Packaging is a hotly debated topic and has gained extreme traction in recent years in terms of the environmental aspect of packaging materials.
Due to the increased production of plastics and other materials and the impact on the environment, it has become increasingly important for many manufacturers to find sustainable solutions for packaging.
Particularly in this day and age, when climate change has become an incredibly important issue, more attention must be paid to packaging materials.
It has also become important for more and more people not only to buy sustainable products, but also to pay attention to the packaging in which the products are contained.
Nowadays, an increasingly important criterion for exclusion is whether products are produced and packaged in as climate-neutral and environmentally friendly a way as possible.
But how are you supposed to find your way through this jungle of different packaging materials, and which of these materials are easily recyclable and not harmful to the environment?
What are the differences and special features of the various materials? And how can you make sure you buy the right products for your healthy breakfast? We will get to the bottom of these questions in today's blog post.
Discover healthy breakfasts from Verival
Sustainable packaging material – what types are there?
There are many answers to the question of sustainable packaging material. If you think about how much packaging material is actually in circulation in our daily lives, you will quickly realise that it has become indispensable. From the supermarket to the drugstore, from toothpaste to cheese packaging, humans produce waste – including an extremely large amount of packaging waste – around the clock.
It is also due to these various products and packaging materials that many people are looking for alternatives. There are now packaging-free supermarkets, and conventional supermarkets are also paying more and more attention to what packaging material is used. This trend is also making it more and more attractive to buy regionally and directly from the farmer you trust. And where does it taste better? Exactly – nowhere 😉
In the next few lines, we will describe the various options for packaging products and how sustainable they are. From glass to plastic, we will show you all the possibilities.
Glass – how sustainable is it?
Before the world discovered and adopted plastic as the standard packaging, glass was the pioneer in terms of ‘sustainability’. But back then, people didn't know as much about environmental issues. With the introduction of plastic, glass had to give way as far as possible. In recent years, the trend has been going back – milk and juices, for example, are increasingly being packaged in glass again. But why did glass have to give way to plastic? And why is glass said to be not that much better than plastic?
Glass is not necessarily the solution to our sustainability problems. For example, its production consumes a lot of energy. High temperatures and non-standardised systems lead to major problems here. Glass is also translucent and can lead to unfavourable situations during storage. However, these negative points are not the whole truth. When is glass really sustainable?
Glass is perfect as a regional alternative. Short transport routes, reusable glass and, above all, large packaging. Then it makes perfect sense to use glass as a packaging material.
Cardboard as a packaging material
Cardboard was and still is THE recycling hit. Cardboard can be used over and over again – in different colours and shapes. When recycled properly, cardboard is one of our strongest weapons in the fight against the world's mountains of rubbish. Virtually no rubbish is left over.
Wood is the most important and often the only raw material. Some paper and cardboard are made from grasses. Recyclable cardboard does extremely well in terms of CO2. This keeps the ecological footprint of cardboard purchases extremely small. One disadvantage of cardboard is, for example, its robustness. But with a little caution, this shouldn't be a problem.
Plastic devil – is plastic really that bad for the environment?
Plastic is destroying the world. Huge mountains of rubbish, endless ocean pollution and plastic everywhere, as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, these images are a sad reality – but how much devil is there in plastic?
Due to the increased awareness of environmentally harmful practices and the ever louder calls for climate neutrality, plastic has increasingly fallen into disrepute in recent years. And to a certain extent, these prejudices are also true. Plastic has certainly contributed to pollution. However, the material can only be blamed to a certain extent – as in many cases, humans are the main culprit. Poor disposal, a lack of recycling and a lack of knowledge and education are the biggest problems here.
Plastic offers many opportunities. As a result of the outcry in recent years, a great deal has been done in this area. New technologies are constantly being developed that make plastic more biodegradable and economically harmless. Until real alternatives are found, we have to come to terms with plastic – the advantages here outweigh the disadvantages: protection against external influences (including weather and pests) and longer best-before dates to prevent food waste. If it is possible, you should definitely avoid buying plastic. For example, plastic packaging is not needed for fruit and vegetables. This is how you keep your plastic consumption in check and live considerately.
However, it should be noted that plastic is currently the only material that can properly preserve many types of food (such as dry products). Incidentally, plastic is only useful if it is properly recycled!
Packaging materials at Verival
At Verival, we have spent many hours thinking about the topic of ‘sustainable packaging’. In our quality department, we are constantly looking for packaging alternatives and examining a wide range of options for environmentally friendly packaging.
At Verival, we use cardboard and plastic as packaging materials. The important thing here is that we are careful not to use a mix of materials, as this is very difficult to recycle and therefore very harmful to the environment.
Our cardboard and plastic are highly recyclable because we only use one material at a time. For this, we at Verival have also received the Made for Recycling award. This means that our packaging is made for recycling because we do not use mixed materials. (We do not mix any substances!) We are also constantly working on improving our packaging and have managed to save a considerable amount of packaging material by reducing the size of our outer packaging. You can find more information about our packaging and our 360-degree social responsibility approach here.
Our organic porridges, granolas, and mueslis are packaged according to these high standards. This way, you can do your part for a better planet while you eat breakfast.
We are also not at all opposed to the idea of compostable packaging. ‘Compostable’ materials are what you call it when the packaging dissolves by itself again – that is, it is composted. However, the problem with this type of packaging is that in most cases the packaging does not remain on the earth long enough to compost properly. Furthermore, the durability of these materials is currently still very limited. We deliberately say ‘currently’ because we are constantly looking for more sustainable packaging solutions!
Find out more about Verival and our history here.
Social responsibility is important to us!
What does social responsibility actually mean?
esponsibility? The term actually refers to a voluntary contribution to environmental protection that goes beyond legal requirements. At Verival, we not only want to comply with the legal requirements, but also contribute to a more sustainable world.
What's more, Verival is a ‘Green Brand’ – as a small organic producer, it is particularly important to us to take social and ecological responsibility. That is why we have been awarded the GREEN BRAND seal of quality, which guarantees that we make an effective contribution to protecting nature, the environment and the climate, as well as to preserving the natural habitat.
Our goals are not only environmental. Socio-cultural goals are also important to us. That is why we focus on diversity and the promotion of women in management positions. If you want to know more about our social responsibility, please visit our social responsibility page.
