The holiday season brings its share of deliveries of overwrapped parcels, filled with styrofoam. In the wake of Christmas shopping, Quebec companies are offering solutions.
In order to protect its body care products delivered to consumers, the Quebec company Attitude has opted for vegetable starch balls, instead of styrofoam bubbles.
“For us, it is very important to offer an integrated solution […] and to maintain an environmental solution from start to finish,” says Hans Drouin, vice-president of research and development at Attitude.
Made from corn, wheat or potato starch, these Biofoam packaging shells disintegrate on contact with water, without contaminating groundwater, explains Mr. Drouin. Their Canadian supplier, Bio-Foam Enviro-Fill, favors ingredients that are not intended for food, he says.
It is certain that everything we do has an imprint, but we have tried to find the solution that will allow people to receive a product in good condition, while limiting the impact on the planet.
Hans Drouin, vice-president research and development at Attitude
Businesses have had to reinvent their packaging processes as package deliveries increase during the pandemic. “We have to adapt our packaging to this request,” notes Mr. Drouin.
Do the right things
“It should be the norm to do eco-design. We should stop having to look for which packaging on the shelves is the greenest,” says Geneviève Dionne, director of eco-design and circular economy at Éco Entreprises Québec (EEQ).
According to her, companies should work “jointly” to put in place “common bases and standards”. The specialist admits that packaging decisions are “not that easy”, considering the “perverse effects” and “blind spots” of each alternative.
The vegetable starch balls that Attitude uses have their downsides, she says. “We use an agricultural resource to produce a biodegradable polymer. In terms of life cycle analysis, we are not a winner at all,” launches Geneviève Dionne.
Even if it dissolves in water, it’s going somewhere. These residues can pose certain environmental challenges. We must stop thinking that packaging will magically disappear because it is converted by compostable or biodegradable applications.
Geneviève Dionne, Ecodesign and Circular Economy Director at Éco Entreprises Québec
Packaging represents on average 10% of the total environmental footprint of a product, according to eco-design analyses, points out Geneviève Dionne. EEQ sees subtle improvements in packaging used by companies, such as reduced mass and volume and increased recovery rates.
To ensure a second life, the simplification of packaging products is essential, in particular by reducing glue and ink and standardizing the materials used, explains Geneviève Dionne.
Good shot: the Simons company now prioritizes “smaller, thoughtful boxes for the product inside, with less padding,” she points out.
“Thanks to our automated distribution center and the acquisition of machines to assess the volume of shipping boxes, we are able to reduce the packaging of web orders as much as possible,” confirms Yannick Vial, Vice-President senior e-commerce, digital and marketing manager at Simons, by email. Each box is measured and custom cut to ensure optimal density and efficiency when shipping it. We have also replaced our plastic protective materials with recycled cardboard. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SIMONS
The Simons company now prioritizes smaller, thoughtful boxes for the product inside.
Many eco-responsible packaging solutions are therefore available on the market. “There is a lot more work to be done in the factories on energy, water, waste and transport”, according to Geneviève Dionne. As Christmas approaches, she invites the population to forget about overconsumption and to take greater account of the ecological footprint of gifts.