In today's world, many companies struggle with balancing sustainability with their packaging needs. Many current solutions lead to excess waste or shift the blame to the consumer. What you need is innovative and eco-friendly packaging that doesn't break the bank.
This guide will show you how to create a sustainable packaging solution using Curby curbside recyclable products.
Read on to learn how to identify your packaging needs. Then, discover how to design shipments that are both effective and conform to green business practices. Start improving your company's environmental footprint today.
Step 1. Assessing Your Packaging Needs
The first step in this Curby packaging guide is to ensure you understand what you need to do. Many times packages are created that are the wrong shape, size, or thickness.
Start by evaluating the product or products you intend to ship. Consider whether they are particularly large, small, heavy, fragile, or have unique demands. Each of these will mean you may need to use different amounts of Curby packaging to maintain their protection.
Think about your current packaging, too. Make a note of its environmental impact and identify what challenges you currently face, such as the time it takes to biodegrade. You can use these as benchmarks to test your new designs and discuss the changes with shareholders.
You will also want to consider the expectations of your customers. If you have already received complaints about your packaging, address those issues first. Then, look into what your competitors are doing and see if you can emulate some of their successes yourself.
Assess your packaging budget and work out what you can afford. Different solutions will impact you in different ways, so check to see where you can make savings. Curby products, for example, offer a valuable long-term solution while also being eco-friendly.
Lastly, consider how easy it is to source and implement Curby products into your supply chain. Identify sustainable suppliers and work out how a new shipping method might affect your handling process. You can use this information to plan and evaluate any packaging changes you put in place.
Step 2. Choosing the Right Curby Products
With so many options for Curby products that can help you with packaging, you will need to ensure you understand the ins and outs of each one.
Curby products use recyclable materials and offer an eco-friendly alternative to other brands. At the same time, they are all intended for different purposes.
The Curby Mailer is available in several different sizes for shipping, from 6.75" x 9.375" x 2.0" to 19.13" x 12.59" x 3.15". Thus, you can fit a wide range of items inside.
Should you wish to ship larger products, explore methods to keep the item secure inside a box or package. For example, Curby Fill, Curby Fragile Wrap, or Curby Mini-Pack act as a cushioning system to keep your items safe. If you need to package items on a large scale, you can look into a Curby Fragile Wrap Mini Packing Station to make it easier on your staff.
If you intend to transport items that must stay cool, Curby Chill-R can help your shipment remain chilled without a loss in sustainability.
Avoid compromise in every part of your packaging by using Curby Water-Activated Tape to seal your boxes. This water-activated sealing solution is the final step you need to take to make your shipping process eco-friendly.
Step 3. Designing your Curby Package
You want to use the right item for each shipment you make to avoid waste.
Optimizing packaging dimensions, for example, ensures you do not overuse shipping material. It also helps to keep your items secure by preventing them from moving around inside boxes.
As such, try to use packages that will fit standard shipping sizes to help you estimate costs. If possible, use design software to start putting together shipment plans to make the best use of any Curby products you acquire.
At the same time, make sure to design your packaging process for easy disassembly and recycling. While most Curby products, such as its mailers, are single pieces of shipping material, others are fills and wraps.
Experiment with different shipping styles and test them until you find one that ensures a minimal amount of material usage. Then, balance this with the safety of your shipment, as using more will offer more assurance of it arriving intact.
Remember to design for your brand. Plan where you want to place any logos or typography on the packaging or tape itself. This is important as it can both give customers a level of excitement when they receive your package as well as advertise to those around them. First packaging impressions are lasting!
To make the most of Curby products, highlight your commitment to sustainability on the package too. While it will not be an official partnership with Curby, those seeing what you are trying to do may be impressed regardless.
Step 4. Implementing Sustainability in Packaging Practices
It is not only environmentally friendly packaging you need to plan for. Make sure that you also align your packaging practices with your intent.
Train your staff on the use of Curby products to ensure that you reduce waste generation long-term. At the same time, update any protocols or mandates for packaging to include sustainability guidelines and goals. This will help you to keep to your intentions and allow you to promote yourself as a forward-thinking, eco-friendly business.
Over time, look at how well this implementation occurred. Make adjustments if necessary, working with suppliers to make sure every step of the process meets expectations. You can then pivot your process to continue improving moving forward.
Step 5. Wrapping up your Sustainability Efforts
Ensuring sustainability in your business is not only good on an ethical level, but you can also use it to promote yourself in a positive light. Curby products help you do this by offering recyclable packaging that is both eco-friendly and a great value that allows you to do good for the earth.
Switching out is a simple process. Connect with us here at IPG to start your journey and explore the Curby products we have available now.
