Sustainability is high up on businesses agendas today, and rightly so. Finding ways to make less of an impact and become more sustainable has benefits for everyone.
We want to give you a few new ideas to help reduce any waste that potentially goes to landfill.
These ideas all use innovative materials used to make custom stickers.
Stickers are traditionally associated with plastic; however, that is all changing with new materials made from byproducts and sustainable forests.
Finding the right material depends on the application, so we’ll explain which is best to use in each circumstance.
Let’s dive straight in…
One of the most significant changes you can make, if you sell physical products, is to ensure your packaging is 100% compostable.
Compostable is different from recyclable. Let me explain the difference.
Compostable stickers are capable of disintegrating into natural elements in a compost environment, leaving no toxicity in the soil. Compostable stickers & packaging are made from plant-based materials, such as bagasse or wood pulp.
Recyclable stickers can be processed to make them suitable for reuse, sometimes over & over again. Recyclable materials are made of plastic or metal, such as aluminium, that local councils can recycle.
So make the switch to using papers & cardboard as they’re generally very sustainable.
You can brand your packaging with biodegradable paper stickers that will compost or be recycled with the cardboard.
The other option is to use paper packaging tape instead of plastic, so it can be recycled. This can also be branded.
Paper packaging tape has an adhesive on it that is water activated, so you’ll need a gumming machine. Can get simple versions like this
or machines that give you a pre-defined amount at the click of a button, like this
If you do require plastic stickers, check your supplier prints PE or BOPP stickers, rather than PVC as they’re easier to recycle.
If you don’t sell physical products, a simple change to make is to use stickers to nudge people to recycle more.
Here’s a good example of a recycling station that makes it easy for people to quickly & easily put their recycling into the correct bin.
I hope you’ve liked these ideas. If you have any other ways you’re becoming more sustainable, we’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
