SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING IS THE WAY TO GO THIS CHRISTMAS

Although there’s been a slight drop in the use of wrapping paper since 2016, the reduction just isn’t enough.

Let’s be real — we all want to enjoy Christmas Day without fuss. But the massive waste that builds up during this season is a real problem. Poor waste management, particularly plastic pollution, harms wildlife, disrupts ecosystems, and even puts human health at risk.

Want to hear a mind-blowing fact?

Here’s a fact that might surprise you: only 1% of packaging waste from households comes from toys. That means the remaining 99% comes from unsustainable materials — mostly the stuff we barely notice.

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Bigger Problems

Now for the bigger issue: the explosion in home deliveries. With more people ordering gifts online and parents under pressure to work longer hours, the environmental impact is climbing fast. Delivery vans release harmful emissions, and it’s estimated that over 14 million parcels are delivered each day — a number that easily doubles at Christmas.

Amazon alone reportedly receives 47 orders per second during December. In 2021, they were responsible for using an eye-watering 709 million tonnes of plastic. Following public pressure, they’ve since switched to recyclable paper packaging — a move in the right direction, and a sign that change is possible.

So where do we go from here?

Since September, they have now introduced their recyclable paper after the continuous criticism they faced of wastage, which has been a great solution to reduce plastic waste and help the environment become cleaner.

As designers, it is crucial that we find new ways to produce eco-friendly packaging to make a difference in the world before it’s too late! Especially as we hit a busy time of the month when the use of waste increases by at least 30 percent.

At the Online Creative Design School, we understand that switching to eco-friendly materials as designers can be a struggle, especially when it’s important to maintain eye-catching packaging for consumers.

Therefore, we offer a Specialist Packaging Design course which covers different environmental issues to widen your knowledge and understanding of the overall topic as a whole, and ways to be eco-friendly whilst being a packaging designer.

This will help you to make a better change in the industry relating to the materials used in the world of packaging design, whilst evolving yourself as a designer to creating sustainable, yet attention-grabbing packaging.