Packaging – is it really a viable marketing opportunity?

Recent statistics from Statistics Explained show that packaging waste figures across the EU have started to creep back up, especially paper and cardboard which came in at a staggering 41% of all packaging waste generated in 2014. With the marketing opportunities created by packaging your goods to send to end users, is this a waste of time if such large amounts of wrapping are then being thrown away rather than kept, reused or recycled?

We’ve seen Sky and their ‘Ocean Rescue‘ campaign to save our oceans from plastic that is thrown away after one use. Their #PassOnPlastic campaign hopes to highlight the damage that single-use plastic packaging has on oceans across the globe. We are also starting to see Companies, such as Starbucks, reward customers for reusing their plastic cups, made as a pledge to recycle and reuse. As a Company who pride ourselves on creating innovative AND sustainable products, Vectair Systems are proud to have an eco-friendly approach to our packing requirements, and we won’t stop there either. We like to think carefully about our approach to packaging, not just from a sustainable standpoint, but from a marketing perspective too. How can we claim a product is sustainable if our outer wrapping isn’t either? So our marketing message is clear – we make both the packing AND product as sustainable as they can be.

Packaging by its very nature, will always have a degree of wastage as people want the goods inside, not the protective material, so the first step is to choose your marketing location – better to print your logo/brand on something like a box with reuse opportunities than on paper stuffing that will more likely be thrown away, for example. Every logo you print has a cost association, so for maximum ROI, you want it to be seen and preferably kept on something that will be used time and time again!

In addition, think about how to make your packaging interesting – people are more likely to keep and reuse something that has a bit of character than a plain brown box. If you have a specific brand colour or character then try to incorporate this to make people want to buy into the brand and keep the packaging longer because it’s grabbed their attention – it could be pretty, it could be quirky, or it could be simply useful, it doesn’t matter if it’s not just being thrown in the bin!

Encourage reuse and recycling

It’s a great idea to actively encourage reuse and recycling of your packaging, especially as environmentalism is such a big theme across the world.

There are different ways to do this, including:

• Printing recycling logos on anything that can be safely recycled, so users don’t just throw it in the general waste because they don’t know any different
• Include a little fact sheet that lists possible reuses and the benefits of doing so
• This sheet could also list out how to recycle the packaging if that’s the alternative option
• Make your packaging have a specific reuse – one such example would be how cereal boxes often have an activity printed on the back that means the box will be reused. People start to know where to look if they see packaging that offers this specific type of reuse, so a well-placed logo here would be a good way to also spread brand awareness.

Minimalist Packaging

The other way to try and reduce packaging waste is to keep things minimalist. This can have a twofold benefit as also saves on packaging costs, but the downside can be that there are fewer opportunities for your marketing and logo placement etc. If you decide to go down this route, then you’ll certainly need to box clever with how you package and present your goods whilst maintaining product protection, but it’s a big tick in the box for being eco-friendly and reducing your costs.

What’s your packaging and marketing policy? Do you encourage reuse and recycling? Let us know!