Sustainability 101: What is packaging sustainability?

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Whether or not we’re buying grocery objects wrapped in plastic or receiving a house cargo packed in polystyrene peanuts, packaging is a part of our on a regular basis lives. Nevertheless, a lot of it turns into waste after one use.

In accordance with the Organisation for Financial Co-operation and Improvement (OECD), 31% of plastics produced are for packaging – typically single-use and with a median six-month lifespan. Plastic is broadly used as an efficient packaging materials, however as waste within the surroundings, it might probably have a detrimental influence.

Analysis revealed within the November 16, 2024, Journal of Hazardous Supplies Advances exhibits that that in landfills, plastic can emit toxins and turn into a supply of greenhouse gases (GHGs), and in oceans, it might probably break down into microparticles that might disrupt meals chains and contribute to quite a lot of well being issues.

Another non-recyclable or non-compostable packaging objects embrace foam, aluminum foil with meals residue, and fused elements similar to cardboard connected to foam that can not be simply separated for recycling.

How does this affect customers’ decisions? A 2025 McKinsey & Firm survey experiences that 77 p.c of respondents think about recyclable packaging “extraordinarily necessary” or “crucial,” whereas 62 p.c responded the identical about packaging comprised of recycled supplies.

Packaging sustainability: Supplies matter <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-478079" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/09/employee-with-box_600x857.png" alt="A person wearing a black shirt opening a cardboard box with a product inside." width="400" height="571" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/09/employee-with-box_600x857-210x300.png 210w, https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/09/employee-with-box_600x857.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px"/> Staff member reviewing Cisco product packaging. In a round financial system, industries modify their processes to allow the reuse and regeneration of supplies. The aim is to make merchandise with the smallest environmental influence utilizing the fewest sources potential.

By specializing in supplies, firms could make their product containers and elements extra sustainable, similar to berry growers utilizing compostable trays or cosmetics producers utilizing refillable containers for post-purchase reuse.

Another methods embrace:

Decreasing or eliminating pointless elements Utilizing QR codes to digitize info vs. printed supplies Incentivizing client recycling with rewards or by offering clear directions on how one can recycle

Utilizing these options can assist scale back packaging waste whereas aligning with buyer values. It additionally can assist scale back packaging prices, optimize house effectivity, and construct in regulatory compliance.

How Cisco’s technique has developed to suppose “contained in the field” For Cisco, packaging sustainability is the observe of minimizing waste by lowering or eradicating sure supplies — similar to single-use plastic baggage and foam — and changing them with various supplies which are renewable, recyclable, or each.

In 2019, Cisco developed a set of Round Design Rules for its merchandise throughout 5 classes — considered one of which is packaging and equipment. Product groups and packaging engineers in our Provide Chain Operation workforce collaborate on the outset of the design part to craft a bundle that gives the optimum stability of product safety and circularity. Lots of our merchandise now incorporate recyclable fiber-based cushions like FiberFlute®, paper tube cushions, and molded pulp to exchange foam. Via Cisco’s No Paper Initiative, QR codes for digital product info keep away from materials use altogether.

A very good instance is the Cisco Ceiling Microphone Professional bundle, which is absolutely fiber primarily based. As a substitute of plastic trays, we opted for unbleached molded pulp-fiber trays which are robust sufficient to cushion the delicate unit, but gentle sufficient for cost-effective delivery. We additionally swapped out the standard single-use plastic bag with a custom-fit paper sleeve that absolutely encases the unit and shields it from mud and abrasion.

Packaging from legacy merchandise will be modified for circularity as nicely, and Cisco’s Catalyst 9300 Enterprise Change is a first-rate instance.

To interchange foam, we used recycled thermoforms to cushion the chassis — eliminating about 250 metric tonnes of froth yearly — and recycled and recyclable fiber-based retention packs for the facility provide items — avoiding roughly 70 extra metric tonnes per yr. To eradicate plastic baggage, we opted for paper flag labels on energy cords, consolidated small components throughout a number of baggage, and swapped out plastic for paper-based envelopes. In fiscal 2025, Cisco utilized these packaging adjustments to the brand new technology Cisco C9350 sensible switches.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-478083 size-medium_large" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/09/ceiling-microphone-before-after_1004x656_final-768x502.jpg" alt="Two Cisco products inside different packaging." width="768" height="502" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/09/ceiling-microphone-before-after_1004x656_final-300x196.jpg 300w, https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/09/ceiling-microphone-before-after_1004x656_final-768x502.jpg 768w, https://storage.googleapis.com/blogs-images-new/ciscoblogs/1/2025/09/ceiling-microphone-before-after_1004x656_final.jpg 1004w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px"/> (on left) Earlier than: Ceiling Microphone Professional packaging enclosed in a single-use plastic bag. (on proper) After: Ceiling Microphone Professional packaging fitted with molded pulp protecting trays and paper-based glassine sleeve changing plastic bag. Packaging sustainability: A Round Design Precept Round Design Rules have reworked the product and packing design course of at Cisco. Different examples of how we incorporate circularity into our packaging embrace:

Decreasing supplies utilization with a heightened concentrate on plastics discount Designing containers and packing supplies to be separable and simply recycled at finish of use Utilizing post-consumer waste in new packaging components Eliminating paper documentation in new product shipments Decreasing the cargo of unused equipment by providing our prospects an opt-out choice in the course of the ordering expertise Utilizing multipack options to cut back materials utilization and bundling containers for big shipments to cut back the variety of packing containers wanted

Through the use of extra environment friendly, renewable, and recyclable supplies, Cisco not solely helps maintain waste out of landfills however reduces prices and saves sources.

Study extra about these initiatives and Cisco’s packaging sustainability objectives within the Cisco Function Reporting Hub. Share:

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Sustainability 101: What is packaging sustainability?

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