How Sustainable Development Goals Play a Role in Packaging

The United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals were established with one idea in mind - stimulate action in areas of extreme importance, the “five Ps”. The five 5s are as follows:

People

            End poverty hunger, and inequality and create a healthy environment

Planet

            Protect the planet from degradation through sustainable consumption and production, sustainable managed resources, and taking action on climate change

Prosperity

            Ensure all humans can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives while economic, social, and technological progress occurs in harmony with nature

Peace

            Foster peaceful, just, and inclusive societies free from violence and fear.

Partnership

            Mobilise the means to implement this agenda through a global partnership for sustainable development

The UN recognised that all five of the P words were of equal importance in order to achieve sustainable development. These values were then separated further into 17 goals, with several targets embedded in each.

What the Sustainable Development Goals Mean for the Packaging Industry

Packaging has played a critical role in the creation of modern development. From helping food last, transporting water and medications, and connecting communities, these have become necessary normal in our lives. While it does enable a better and more connected world, packaging does not go into a vacuum once its used. Consumer waste production has significantly increased with the increase of economic development. Materials often end up as pollution in the natural environment, and waste management is a growing problem globally. To guide the packaging industry in tackling its environmental problems, we can look at a few sustainable development goals to direct our efforts.

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Improving the circular economy with sustainable packaging solutions helps reduce waste, promote circularity and reusability, and collaboration between communities. The UK generates around 11 billion packaging waste items per year – with 2 million tonnes of UK packaging waste made of plastic.

By transitioning to sustainable packaging solutions, industries in the UK can prevent these items from going to landfill or polluting ecosystems by promoting circularity. A great way to do this is by investing in packaging made from 100% recycled products. In this way, businesses can give old plastic new life again and prevent plastic pollution. Virgin plastic not only harms ecosystems, but generates hefty carbon emissions during extraction and production. By choosing recyclable products businesses are choosing to reduce global emissions, avoid single use plastics, and prevent ecological harm.

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and production

This goal is one of the most wide-extending goals, covering a large scope of global issues extending past just resource conservation. Using packaging with low impact on the environment by means of compostability, recyclability, and reduced emissions are all ways to foster environmentally friendly business practices and align with SDG 12.

When disposed of correctly, both compostable and recyclable products promote circularity and prevent environmental degradation. Check out some of our products here.

Goal 14: Life Below Water

Sadly, millions of tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans per year with big negative impacts on biodiversity. Luckily, choosing the right sustainable packaging can help prevent this concern too. Paper packaging have the ability to degrade in around a year when released into marine environments. If protecting marine life is a primary drive in a business’s environmental goals, choosing paper packaging over plastic may be the best option. Packaging made from sustainably sourced paper, like our Kraft Paper Mailing Bags, can help promote responsible consumption and production patters, and prevent marine plastic pollution.

SDG 15: Life on Land

Similar to SDG 14 protecting marine life, SDG 15 focuses on protecting terrestrial life. Responsible forest management is key to reducing global carbon emissions and halting biodiversity loss. FSC certified paper ensures protection of valuable forest and its species, and implements sustainable land management policies to help with reforestation. Choosing FSC paper packaging, compostable packaging, or recyclable packaging are all ways to support SDG 15. Compostability ensures less harm to biodiversity, and recyclable packaging prevents plastic from ever ending up in the landfill at all.

What SR Mailing is doing to support the Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainability and Responsibility is literally embedded in our name. Because of this, we take the UN SDGs seriously. We are doing our part to best support these goals by offering a wide range of eco-friendly products, with 95% of our products promoting environmentally friendly practices. And, our goal is to make that 100% in the near future.

Our compostable mailing bags are able to be home-composted, ensuring that even after it is handed off to the consumer, they still have the ability to make sure our bags end of life is an environmentally friendly one.

Our 100% recyclable mailing bags are sourced by us, and their recycling process is certified under the Global Recycled Scheme. Made from once-used agricultural mulch, these bags are sourced, converted, and transported by us with all of our remaining and unavoidable carbon emissions offset through Climate Partner.

Our Kraft paper mailing bags are made from 100% recycled paper, and are recyclable, compostable, and prevent ocean pollution. If plastic is not your thing, paper mailing bags ensure meeting your sustainability goals without breaking the bank.

Check out our range of products!