Packaging plays an important role in our lives as consumers:
It protects products from damage
It prevents food waste (by extending shelf life)
It facilitates safe handling
It prevents tampering
It communicates important product messaging to consumers (such as nutritional facts, directions, etc.)
However, despite the fact that packaging has created a world of convenience – issues such as excess materials, improper disposal, and a lack of a circular economy approach has had a lasting and negative impact on our environment.
“A circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design. This means that materials constantly flow around a closed loop system, rather than being used once and then discarded. As a result, the value of materials, including plastics, is not lost by being thrown away.”[1]
In recent years, the messaging surrounding climate change has placed the packaging industry front and center as one of the main contributors to the problem. This has resulted in an exponential increase in consumer demand for both sustainable packaging and/or complete packaging material bans (for example, single-use plastics).
As one of North America’s leading packaging organizations, we believe that it’s not only our responsibility to have an open dialogue about this issue but to lead the way in taking action.
Though Crawford Packaging has always assisted our clients in reducing waste and energy consumption, we know that there is still a lot more work to be done. As a first step in our sustainability journey, we would like to take this opportunity to communicate our sustainability mission, goals, and values.
Crawford Packaging’s mission is to be part of the solution, not the problem. We are committed to supporting the growth and implementation of sustainable packaging by:
1. Adopting a life cycle mindset to help our customers achieve sustainable packaging operations throughout the entire supply chain.
2. Facilitate open dialogue about sustainable packaging and help customers make informed packaging decisions.
3. Fostering strategic partnerships with suppliers who share our vision of sustainability.
At Crawford Packaging, we believe that sustainable packaging can only be achieved when stakeholders throughout the entire supply chain work together. This means that from material sourcing to waste disposal, each life cycle stage must collaborate in order to move away from the outdated take-make-waste model into a sustainable circular economy model.
This mindset will help us assist our customers in achieving their sustainability goals.
As one of North America’s leading packaging organizations, we believe we have a responsibility to facilitate an open dialogue about packaging and sustainability. Utilizing our blogs, email newsletters, social media, and other marketing platforms; we aim to do the following:
Stand as a packaging & sustainability resource to those without industry know-how;
Educate and assist clients with abiding by retailer & government sustainability guidelines;
Educate clients on how to market their sustainable solutions with consumers;
Dispel any misconceptions in regards to the sustainability of certain packaging materials;
Help consumers avoid falling victim to greenwashing tactics.
Though there is still much work to be done, we believe that creating strategic partnerships with suppliers who share our vision of sustainability is an important first step. Crawford Packaging is also committed to actively sourcing sustainable materials for our customers who are looking to reduce their carbon footprint, keep up with consumer demand, and/or abide by government & retailer regulations. In doing this, we hope to enable the industry to continue making sustainable packaging innovations in the years to come.
In 2020 we are introducing Crawford imPACt: a sustainability initiative designed to help clients make a positive impact on the environment by implementing sustainable packaging practices, machinery, and materials.
Rather than remaining as a static, singular pillar; imPACt is a sustainability philosophy that is interwoven throughout each of our existing pillars. This means that the Wrap It Right, Shrink It Right, Tape It Right, and Protect It Right programs will focus on the entire life cycle of a packaging solution. The imPACt philosophy takes the entire life cycle of a product into consideration in order to identify the ways our clients can reduce their impact on the environment through sustainable packaging practices. Therefore, we don’t just look at optimizing packaging materials or focus solely on machinery, we provide all-encompassing sustainable packaging solutions for the entire operation.
Want to be part of the solution? Contact a Crawford Packaging Specialist to learn about how you can make an imPACt today.
Message from the President
For many years we have gone to market as a packaging solution provider. As part of our role, we are constantly sourcing new solutions from both local and international manufacturers to provide best-in-class packaging solutions to our clients – many of which are eco-friendly. The truth is we have always taken and continue to take a holistic approach to packaging solutions.
We understand that plastics have been overused and that we must all do better with our packaging materials. However, we also understand that packaging itself is not the villain that the media makes it out to be. So, our goal is to be part of the solution. This means reducing packaging materials where possible, contributing to the ease of recycling when possible, providing natural compostable solutions when appropriate; all the while reducing product damage in transit and reducing food waste in the processing and produce channels.
Come and work with us to be part of the solution!
John Ashby
President
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