warehouse with the most resistant and innovative packaging!