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Today, more and more consumers – especially millennials – say they want brands that create sustainable and environmentally-responsible products. Therefore, creating a sustainable product not only benefits the planet, but entices consumers to your brand and helps to create brand loyalty. One of the most effective ways to make your packaging eco-friendly is to use sustainable materials. While there are some materials that are clearly more sustainable than others, such as paper compared to plastic, there are also different levels of sustainability even amongst substrates that are considered environmentally friendly. JohnsByrne goes over the different types of sustainable substrates that can be used for your sustainable packaging design below.

What You Need to Know:

Post Consumer Waste Paper: Post Consumer Waste (PCW) is recycled paper that is made from waste that people have used and recycled.

A product that has a Forest Stewardship Council^® (FSC^®) certification has been sourced from responsibly managed forests and/or been made from post-consumer waste.

FSC^® 100%: FSC^® 100% are certified products that come completely from FSC^®-certified forests.

FSC^® Mix: FSC^® Mix identifies FSC^® certified products that are made from multiple sources.

FSC^® Recycled: FSC^® Recycled products are made with recycled materials exclusively.

PEFC Certification: The PEFC Chain of Custody certification verifies that the certified forest-based material a product is made of originates from sustainably managed forests.

PEFC Recycled: In order to qualify to use the PEFC Recycled label, at least 70% of the material is from recycled sources and the wood is from controlled sources.

PEFC Certified Material: To qualify to use the PEFC Certified label, at least 70% of the material has to be from certified PEFC forests.