Clamshell packaging is one of the most versatile types of packaging and can be used with a myriad of retail and food-related products. When a new client contacts us about a packaging project, their three main concerns tend to be affordability, production time and sustainability. Our goal is always to provide a total solution for each client, addressing all of these concerns. When it comes to eco-friendly clamshell packaging, we offer many sustainable packaging options, including the following.
1. Easy-To-Recycle Materials
Sustainable packaging should be easy to recycle. Virtually every material we use at Indepak is recyclable. Our facility includes multiple lines of high-speed thermoforming equipment, and this allows us to process a variety of thermoform plastic materials, including materials that are easy for consumers to recycle.
Plastics such as PET, PETG, LDPE and HDPE are accepted by most curbside recycling programs in the United States. Selecting highly recyclable materials makes it easy for consumers to simply toss your package into the recycling bin after it has been used.
We also can use materials such as PP, OPS and PVC, which also are recyclable and accepted by many, but not all, curbside recycling programs. Still, using PET, PETG and HDPE virtually guarantees that your packaging is recyclable, and clamshell packaging often can be created using these sustainable packaging materials, which are approved for food contact as well as approved for use as medical and pharmaceutical packaging.
We do recommend that you add, somewhere on your labeling, that the container is recyclable and that you strive to use eco-friendly packaging. Typically, companies add the well-known recycling symbol of a green triangle comprised of arrows somewhere on their packaging and often add a number to make it easy to determine the type of plastic that is used. Of course, this recycling symbol and the number can be molded onto your plastic package as well as being placed on the label.
These numbers correspond to the resin identification code for each type of plastic. For instance, PET and PETG are identified with the number one, while HDPE is marked with the number 2 and so forth. Most plastic resins, numbers 1-6 can be recycled, while those with a number 7 might not be accepted by a curbside recycling program.
2. Post-Consumer Materials & Recycled Content
We also can create clamshell packaging using post-consumer grade materials, and well as pre-consumer materials. Post-consumer materials are plastics that have been used by consumers and were then recycled for new use.
Pre-consumer materials are plastics that have not been used by consumers, typically manufacturing waste. For instance, perhaps a factory uses shrink wrap to cover products. Any shrink wrap that is recycled and not used to cover products would be pre-consumer materials. Aside from plastics, some examples of pre-consumer waste might be sawdust or perhaps fabric trimmed off clothing in a textile mill.
When we create clamshell packaging, we feed large sheets of plastic into our thermoforming equipment. This plastic is heated, molded into your package shape and excess plastic is trimmed away. This excess plastic is known as a web, and we ensure that all excess plastic and webs are recycled and used again for a future project. This material is technically being recycled but does not fall under the category of pre-consumer materials because it remains in our facility and is reused. If there are materials that we send away for recycling, this would fall under the guise of pre-consumer materials.
As we design your clamshell packaging, we can discuss the amount of recycled content to be included in your project. In some cases, 100% of the packaging will be created using recycled content, while in other cases, it might be less, and some new materials may be used. Your packaging also might include a mix of pre-consumer and post-consumer materials.
3. Starch-Based Bio-Materials
Most thermoform plastics are by-products of petroleum, and while we can recycle these plastics again and again, petroleum is not a renewable resource. Therefore, bio-based and renewable plastics have been developed to fulfill our need for sustainable packaging materials. Some of these starch-based bio-materials are biodegradable and some are compostable. Compostable plastics sometimes can be placed in a consumer’s green waste container but should not be placed in the recycling bin.
When it comes to biodegradable packaging and compostable packaging, the main benefit is that the materials are not created using a non-renewable resource. Biodegradable packaging and sometimes compostable packaging must be taken to special facilities in order to create the conditions needed for biodegradation or composting. These materials can’t always be mixed with green waste nor do they simply biodegrade quickly in a landfill.
However, using a renewable resource as your packaging material can be an attractive option, and we do offer starch-based biomaterials as a material choice. Our design team can determine if these starch-based materials are a good fit for your packaging.
4. Smaller Packing = Eco-Friendly Packaging
When we talk about the three R’s (recycling, reusing and reducing), your custom packaging supplier doesn’t just need to focus on recycling, we also can “reduce” by creating smaller packaging. We can design clamshell packaging that fits your product perfectly and we do all we can to make the packaging as small as possible. Not only does this reduce plastic usage, but it also helps you ship more units per box and reduces weight. Both of these factors may reduce your shipping costs, and shipping is a huge expense for companies.
Additionally, let’s talk for a minute about reusing. The team at Indepak can create packaging that can be reused. For instance, when it comes to sustainable food packaging, instead of a clamshell, we can design a container with a lid that a consumer might reuse for another purpose. Even if the consumer chooses to not reuse the container, we can use materials that are easy to recycle. Either way, this can increase your packaging sustainability.
5. Choose A Company That Focuses On Safety & Sustainability
Indepak is located in Portland, Oregon, which has long been a center of environmental innovation. Our team has been reducing, reusing and recycling long before it was popular or required. We are ISO 14001:2015 certified and go beyond these requirements, resulting in a very low-waste operation in every part of our company.
For instance, we reduce waste in general through our design process. We ensure that each package carefully protects and preserves your product but does not include any unnecessary extra packaging. When we feed sheets of thermoform plastic through our thermoforming machines, we also strive to use as much of the plastic sheet as possible, reducing the amount of web material left over. Of course, as stated before, we do recycle this web material so that it can be used for future thermoforming projects.
As clamshell packaging suppliers, we can design and produce packaging for specialty foods products, personal care items, electronics and a wide range of retail products. In addition to producing clamshell packaging, we also can design and create all types of blister packaging, thermoform trays, containers with lids and much more. We offer sustainable options for every type of packaging we create, so be sure to ask about the many eco-friendly choices available when you contact us.
