Friday, February 28, 2014

Selecting Eco Friendly Food Packaging Supplies

By Lisa Williamson


Increasingly more people are worrying about the environmental impact on the things they buy. This can relate to the air miles and how far the items they buy have travelled en route to the shelves. One of the biggest concerns is packaging. One way to make your products more environmentally friendly is to choose eco friendly food packaging supplies.

Before looking for materials you need to look at what is required for your business. You may need something for transporting fruits or vegetables. In the case of someone running a restaurant or a coffee house you may wish for items that allow you to continually refill milk or coffee rather than continually reordering packets that take up resources.

However this approach is not just potentially for environmental benefits. If the packaging is smaller then this means less energy is needed in order to make a product. It also means that in the longer term this saves the company as they spend less on the amount of materials they need.

Another option is to look for packaging made from compostable materials. As the name suggests this means that this is an item that can break down and be used in the soil. This means as well as reducing waste there is also the additional benefit of encouraging growth, ideal if you produce the food to supply to people.

In terms of making products more environmentally friendly you have to look at what it is made from. Recycled materials can be effective. However it is important to check how much material is recycled. If it is a small percentage then it means a large amount of the packaging is made from material that is not sustainable and therefore this is less environmental benefit.

There is also the issue of where material is sourced from. Ultimately something that is recycled is still produced from something. It should be recycled from material that is available from a sustainable resource. This means that any trees that are cut down are replaced on a regular basis so you can always get a steady supply of material.

You should also look into the background of the company you are getting the products from. Ideally they will have their own ethical policy with regard to the suppliers they have and their businesses practises. Furthermore they ought to be willing to discuss this with you and provide information and testimonials in order to help you verify their claims.

In short when comparing the various environmentally friendly packaging supplies available to you it helps to do a bit of research. Looking online will make it easier for you to compare the numerous options available to your business. As with any business decision it helps to look at a number of suppliers. This is so you can gauge the quality of what they have to offer as well as compare costs in order to make the right choice to suit your business. Use your regular search engine to find suppliers in your local area and to get the best deal for your company.




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