The e-commerce sector has grown more in the last 18 months than it has in the last 20 years. This significant growth comes as the Covid-19 pandemic has made thousands of customers worldwide switch from physical stores to online shopping. It appears this modality is here to stay, and change the shopping and packaging industries for good. Also increasing is the public’s awareness and interest in sustainable and eco-friendly solutions, presenting a new array of possibilities to explore.
Bird Eyewear, the optical glasses brand, has collaborated with Aquapak and ProAmpac to launch new packaging which can degrade in marine environments. The mailer bag is both water soluble and biodegradable,minimizing any negative impact on sea life. The packaging is also recyclable. The bag is made using Aquapak’s Hydropol solution, featuring a hydrophilic polymer called Polyvinyl Alcohol which dissolves in water. The Ecowrap mailer is able to maintain all the functionality of typical plastic mailing bags, and can be safely dissolved in hot water at the end of its life, be recycled, reused or utilized as a waste food bag.
Also experiencing a strong growth driven by the pandemic is the global takeaway and food delivery market. As a consequence, the use of single-use packaging has also increased, causing a spike in the need for more sustainable solutions. As a response to this significant problem, global food delivery giant Just Eat is collaborating with reusable packaging provider ClubZero to develop recyclable and reusable takeaway packaging. The test run will last for three months, and it will involve six participating London restaurants who will be assigned a return system that allows the packaging to be collected using a ClubZero app. If it proves to be successful, the trial and partnership will be extended across the UK, following a productive collaboration with London-based compostable packaging producer Notpla to make a coating from seaweed.