How Packaging Helps Achieve Corporate Social Responsibility

With the ease of starting a business today, industries are quickly becoming more saturated. Many businesses hence struggle to find an edge that differentiates them from their competitors.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the principle of aligning a company’s activities and objectives with larger social and environmental goals. Businesses can practice CSR by giving back to society and ensuring its welfare through their products, and also minimise their negative impacts through carefully designed business practices. CSR has the power to give businesses the missing edge they are looking for when it comes to constructing a unique brand image.

In other words, packaging is essential to a business’s image and brand philosophy, as it forms a core part of the consumer’s experience and impression of the company. So, read on for the three ways in which packaging can enhance your business’s execution of CSR:

1. Biodegradable packaging

Disposables are often criticised for their short life span; after a few uses, they end up in the landfills and eventually pollute the environment during incineration. By contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbating climate change, it is no surprise that disposables and the businesses that utilise them are frowned upon by environmentally conscious consumers.

However, the popularity of disposable lunch boxes in Singapore can be explained by a few reasons. For one, they are more convenient than reusable products. They are also more cost-efficient, and are ultimately a better option for F&B companies whose consumer bases are largely made up of customers who are looking for quick, fuss-free meals in take away boxes.

This is where biodegradable packaging comes in to marry the convenience of disposables and a company’s CSR. Easily compostable or recyclable with a quick rinse to remove any food or liquid residue, and at Supply Smiths - sugarcane bagasse and cornware are some examples of sustainable options you can consider for salads and pasta. Disposable take away boxes made from such materials will both appease the office worker on the go and environmental activists.

2. Sustainably produced packaging

It is easy to only consider what happens to a product post-use - however, the production and sourcing of packaging are equally important. The manufacturing and transportation processes behind various packaging products contribute to a significant amount of greenhouse emissions. It is hence important to consider the production of the packaging you use for your business.

One good example would be Kraft paper, it is increasingly popular as the reduced carbon footprint from its production is an added bonus to its aesthetic appeal and convenience. Made from wood pulp, it also does not undergo bleaching, which reduces the use of chemicals and ensures the safety of the workers involved in its production process.

3. Safe and toxin-free packaging

Aside from environmental damage, poor packaging also adversely affects human lives. As such, you should aid your customers in consuming a safe and fuss-free meal by packaging your products in heat-tolerant disposables such as sugarcane bagasse or wax-sealed paper boxes.

Free from toxins and safe for sensitive children and adults, these materials will protect the health and safety of consumers.

Conclusion

CSR is crucial to a brand’s image. By replacing flimsy containers with safe and sustainable packaging for your company’s take away boxes, you are carefully crafting an environmentally conscious and socially responsible image for your brand.

Here at Supply Smiths, our wide selection of sustainable Sugarcane Bagasse containers and Kraft lunch boxes will help your business strike the delicate balance between convenience and sustainability as you transform your brand philosophy.