Plastic-free

Contains no petroleum-based plastics.

Plastic-free definition

Traditional plastics are created from polymerized crude oil [1] . This increases the demand for a finite substance while also creating a material that takes thousands of years to break down.

Plastic-free packaging is free from plastics created like this.

eco properties trees

Why you should use plastic-free packaging

Packaging is the leading contributor to pollution, specifically in marine environments. Petroleum-based plastics only exacerbate this pollution problem and have a profound effect on the environment and wildlife that lives there.

Brands may decide to avoid plastic packaging in an effort to reduce their environmental impact should their packaging end up somewhere other than landfill.

A brand may want to use plastic-free packaging if using environmentally-friendly materials is important to them.

Plus, brands may be left with no choice: the recent changes in legislation around the globe with Europe setting the trend will put pressure on brands to make the transition and may impact their business models.

Public opinion is another strong driver here, with the general public becoming more and more educated and vocal about pollution, including packaging waste.

Why you shouldn’t use plastic-free packaging

The use of plastic-free packaging should be avoided in some limited cases: to extend the shelf life of food products (especially in famine areas, medical products or pharmaceuticals), deliveries to space stations or transporting hazardous materials.

Also, using plastic-free packaging might be avoided if you are 100% sure your plastic packaging can and will be recycled.

Packhelp and plastic-free packaging

Packhelp encourages brands of all sizes to default to plastic-free packaging. While the carbon emissions created in the manufacturing process of plastic packaging is low, the net result is a product that takes thousands of years to break down.

Plastic-free packaging, while laborious to produce, is a step in the right direction for minimising the amount of petroleum-based plastics that end up in landfill.

Frequently asked questions

The EU will ban all single-use throwaway plastics by 2021. This is forcing brands to stop using single-use plastics in packaging, and find a plastic-free alternative. Note that Packhelp’s Classic Polymailer falls into the category of single-use plastic packaging, but can be recycled in an industrial facility. We expect to see the demand for plastic-free alternatives, like biopolymailers and paper cans increase.