Packaging Design for Recycling & Reusability

Working on new technologies and innovation is easy. We just have to invest time and money to use them. However, real innovation comes when we create opportunities with existing assets in situations that were lacking before.

I have dealt with many of these situations in my career. And every time, I experience such issues, I realised I have learnt a significant lesson from it. In my 18 years of career and experience as an author, I realised that designing of recyclability is far more important and easier step than starting a fresh. I have mentioned this aspect in my book and planning to include this more in my work.

Packaging Design for recyclability is a thoughtful consideration. Before I start discussing recyclability and reusability, I want to make sure you don’t confuse it with “Sustainability and Recycling” techniques. Reusability is the fundamental addition to the features that promote the long-term usage of the product by consumers.

Here’s a list of things you can do to improve the reusability while designing your packaging.

Resealable features: Incorporating resealable closures or openings into the packaging design to allow easy access to the product while maintaining freshness and usability is a smart idea. This could include zip-lock closures. These features are gaining trends in today’s world to promote recycling. These features are evident in laminates.

Reinforced edges and seams: Reinforcing the edges and seems in laminates packaging design will prevent tearing and fraying for repeated use. Heat sealing, stitching, or adhesive bonding are a few ways to extend usability in laminates.

In Shrink Sleeve thickness in reinforced seam will improve its durability. And if you are using 50-60 mic thickness in shrink sleeves then this is beneficial for long usage.

Same family plastics: With constant push for sustainability, many companies are now considering the same family of plastics in their packaging. Laminates show exceptional  usage of layers. Now a days, in laminate mono-material is gaining attention.

In shrink sleeves such concept is popular too. The idea involves having the bottle, label, cap all from the same family can avoid the need for separation or mixing of different plastics. For e.g. PP jar with Floatabel Sleeves, PET bottles with LD Pet & TruCycl shrink sleeves and same goes with PVC. This is another future scenario that is inevitable.

Do you find this article relevant? Or you still have confusion regarding its applicability? You may connect with us for any guidance regarding packaging.

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