Creating a sustainable brand is not just a trend; it's a necessity. In today's environmentally conscious market, brands that prioritize sustainability not only contribute positively to the planet but also resonate more with your community and consumers. For Altitude, we are consistently working with brands committed to making a difference. We guide and support them to finding the right solutions to be sustainably conscious. As the market is still evolving and creating solutions, it is important to recognise that there may not be the final solution, therefor being sustainably conscious allows your brand to take the maximum steps it can, whilst consistently searching and striving to increase the sustainability of your brand and reducing your negative impact ok the environment
Here's our guide on how to make the steps to getting there.
Understanding Your Carbon Footprint
First and foremost, know your brand's carbon footprint. This is a measure of the total amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to your brand’s operations and product life cycles. You can measure this through various online carbon footprint calculators or by consulting with environmental experts. Once you understand your footprint, you can take steps to reduce it.
Innovative Packaging Solutions
Next up, packaging. This plays a huge role in a product's environmental impact. First let’s explore the primary packaging. The bottle, tube, jar or container that holds your product.
Let's compare three common materials: plastic, glass, and aluminium.
Plastic
It's lightweight and versatile but highly polluting and often non-biodegradable. If you must use plastic, opt for recycled or bio-based plastics. For traditional plastics ask your suppliers for PCR (post consumer recycled) and PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
For new and innovative materials you can look at solutions from Sulapac, Traceless and bio generated plastics like PHA and PLA
Glass
It’s recyclable and can be reused many times without loss of quality. However, it's heavier than plastic, which can increase transportation emissions. So this is an important factor to consider, as well as the impact on shipping costs and budgets.
Aluminium
Highly recyclable and lightweight, aluminum offers a good balance. Its recycling process saves around 95% of the energy needed to make new aluminum. This can be a great solution for tube packaging but there is also huge innovation in styles of packaging crested with aluminium
Secondary Packaging
Next is the secondary packaging. This is usually paper or cardboard right? This must be sustainable as it’s recyclable. Incorrect.
Recycled and Forest Friendly Paper
We’ve long been recycling paper and cardboard products. It’s one of the best processes for recycling we have. So ensure that your supplier is using this material. You will be able to add the claim to the box, which is a huge plus for consumers
Coatings
Often the coating process can make the secondary packaging non recyclable. The shinny effects, foils, inks, trims all make the paper unable to be processed.
Inks & Dyes
Traditional inks move over. Soya bean and other natural dyes are available in so many colours you are no long limited. Also, consider the amount of printing you are doing. Can you factor in a more natural design, not heavily coloured or printed? Do you need the inside printed or can you have this a the natural colour of the material? Reduce where possible so the process is it’s least and work with suppliers to have material that’s as u treated as possible
Shrink Wrap
The plastic that covers a box, to keep it undamaged. Chose a secondary packaging that doesn’t require a plastic coating. Look for a durable and strong material that won’t get damaged in transit. Additional packaging really upsets consumers and puts them off buying products with 88% feeling this is the case
Continuous Research and Innovation
Sustainability is an evolving field. Stay informed about new materials, processes, and technologies that can help reduce your brand's environmental impact. This could mean investing in renewable energy sources, adopting more efficient manufacturing processes, or exploring innovative materials that are less harmful to the environment.
We can only work with the solutions available today but we should always be looking to the solutions that may be provided tomorrow so we can ever evolve our brands and be as sustainable as we can
Reducing Carbon Footprint
Reducing your carbon footprint can involve multiple strategies:
Opt for renewable energy sources like solar or wind power.
Minimize waste in your production processes.
Encourage remote working to reduce commuting emissions.
Implement energy-efficient practices in your offices and manufacturing units
Flights, shipping and transport have a huge impact on our carbon footprint so look at transport options that keep these to a minimum
Upcycled ingredients are a major way to reduce emissions. These are the raw ingredients which are cast offs or waste from other processes. For example: charcoal. This can be purchased as is rather than a new process of being wood to achieve the desired ingredient
Water Usage
How much water usage does your brand take up? Can this be reduced? Work with your suppliers to understand their processes and find out if it’s possible to use upcycled water or reduce the amount of water used in the processes for your brands.
Education and Transparency
Be transparent with your community and consumers about your sustainability efforts and the impact of your products. Educating them about how they can responsibly use and dispose of your products is crucial. Talking about your process and steps your are taking will also educate them on what's out there and why you have considered these. There are often elements of sustainability that many are unaware of.
Being sustainably conscious is not just about choosing the right packaging or reducing emissions; it’s about a holistic approach to doing business. It means constantly seeking ways to improve, being transparent with your consumers, and always considering the environmental impact of every decision. For our clients and brands this journey towards sustainability will not only help in preserving the planet but also in building a brand ethos that’s respected and admired by its community and consumers. The sustainability movement is here and it’s now an expectation to being doing the most you can.
Want to work out how to make your brand sustainably conscious? Let’s book a strategy call with our team. Drop us a DM @weare_altitude or an email hello@wearealtitude.co.uk
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