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Sustainable measures in logistics

Production Location & Shipping Materials

Sustainability has been the megatrend of recent years, especially in the packaging industry. Be it young companies that are just thinking about the first design of their own product packaging or big brands that are looking for optimisation measures: The feature of sustainability is virtually essential today. But what factors actually make packaging sustainable? In addition to the processing of environmentally compatible materials (be they renewable or recycled), aspects such as the production location or sustainable logistics measures also come into play. But which sustainable measures can packaging manufacturers implement at their own production site and what does this mean for the choice of their packaging? Let's take a look at the topic together!

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Production location

Probably the most important point for brands to consider when sourcing their packaging is the production location of the packaging manufacturer. After all, what is the point of packaging made from sustainable materials if it is then sent halfway around the world by container ship? If you look at the environmental compatibility of packaging in a holistic context, it quickly becomes clear that emissions are produced which ultimately do not make the packaging sustainable at all. As a brand, you should therefore also consider your decision from this perspective when choosing packaging: Packaging made in Germany or packaging from the EU often performs significantly better in life cycle assessments! But what does regional packaging actually mean?

Packaging made in Germany

Well, on the one hand, as a brand you have a certain certainty about the origin of the materials processed in your packaging. On the other hand, packaging made in Germany also means short supply chains and short transport routes: factors that, in addition to better CO₂ balances, also harbour quite pragmatic advantages: short supply chains also mean short delivery times, lower stock levels and greater flexibility & reliability for you!

But in addition to the reasons mentioned above, there are other aspects to question supplier relationships and to source products such as packaging more regionally. For example, the Corona pandemic has suddenly shown us how quickly borders can be closed and imports banned. Read more about this topic here: Corona or: The increasing regionalisation of the packaging industry?

Shipping Materials & Logistics

And while the choice of packaging manufacturer can be made at the production site, there are other aspects to packaging companies themselves to make packaging as sustainable as possible. In particular, higher-level processes that have a longer-term & lasting impact on the environmental compatibility of the packaging, such as efforts in shipping and logistics, also come into play here. As a rule, these are simple processes and procedures that have been in place for years and can be questioned today: Can they possibly be modernised or digitalised? Can energy be saved at crucial points? Are there modern and environmentally friendly alternatives?

Shipping cartons: Whether internal or external: shipping cartons are used at various points in practically every company. Today, there is the option of sourcing them in an environmentally friendly variant made from recycled corrugated cardboard or grass fibres. The use of secondary raw materials thus already begins in the company itself. For internal processes, the shipping cartons can then be sealed with ecological wet adhesive tape or - depending on the application - thanks to the sealing flap, they can be sealed completely without adhesive and then reused. The impact on the environment is thus reduced to a minimum through the use of environmentally friendly shipping boxes.

Films: Can the use of plastic films or shrink films be dispensed with for transports? Depending on the type of products, it makes sense to load them on pallets with other, more environmentally friendly solutions or materials that can be reused or recycled.

Paper envelopes for delivery notes and invoices: Even the famous red plastic envelope for delivery notes is no longer to be found everywhere. Modern paper sleeves are finding their way into the shipping logistics of many companies. They exist in various designs, are chlorine-free bleached and comply with FSC^® and PEFC standards. In addition, they are 100 % recyclable. The big advantage: thanks to the paper base, the shipping bags can be glued to the cardboard and disposed of together with it. Conventional delivery bags, on the other hand, must first be removed from the cardboard and then disposed of correctly. The main effect of modern envelopes, however, is the strong signal they send: Eco!

Selection of other shipping and securing materials: In principle, there are sensible, environmentally friendly alternatives for many everyday materials in companies today. The auxiliary materials used for transport: bags or straps, can now be made from durable and recyclable raw materials. Companies therefore have the opportunity to demonstrate a respectful attitude towards the environment already at this point. Just ask your suppliers!

How do we strive for sustainable production?

In practice, there are many processes and applications that can be made more environmentally friendly in one's own company. For the time being, this does not have to involve radical changes and new technologies. There are also simple innovations on the way to environmentally friendly production. Below you will find some examples of environmental initiatives that we have already implemented at LESER:

Certified environmental management system according to DIN EN ISO 14001

FSC^® certification for the use of wood and paper from sustainable forestry
Use of recycled paper in our own production & shipping logistics
Suppliers in the immediate vicinity of the production site
Digitalisation: automatic invoice dispatch on request also by email
E-bike leasing programme

For more information on our environmental initiatives, click here: Our environmental contribution.

Commitment: CO₂-neutral packaging

Even though there are many ways to operate and produce in an environmentally friendly way, one thing must be said: with the current state of technology, it is simply not possible for manufacturing companies to produce products without releasing emissions.

Various service providers in the field of CO₂ compensation, however, also offer packaging companies the opportunity to produce their packaging in a climate-neutral way on balance. How does this work, you ask? By means of various certified climate protection projects! The exact emissions of the project-related packaging production are determined and then financially compensated for. The financial resources go to the climate protection projects, which then ensure that the exact amount of CO₂ produced during production and transport is offset. In addition to an ecological aspect, however, a social thought also plays an important role here. Because climate compensation is not locally bound and can therefore also take place in regions that are economically less privileged than ours. You want to learn more about the topic? Here you can find our offer: climate-neutral packaging.

Findings

For us, the view of considering sustainable packaging solely on the basis of materials is simply outdated. When it comes to packaging, important factors such as production, the location of a company and the associated short supply chains also play a significant role. Companies not only contribute to sustainability with their products, but also have the opportunity to design processes effectively and leanly right from the start, thus saving important resources. Therefore, also take a look behind the scenes! Corresponding certifications and commitments within the companies often provide more information than the use of the most exotic materials possible. And the latter usually only make up an extremely small part of the complex of "sustainable packaging".

Consulting: sustainable packaging

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Then write to us! We will be happy to help you.

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