Is Yellow The New Green?

With the amount of retail packaging waste exceeding the 10million tonne mark each year, landfill sites are now overflowing as a result of unnecessary excess and non-biodegradable packaging.

The most infamous culprit of late is the excessive packaging used in the distribution and display of Easter eggs. These poorly-designed packaging drives over 100million tonnes of packaging into the UK waste stream of which only 30% is taken to be recycled.

This large amount of waste hitting the UK’s waste bins equates to the equivalent of an extra 49 million tonnes of CO2 as a result of excess packaging. Retailers have undergone radical changes within recent years to reduce this figure by supplying more unpackaged products that are distributed more efficiently. But is this really enough?

The blame is not only that of the retailers, as consumers across the country must change their buying patterns and help set an example for our children by promoting environmentally friendly packaging and bolstering the growing recycling culture within the UK.

Some companies are taking this issue very seriously and are currently trialling new packaging in their outbound deliveries in the form of popcorn. Currently these companies use recycled paper and chippings in their deliveries, but are now testing this unique popcorn packaging in a bid to encourage recycling, reduce their carbon footprints and save money.

This popcorn packaging is not a new concept however and was trialled back in the 1980’s, but never caught on due to its expense at a time of UK economic depression. The weight of popcorn is much lower compared to chippings and other environmentally friendly packaging counterparts, which saves money on transport costs and also reduces the carbon emissions released during transport.

A push towards popcorn packaging maybe a step forward; however this idea is not without its drawbacks. With crops being diverted for use in biofuels and the increasing popularity of popcorn packaging, some fear that those in Third World countries are not receiving necessary food supplies they need in order to survive.

Reducing the amount of packaging and unnecessary “breathing space” around products would cut the amount of packaging going to landfill and the popcorn involved in distribution can encourage companies and individuals to set up their own compost heaps.

Going green can save a lot of money; however the main roadblock in doing this is the cost involved in transferring over to green technologies and the impacts upon growing third world economies. A lot of companies who distribute thousands of retail items each day, ranging from display cases, mannequins and literature holders to electronic equipment are each doing their part by trialling popcorn packaging in distributing their products and in going yellow, you too can go green.

Daniel Collins writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.