Glove Intelligent Assistant
05.14.2024
In today’s world, the average consumer is very focused on green marketing in an effort of being a conscious consumer. They desire to invest in companies and businesses that implement ethical business models, even choosing more expensive products for the sake of a more positive environmental impact. A popular point of discussion is moving away from plastic packaging and using more sustainable packaging materials. E. Royte’s 2019 paper found that seventy-eight million metric tons of plastic packaging are produced worldwide annually.
In 2019 as well, the Royal Society published a paper stating that single-use plastic packaging has the most significant and disproportionate impact on the environment compared to other plastic uses, endangering animal life and ending up in our food chain. Not only does plastic packaging end up polluting the environment, the process of producing plastic packaging requires a large investment of nonrenewable resources.
Businesses focused on sustainability have shifted away from using plastic packaging, or are at the most attempting to recycle plastic packaging to establish a more circular economy. The Ask GIA™ blog has discussed circular economy before; it is a model of a restorative or a regenerative production process where waste can be turned back into manufacturing materials. The United Nations’ International Resource Panel concluded that natural resource extraction and processing contribute to about half of all global greenhouse gas emissions. If we can maintain a sustainable supply chain, it can reduce the current rate of climate change. Using eco-friendly packaging can contribute to supply chain sustainability for various reasons.
Financially, businesses don’t need to keep paying for new virgin materials. Opting for lighter weight packaging reduces transportation costs and optimizing packaging dimensions reduces storage and shipping expenses. Governing bodies are also becoming more focused on compelling businesses to practice environmentally sustainable ethics. They are implementing stricter legislation and scientific targets related to packaging and environmental sustainability. Being compliant with existing and future legislation will avoid incurring fines and penalties. In terms of sourcing raw materials, eco-friendly packaging reduces the amount of virgin raw materials taken from the environment. Eco-friendly packaging often requires less energy to produce as well, further reducing a business’ carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions.
The SW brand has always been focused on sustainability and we have gone to great lengths to implement eco-friendly packaging. All SW outer packaging is made of 90% recycled paper and inner packaging is made from 70% recycled paper. SW works to source raw materials from sustainable forests as we work with the Forest Stewardship Council. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an organization that has been around since 1995 and has certified over 3000 other US companies, guaranteeing that products are made from materials sourced from responsibly managed forests. We aim to constantly innovate our brand towards protecting the environment of the future.
Our commitment doesn’t just stop with eco-friendly and sustainable packaging. Many of our company goals revolve around waste reduction. This can be seen with our EcoTek technology, our sustainable nitrile glove formula. TotalForm glove is manufactured with bio-based materials, which are materials intentionally developed from renewable biological sources. We are dedicated to mitigating climate change by promoting environmentally sustainable products. Not solely because the consumer is motivated to buy green products or that it might be more cost effective for our business, but because SW is working towards a better and sustainable future.