70% of Consumers Prefer Sustainable Packaging
The numbers don’t lie. When consumers have choices, they prefer to patronize businesses who show they care about the environment.
In fact, according to a recent study by IBM and the National Retail Federation, about 70% of North Americans choose eco-friendly brands over others. Additionally, about 80% also want to know where a product is made and 69% would pay much more for a brand that offers this information readily.
Knowing the importance that consumers place on sustainability and transparency, brands need to develop products, including their packaging, that meet their standards in order to be successful. When it comes to consumer packaging products, non-recyclable and non-compostable Styrofoam and hard plastic packaging are getting the thumbs down. News stories with images of plastic packaging filling landfills and the oceans have turned consumers off, leading innovative brands to develop some exciting new packaging options.
1. Fiber pulp versus plastic and Styrofoam packaging
Fiber pulp made from sustainable, easily-grown agricultural crops, rather than wood pulp, can be molded into fully compostable food-grade products like tableware and food containers (including clamshells, egg cartons and drink holders). These products compost in weeks, reducing landfill waste. Plastic and Styrofoam products degrade slowly, over decades, if at all and are not compostable nor biodegradable.
2. A fully domestic source for compostable molded fiber
Genera’s sustainable packaging material is made and manufactured in the U.S., rather than overseas. It gives farmers an option to grow sustainable crops on land that isn’t useable for other purposes. Crops can be grown year-after-year, giving farmers another way to create income and at the same time contribute to creating eco-friendly products that have a low carbon footprint.
3. Sustainable, single-use molded fiber isn’t made from fossil fuels
Plastics and Styrofoam are most commonly made from fossil fuels. While we have enough oil for our consumption today, it is not a renewable resource. Genera’s Earthable™ fiber is a product that is made from renewable crops that include biomass sorghum and switchgrass. Rather than depend on oil to make plastics, consumers want renewable and eco-friendly products they can feel good about using.
Genera’s Earthable™ fiber contributes to the local economy and is one of the most environmentally-friendly single-use food packaging products available. If you would like to learn more about Earthable™ or about growing the crops we use to create it, contact Genera online today.
