Along with our online division, Smartpress, we’re in a constant state of evolution when it comes to being sustainable and socially responsible. To continue to be an environmental leader in the manufacturing and printing industries, we have to consider every aspect of our business – and that includes sustainable packaging.

“One of our environmental objectives for 2023 was to find healthier alternatives to typical packaging like bubble wrap and poly bags,” said Liesl Beck, director of corporate social responsibility at The Bernard Group. “We want to source the best products available on the market to better serve our clients and protect the environment.”

Offering eco friendly packaging is no small feat, so in the fall of 2022, we set out to review all of our standard packing supplies in all of our facilities. We know the importance of leaving a smaller footprint in the world, so we left no stone unturned, documenting usage, spend, versions, performance, availability and supplier partnerships.

Most importantly, we needed to answer key questions about the alternatives to virgin plastics and virgin paper-based products. Could we use items with recycled content in place of virgin materials? How would they perform? Were they available at scale? Would costs rise? Could we swap out single-use plastic wraps for paper products?

After we concluded our research and documentation phase, it was time to find the actual materials we’d implement for our sustainable packaging options. For us, in the battle of virgin plastic vs recycled plastic (or no plastic at all), the winner will always be the one that does the least amount of damage to the environment.

So once we found enough eco packaging options, we began comparing and evaluating them. This included vetting out the ones that didn’t perform well enough and creating a testing process for the ones that did.

“When we find a viable solution, we rigorously test it for efficacy,” said Todd Voit, senior director of operational excellence at The Bernard Group. “Once the eco-friendly product passes our testing, we implement it into our standard processes.”

Those eco-friendly solutions impressed us when protecting our displays, graphics and print projects as they were packed, shipped and unpacked at their final destinations.

“After months of testing a number of different sustainable packaging products, we landed on some high-performing options,” said Amber Mostoles, shipping manager at Smartpress. “They work just as well, if not better than the less-eco-conscious supplies we’ve used in the past.”

As a manufacturer that values social responsibility, we continuously introduce new or additional options, substitutes or replacements for sustainable packaging – it’s not a one-and-done kind of thing.

“I’m proud Smartpress is putting in a strong effort and taking action in minimizing the impact on the environment,” said Mostoles. “We don’t just look at one thing (like only having an eco-friendly paper option). We consider all of the other components it takes to deliver world-class products to our customers from start to finish.”

Our healthier packaging program now includes the following alternatives to virgin plastics and virgin paper products:

Cartons/Containers

• Polybags: Multiple versions made from 100% recycled content.
• Shipping Boxes: Made with at least 60% recycled content.

Packing Tapes

• All three-inch clear plastic tapes have been replaced with recycled content rolls.

Void Fill (for empty spaces in the container)

• Bubble Wrap: Made with recycled content.
• Kraft Paper: Recyclable and made with 100% recycled content.