Eco-packaging broken down by leading manufacturer

The tide is starting to turn in the fight to tackle plastic pollution.The UK government is consulting on plans for a ban on single-use plastic items such as straws, cutlery and cotton buds by 2020, whilst the European Union voted overwhelmingly for a similar ban to come into effect by 2021.

Thanks largely to David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II series – which highlighted the plight of wildlife affected by plastic waste in our oceans – the public has never been more switched on to the problem or more keen to seek eco-friendly alternatives.

The most eco-friendly option is often for consumers to simply re-use existing bags before recycling them. The term ‘single-use’ carrier bag is a misnomer, whereas resealable bags such as grip seal bags are designed for multiple uses.

Nevertheless, with plastic waste so high on the public agenda, many consumers are looking for alternatives to traditional polythene packaging altogether. Unfortunately, the information available to them to make an informed choice on such an important topic is often lacking – until now at least.

With environmental considerations high on their agenda, one UK packaging company has introduced a series of standards to help customers better understand the difference between the various types of eco-friendly packaging that they stock and manufacture.

Polybags Ltd has introduced to its website a series of handy icons to help customers distinguish between the different forms of eco-packaging in its extensive range. These are supported by a series of articles and classifications to explain each standard and help customers distinguish between them.

The new eco-standards include:

Polybags don’t stop there. Their online catalogue is now categorised to highlight a range of other product features that will no doubt prove useful to prospective buyers.

Food-safe, freezer-safe and antistatic products are all highlighted, as are resealable and peel & seal bags, plus extra strong and high-security packaging, to name a few.

Each easily-identifiable product feature is covered with a handy user guide to allow customers to make an informed choice.

As the UK market leader in polythene bags and responsible packaging, many more packaging companies are expected to follow Polybags’ lead and adopt a more transparent approach to informing their customers about the products they are buying.