Flexible packaging for snacks is one of the most environmentally friendly types of packaging available. If you’re using it now, you are already doing something to help conserve resources and reduce your carbon footprint. However, if you are looking to do more, you can take the next step to use post-consumer recycled plastic to make your packaging.

What Is PCR?

Post-consumer recycled plastic products are made from consumer products, such as bottles and tubs, that have been recycled after they have outlived their usefulness. If you have ever put a plastic bottle or recyclable pouch into a single-stream recycling bin, then you know exactly what PCR plastic products are made of.

After they go into the single-stream recycling, the materials are transported to a Materials Recovery Facility, where they are sorted and collected into big bales of similar material. They are then purchased by manufacturers of plastic goods where they are used to make new materials after being melted or broken down.

Post-consumer recycled plastic is different from post-industrial or post-process plastic. Post-industrial plastic refers to the waste material left over during the processing of manufacturing goods from virgin plastic. Using post-industrial plastic does cut down on the amount of waste that would otherwise go to the landfill, but it cannot truly be said to be recycled since it has not been used by the consumer. Instead, it is part of the same process that generated it in the first place.

Why Use PCR Packaging?

There are many environmental benefits of using PCR plastic. Virgin plastics are made from petroleum, a dwindling fossil fuel that is extracted from the ground using ecologically harmful methods. PCR plastic eliminates the need for virgin plastic. The entire process of collecting, recycling, and remanufacturing goods using PCR plastic uses much less energy than manufacturing materials out of virgin plastic, which reduces your carbon footprint.

When plastic goes to the landfill, it does not biodegrade but it does keep breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces. These microplastics remain in the environment and have been found in the bodies of animals, including human beings. PCR packaging helps keep plastic out of landfills, which in turn helps to reduce microplastics in the environment.

Awareness of environmental issues has led to new regulations to reduce waste and conserve resources. Adopting PCR packaging helps to keep you in compliance with new industrial and governmental regulations. The increase in awareness has also led to a rise in environmental consciousness among consumers. Using eco-friendly packaging helps to appeal to this audience. If these customers see that you are doing your part to help the environment, they are more likely to trust you to do the right thing in other aspects of business administration. This makes them more likely to buy your products and develop loyalty to your brand.

The energy savings that go into producing PCR packaging also translate to cost savings. By choosing the more environmentally friendly option, you can save money while receiving products of the same high quality. Find out more about the entire process of producing PCR packaging, including stand up pouch printing.