2022. A new year's resolution

Intro: My new year's resolution leads me to the decision to share my thoughts & knowledge in a series of newsletters dedicated to sustainable entrepreneurship, leadership & communication. Each topic is filled with my experiences, learnings & methodology in building ventures, leading startups teams & training people, and aims to inspire, challenge and provide guidance.

The first issue deals with a topic close to my heart: sustainable supply chain & packaging. A 5min read perfect for really everyone consuming products. However, especially drafted for small businesses / brands / e-commerce startups with a physical product that are facing the challenge to setup operations & to design their packaging, e.g. folding boxes, pouches labels, mailing bags.

Quick essence: Yes, revenue growth & sustainability can be mutually reinforcing.

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Happy New Year 2022. It is the time for reflection and new year's resolutions. Being more environmentally friendly has long prevailed on the top 10 list in German speaking countries. But this year it has the potential to even outperform the good old wish to save more money. 

Measures taken due to the pandemic have certainly accelerated this trend. Consumers spend more time at home, and therefore also consume more products at home. Waste is experienced more consciously. This is not only a gut feeling: More e-commerce packages than ever are sent from one place to another. Delivery solution providers suggest an increase of over 25% in order volumes of online shops in 2021. Adding this growth to the annual 19 million tonnes in packaging waste produced in Germany alone (UBA,2020), the volumes of waste become a real social burden to society. 

Already last year, several studies (e.g. Simon Kucher, 2021) highlighted the increasing demand for sustainable packaging among end-consumers. Findings suggest that:

1. 83% are willing to pay more for products wrapped in a truly sustainable packaging solution. 
2. The willingness to pay is up to 7% higher for products with sustainable packaging than it is for conventional unboxing experiences. 

In this context, the definition of the term sustainable packaging plays an essential role. At palamo. we are following 3 pillars that act as guiding principles for us: 

1. Reduce CO2 emissions: We give preference to products in our range that have a low CO2 footprint. This involves, among other things, the material used in production, as well as the volume & weight of the solution in transport. These factors influence the CO2 footprint, which we actively minimize with partners like planetly and compensate with the help of projects.
2. Create transparency on recyclability: We want to bring more transparency to our portfolio and thus positively influence the market. Therefore, you will increasingly find products that are already recycled or particularly easy to recycle in our range. With the help of interseroh "made for recycling" we will bring even more light into the jungle in the future.
3. Produce in close proximity to target market: The production site plays an important role for the CO2 balance. We and our selected partners therefore produce in Europe in order to shorten transport routes to customers and thus minimize the CO2 footprint.

What you as a business or brand can do to contribute & benefit?

1. Create a packaging design easy to recycle or reuse for consumers (download whitepaper)
2. Choose packaging made for recycling (see more)
3. Choose packaging & supply chain partners that take their CO2 footprint seriously (read more)
4. Reduce your own CO2 footprint (see planetly)
5. Educate your consumers on how to recycle & reuse packaging

I aim to create a format that is of true value to you, and filled with insights. If you are interested in a specific topic, just drop me a DM! Let's connect & talk anytime.

Best

Elisabeth

elisabeth.sabeditsch@palamo.com

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You need some inspirations or just want to stay up to date on the latest trends in sustainable packaging? Subscribe to our Newsletter.