Compare Advantages, Disadvantages and Limitations of Sustainable Packaging with Traditional Packaging

1.a. Compare advantages, disadvantages and limitations of sustainable packaging with traditional packaging

Advantages

Traditional packaging is cheap and large scale of production for materials available for wide range of products and items. Ease of storage, handling and transport The use of standardized materials shortens the lead time of packaging and delivery while low up-front cost Being short lead time for hort lead time and low up-front cost will be performed as the packaging materials are easy to find and it is convenient to do the packaging for various ranges of items. Low up-front cost will be also an low up-front cost for packaging. Lower risk of product damage as excessive packaging is generally used from manufacturers, delivery companies and retailers. Safe to use proven though health risk

Sustainable packaging apparently is by environment friendly practice that reduces carbon footprint due to the decrease of solid waste, water usage, electricity and carbon emissions from manufacturing, packaging and shipping. The use of biodegradable packaging options which are non-toxic and allergy free that are of lower risk to human health and safety.

Additionally, it will reduce shipping cost and delivery cost because smart-packaging algorithm suggests the right size packaging for each shipment, it helps to use less packaging materials of products leads to increase fill percentage, cut down number of transports and reduce the no. of shipments. The smart inventory allocations to keep less stock up in warehouse.

The proactive recycling project under sustainable packaging can reduce waste and help recycling facilities time and energy spent to collect waste from the community.

Business Continuity

Companies need raw materials in order to produce goods and services. Factories need clean water to operate and, to thrive, farms need arable land to till. Given their resource-intensive nature, conventional packaging materials are known to rapidly deplete natural resources. This depletion results in fewer raw materials for future products and services. Since sustainable packaging conserves natural resources, it ensures more raw materials for future products and services, leading to improved business continuity and a sustainable business.

9. Expands Your Customer Base

The demand for sustainable eco-friendly products grows everyday according to several global studies. All adults who were born after 1990 prefer to go eco-friendly and sustainability when it comes to making their buying decisions. Going green will attract more customers that will keep on returning depending on your attitude to the environment.

Consumers today are looking for sustainable products when it comes to making their purchasing decisions. As the awareness is growing, more people are making a shift towards green packaging and hence going green will attract more consumers depending on your attitude towards the environment.

8. job creation

Disadvantages

Traditional packaging is believed to create many environment problems such as surge in waste and landfill, traffic congestions, waste problems and air pollution that leads to surge in carbon emission.

Lifecycle of product- short

Traditional packaging is resource-intensive in nature and the packaging material used are depleting natural resources. This depletion results in fewer raw materials for future products and services. Many of materials used in traditional packaging are not biodegradable, and some even contain harmful chemicals that presents high risks to human health and safety.

Last mile delivery under traditional packaging is inefficiency because final leg of shipment involves lots of deliverers, multiple stops and it becomes substantial shipping cost to be shouldered by retailers and logistics partners. The proximity of delays delivery will be in place particularly for rural areas, the service level was not able to meet at all.Along delay issue, it limits the creativity of products as the packaging are generally of standard specification.

Higher short time cost is a big disadvantage of sustainable packaging as it takes long time for actual cost-saving to materialize. Huge investment in developing new materials, purchasing green machines and implementation of advanced technology in the first place can cost a lot and they do not have same scale of production. The price of recycled material and new materials is generally more expensive that that for traditional packaging because economies of scale cannot be utilized to the same extent. The suppliers and the materials for sustainable packaging are still limited over the globe and finding packaging alternatives and its suppliers can take long time and large amount of money. Packaging is to ensure the intact delivery of products. Sustainable packaging design uses recyclable and reusable materials which may prove inefficient for the safety of the product. E.g. fresh or perishable products. Difficult to measure . A similar difficulty is found when trying to measure the environmental costs of different packaging alternatives.

Ease storage, handling transport

Limitation

Traditional packaging will face the future bottleneck when increasing emergence of e-commerce. The increasing cost of ecommerce fulfillment process. Challenges including reduced capacity, driver shortage, damaged and stolen product, failed delivery attempt, and increased traffic congestion.

The challenge for all businesses, however, is to develop packaging which meets the objective of sustainability, but also performs the tasks for which the packaging is required and does so within the budgetary reach of manufacturers, distributors and consumers.

Uncertainty of sustainable packaging

Sustainable packaging is believed to good to environment, but there is still lots of uncertainty about buying a new material or to investing in developing a new piece of packaging when they don’t know how successful it is going to be.

Lack of relevant legislation

Knowing that traditional packaging poses risk to human health and creates environmental problems, lack of relevant legislation, regulations or strong policies will be big limitation for putting sustainable packaging in place. None of setting up guidelines, setting up green guidelines, tax reduction, allowances or incentive programs issued by the Government will also be obstacles for all stakeholders to consider sustainable packaging due to its higher cost compared with