Sustainable Packaging That Actually Works

Sustainability is more than just the materials you choose

Most conversations about sustainable packaging focus on what it’s made of.

But that’s only part of the picture.

If your product gets damaged in transit, the environmental impact multiplies fast. Replacement shipments, wasted materials, added labor. It all adds up.

Sustainable packaging isn’t just about choosing a recyclable material. That’s why we want to educate the public about the sustainable power of foam packaging.

A Smarter Approach to Sustainable Packaging

There’s been a strong push toward paper-based and alternative materials. Reduce reliance on petroleum-based products, therefore you improve improve recyclability...right?

There's one big issue with this approach: recyclability isn't the only factor for sustainability (and even if it were – a vast majority of consumer packaging doesn't end up being recycled). Narrowly focusing on if a product can theoretically be recycled by the end consumer ignores some major impacts environmental impacts.

Our approach to sustainability:

Reducing damage and reverse logistics through engineered protection: drastically decrease the carbon footprint from returns and replacements on damaged products
Reducing packaging waste: reducing how much material goes into the dumpster
Backing decisions with real data, not assumptions: optimizing packaging with the least amount of material but most amount of protection
Choosing industrially recyclable materials: re-using plastic materials when possible through industrial recylcing

The Biggest Sustainability Problem? Product Damage

Reducing carbon footprint by eliminating reverse logistics

Did you know that the reverse logistics for each damaged product, on average, adds 40.4 pounds of carbon dioxide gas emissions into the atmosphere?

When protection fails:

Products are scrapped or replaced
Shipments are repeated
More materials are used than originally planned
Shipping happens TWICE

What looks like a “greener” packaging choice on paper can end up creating more waste in practice.

That’s why protection has to come first.

At Foam Industries, we design packaging that’s built to perform. Using real-world testing and data, we make sure your packaging actually does its job the first time.

Want to learn more? Our friends at Pregis have created the EcoGauge Online Calculator to calculate the environmental impact of damaged products.

Sustainability Is Changing (And Regulations Are Driving It)

Regulations like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) are starting to shift how companies are evaluated. States like Minnesota have already taken steps in this direction, and more are expected to follow.

What this means:

Companies may be responsible for the full lifecycle impact of their packaging
Waste, recyclability, and material usage are being scrutinized more closely
Poor packaging decisions can become a compliance and cost issue

This isn’t just a local concern. For companies shipping nationally, packaging strategies need to hold up across different regulatory environments.

Post-production recycling

Another way we’re working toward sustainability is recycling everything we can.

We partner with Pregis to source recycled PolyPlank® Renew Foam
We use recycled product whenever possible
We recycle 99% of our post-industrial waste
We are committed to a toward zero landfilled material from our building

When it comes to sustainability, we're shredding it.

Hydro-Bricks

Sustainable Water-Jet bricks for high precision cutting.

The packaging process can produce a lot of excess from cutting. That’s why we created Hydro-Bricks to repurpose unused materials. We also offer them for sale!

Hydro-Bricks are made with the same High Density Polyethylene that you know and love, except the plastic is being repurposed. That's right, the same waterjet that carves your custom parts can use Hydro-Bricks for a second-to-none cutting surface.

The deets:

Made of excess polypropylene plastic
Dimensions: 4" tall x 6" x 48"
Full pallets have 96 Hydro-Bricks
Half pallets have 48 Hydro-Bricks
All bricks ship out of MN

Ask Us About Hydro-Bricks