Lyte Packaging: How to achieve the three ‘R’s of Recycling’ for sustainable, luxury packaging

Sustainable, recyclable and premium packaging is at our core at Lyte Packaging, having been designing and manufacturing packaging for over a decade. We strive to reduce plastic in consumer packaging by offering innovative, sustainable solutions primarily made from renewable sources.

Meeting the three ‘Rs of recycling’; reduce, reuse, recycle in premium packaging is becoming increasingly achievable. It’s always a good time to consider how to sustainably present your products or gifts, and here’s our top tips:

Reduce

Strange as it sounds, we stand by the saying that no packaging is the best option of all for the planet. Realistically though, this isn’t possible, so our mission is to guide clients in using the minimum amount of packaging required. This is where our expertise comes in (and we love a challenge!), we work hard to provide solutions that use just enough materials to get the job done. Through clever design, certain packaging elements can be eliminated, the outer carton can be designed to hold the products in place for example, reducing the need for an inner tray.

Reuse

Reuse can take on different guises. Beauty and household products in a primary glass dispenser can be refilled with contents provided in lightweight flexible plastic pouches. The primary dispenser is reused giving it a longer life, while the pouches can be recycled in the correct way.

Reuse also means the consumer repurposing the packaging in its original form, expanding the product’s life and time in the customer’s hand. Luxury advent calendars with drawers can be used as a jewellery or trinket boxes. Rigid boxes can take on a second life; by simply adding a recyclable branded outer sleeve and keeping minimal branding on the box, it can be kept for continued use.

Recycle

Choosing materials that are compatible with UK recycling and can be easily recycled at the end of their life has been part of our packaging design process for the last decade. We avoid the use of plastic laminates and aim to use mono materials where necessary that still achieve a luxury finish. There are a range of print finishes that create a premium finish without using plastics to add flashes of embellishment to a product.

Creating luxury packaging that meets customer’s needs whilst also achieving the three ‘Rs’ has become more achievable. We work closely with customers to strike the right balance of sustainable materials to get the golden trio. There’s is no reason why aesthetically pleasing, premium packaging can’t be sustainable and it’s never too late to introduce more sustainable practices in your packaging.