In 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that Americans generated about 254 million tons of trash that year alone, and on average, each person generated 4.4 pounds of trash every single day (Advancing Sustainable Materials Management. 2016. www.epa.gov). Now it’s 2016, and the U.S. population has increased by almost 10 million (www.census.gov). The amount of waste produced in this country alone, let alone the entire world, is staggering. That’s why as a company we are becoming more and more focused on effective, long-lasting sustainability efforts.
From the materials and products we offer, to the processes and programs used to best serve our clients, it is crucial now more than ever to implement sustainability practices within our organization. Here are some of the ways United Packaging is reducing its carbon footprint and improving our clients’ ROI:
Reduce
- Correctly sized boxes to reduce extra corrugated or void fill in each package
- Precise tape dimensions so less is used per box. It could be reducing the number of strips per box, the thickness of the tape, or the width of the tape
- Optimal stretch wrap to avoid excessive amount of wrap on each pallet
- VMI and stocking programs to reduce the number of deliveries per week/month
- Six Sigma certified employees to save time and materials within daily processes
- Electronic invoicing to reduce paper use
- Online ordering to reduce paper consumption
- Packaging efficiency to save space and improve efficiency
Reuse
- Wood pallets that are consistently reused and recycled
- Dunnage bags are reusable compared to paper bags which expend an enormous amount of waste
Recycle
- Recyclable Ranpak® Paper: Using void fill over bubble wrap allows us to recycle and reuse this material
- Biodegradable Storopack® peanuts: Their food-based composition makes them 100% biodegradable and certified compostable by the BPI
- EarthAware™ Recycled Film
- EcoGuard™ by Pac Strapping: Known for its recycled edge and corner protection