How Can Flexible Packaging Help Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?

Flexible packaging, as opposed to rigid packaging, has become the preferred method when it comes to sustainability efforts and minimizing overall carbon footprint. By allowing more flexibility, this packaging method reduces food waste and energy consumption, both in production and transportation processes.

Flexible packaging allows for a greater product-to-package ratio that greatly reduces packaging waste. This packaging method also has the capability to be structured in a lightweight structure that limits the amount of packaging needed for the same amount of product. Because there is not as much packaging needed, there is less material being made that requires energy consumption. Since there is less material required to make the same product, there is a decrease in total greenhouse gas emissions. By using less material in flexible packaging systems, the amount of energy needed to convert the raw material into finished packaging is reduced, leading to a reduction in overall carbon footprint.

In the transportation process, aseptic packaging requires less energy than cold chain transportation. Because aseptic packaging does not need to be refrigerated at any point during transportation and can be kept in ambient conditions, that energy can be preserved, reducing carbon footprint in that aspect as well.