While sustainability efforts have often focused on consumer products, the biggest environmental impacts are hidden in industrial operations. Companies across various industries are realizing that their industrial packaging choices, including primary and secondary packaging, carry significant environmental weight. Industrial packaging uses more material, faces regulations, and is harder to recycle, especially when handling chemicals or oils. To reduce carbon footprint industrial packaging, cutting plastic use at the source is crucial. Solutions like CUBITAINER® prove that sustainability can go hand in hand with high-performance packaging.
Reevaluating Industrial Packaging for Sustainability
Industrial sectors that depend heavily on liquid storage and transportation face a particularly pressing challenge, as plastic rigid containers continue to dominate these markets. In contrast to consumer products, industrial packaging choices are typically governed by regulatory adherence, safety standards, and economic factors, with sustainability often assigned a secondary priority. However, this dynamic is evolving rapidly. Growing regulatory demands, corporate environmental pledges, and intensified pressure from stakeholders are forcing industrial enterprises to scrutinize all elements of their environmental impact, packaging included.
Beyond Recycling: The Waste Hierarchy Imperative
While recycling gets significant attention in sustainability discussions, the waste management hierarchy clearly prioritizes reduction over recycling for good reason. Recycling, though important, faces significant challenges for industrial and B2B packaging due to contamination from chemicals or specialized materials.
The most effective environmental strategy follows the waste hierarchy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, in that order. For industrial packaging, this means the primary focus should be on reducing plastic consumption at the source.
Why Industrial Packaging Must Prioritize Reduction Over Recycling:
- Immediate Impact: Every pound of plastic not produced eliminates 100% of its environmental impact, which means no processing, no energy consumption, no waste stream management required
- Contamination Challenges: Industrial containers often contain chemicals, oils, or other materials that complicate recycling processes
- Resource Efficiency: Reducing material use conserves raw resources and energy throughout the entire lifecycle
CUBITAINER® highlights its unique and innovative characteristics. In addition to its recyclable structure, it reduces the use of plastic material, addressing the problem at its source rather than managing it downstream.
The 80% Plastic Reduction Breakthrough
By utilizing a thin but durable flexible inner bag with a protective outer carton, CUBITAINER® requires up to 80% less plastic than equivalent rigid containers such as open pails and tight-head drums.
A traditional 20L (5.3 gallon) rigid plastic container might use 2-3 pounds of plastic material. The equivalent CUBITAINER® uses just 0.4-0.6 pounds of plastic, achieving the same storage capacity and protection standards while eliminating 1.4-2.4 pounds of plastic waste per container. This reduction is evident in industrial applications. Take the paint and coatings industry as an example. According to the American Coatings Association, the U.S. paint and coatings industry shipped $26.1 billion worth of product in 2020.1 While the report doesn’t break down packaging formats, if we conservatively estimate that even 10% of shipments are packaged in 20L pails, that would imply millions of pails annually across the industry.
Space Efficiency: 85% less storage space
Beyond plastic reduction, CUBITAINER® delivers exceptional space efficiency. When empty, these containers collapse to occupy just one-seventh the space of rigid alternatives. This space optimization results in environmental benefits.
Transportation Efficiency: Packaging are often shipped from manufacturing facilities to filling locations. More empty containers can be transported in a single truck, reducing fuel consumption and emissions per unit.
Warehouse Optimization: Reduced storage requirements enable smaller facilities with lower energy consumption for heating, cooling, and lighting.
End-of-Life Benefits: Less material means reduced waste volume when containers reach end-of-life, easing pressure on waste management systems.
Carbon Footprint Reduction
Adequate and optimized packaging can reduce the CO2 footprint significantly. The seven-fold reduction in empty container volume means fewer transportation trips, directly reducing fuel consumption and associated emissions. By switching from open pails or tight-head drums to CUBITAINER®, companies can reduce CO₂ emissions by 85% (Calculation based on 161.8 kg of CO₂ per 100 miles for a medium-duty truck).
Looking Forward: The Packaging Revolution
According to the EPA, the transportation sector accounts for approximately 28% of total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making it the largest single contributor among all sectors.2 CUBITAINER® offers businesses a practical way to participate in the sustainability revolution.
The shift toward sustainable packaging is not just about environmental responsibility. Companies that adopt efficient packaging solutions now, position themselves advantageously for future market conditions.
Key Considerations in Industrial Product Packaging Transition:
- Product Compatibility
Ensure that the CUBITAINER® materials are chemically compatible with your industrial fluids or formulations (e.g., lubricants, cleaning agents, specialty chemicals).
- Filling Requirements
Evaluate your filling equipment and production line to ensure seamless integration with flexible packaging formats.
- Storage and Transportation Efficiency
Analyze how CUBITAINER®’s collapsible design reduces storage space and improves palletization, leading to lower transport costs.
- Regulatory Compliance
Verify that the packaging complies with industry regulations and standards (e.g., UN/DOT for hazardous materials, FDA for food-grade applications).
- Supply Chain Adaptation
Plan for coordination with suppliers and logistics partners to manage the shift in packaging format and material handling.
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
Weigh initial transition costs against long-term savings in materials, shipping, waste management, and sustainability initiatives.
The sustainability revolution in packaging is no longer confined to consumer goods. It is reshaping industrial applications where the greatest environmental gains are still to be realized. In this landscape, plastic reduction through CUBITAINER® is not just a step forward, it is a leap toward meaningful, measurable change.
Forward-thinking companies are already discovering that embracing industrial sustainability is more than just a responsible choice. It is also a strategic advantage. With CUBITAINER®, businesses can significantly reduce their environmental footprint. Ready to see what CUBITAINER® can do for your sustainability goals? Explore how this sustainable packaging solution is transforming industrial packaging from the inside out.
Source:
- https://www.paint.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2022/06/FACTs-Economic-2022.pdf
- https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/fast-facts-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions