In recent years, growing concern for the environment and for a more sustainable world has not left the plastic packaging for detergent indifferent.

It is not just about using safe plastic containers. Keeping products in perfect condition, maintaining all their properties and even being visually appealing to consumers are not the only factors that concern companies in relation to plastic detergent packaging. Both, manufacturers and end consumers, are increasingly aware and inclined towards a new type of packaging:  sustainable packaging.

What is sustainable detergent packaging?

There is a change in trend in plastic detergent packaging. Where certain characteristics were previously prioritized to make packaging more practical and attractive to consumers, the emphasis is now placed on sustainability, in producing sustainable packaging.

The concept of sustainable packaging is a concept that we listen to daily. Sustainability envelops our culture today and is present in everything we consume.

But talking about sustainable packaging does not just mean recyclable. For plastic detergent packaging to be sustainable, they must meet two conditions: to reduce their environmental impact and to meet their customers’ needs. This means that, in addition to being more environmentally friendly, they must be safe plastic containers, that keep the product safe and that are comfortable and practical for use and consumption.

To achieve sustainable packaging, different measures are being taken such as reducing the raw material used in the packaging, which implicitly reduces the cost and waste produced in addition to influencing its transport, which reduces the carbon footprint.

The materials used in their composition must be unified so that it is easier to separate them for recycling. And to save energy during transport and storage, sustainable packaging must have the right dimensions adapted to the product, so that no extra matter is used. The less space they take up, the less space will be needed for storage and the fewer times it will have to be transported, saving the energy that both would entail.

Find out more about the typology of sustainable eco-packaging

In short, for plastic detergent packaging to be sustainable, it must be made of recyclable or biodegradable materials, guarantee a reduction of raw material consumption and greater energy efficiency.

HDPE is one of the most widely used materials for plastic containers for detergents that is also recyclable, and therefore environmentally friendly. It is also a safe plastic and keeps the product adequately.

Many of our customers have already begun to prioritize sustainability in plastic detergent packaging. They prefer HDPE monomaterial, for their plastic containers for liquid detergent, in which we include a considerable percentage of our recycled material. At ALCION PACKAGING SOLUTIONS we share the concern of our customers whose objective is to make all their plastic containers for detergents 100% recyclable.

Why many manufacturers plan to change their plastic detergent containers to sustainable plastic packaging?

Climate change and concern for the environment is a problem that has left no sector indifferent and has touched plastic detergent containers.

Large manufacturers of cleaning products have spent the last few years trying to design new plastic packaging formats for detergents capable of fulfilling all the functions they had already contemplated and adding one more feature: sustainability.

Detergent packaging has traditionally been designed to capture consumers' attention on supermarket shelves, but purchasing trends are changing, and as online commerce increases, the more important sustainable packaging becomes.

Although e-commerce seems unrelated to plastic detergent packaging, its influence on detergents is such that it has ensured that all major brands of cleaning products rethink the way they package detergents.

The explanation is that, in a globalized world where products travel thousands of miles to reach the end consumer, packaging optimization has become a priority to reduce the energy and the expenses on their transport and storage.

But, although saving unnecessary costs is a matter of primary interest, plastic detergent packaging is also a way to convey a brand image, and the image that more and more consumers want to perceive is that of a sustainable brand and concerned about the environment.

That is why large manufacturers of detergency have started to use sustainable packaging, greatly reducing CO2 emissions, the raw materials and the energy used in the production and distribution of their plastic containers for detergents.

And now that many companies have found a way to combine the concepts of safe plastics with sustainable packaging, it is important to educate the consumer to understand that, under a different, more environmentally friendly, less heavy packaging, the same product is found and, above all, the same amount.

And even if it is something that will take time, a large part of the population is already fully aware and committed to such changes, supporting plastic containers for detergents that have been manufactured sustainably even willing to pay a little more.

At Alcion Packaging Solutions, we are committed to the environment, which is why we manufacture plastic containers for detergents using the latest technologies, to achieve totally efficient and sustainable processes and materials that adapt to each product in a practical, safe, and responsible way. Contact us for further information!