AMS Fulfillment has been environmentally conscious since opening its doors for business, adopting “think green” practices and improving on those practices as new information and new products become available. As a B Corporation with a genuine concern about the environment and the impact of packaging materials on the environment, we are working harder than ever to see what we can do to find and use materials that are not harmful.
There is significant momentum around the world to reduce or eliminate single use packaging. A recent article in agfundernews talks about government efforts, and the efforts of corporations being driven by consumers:
“Meanwhile, consumers are increasingly demanding more sustainable packaging materials and are using their dollars to speak for them. Half of consumers in the US and UK reported that they’re making a conscious effort to cut down on the amount of single-use plastic they consume, according to a 2019 study, while 42% said that choosing products made from recyclable or sustainable materials are an important factor in their day-to-day shopping decisions.”
A number of companies, with Walmart, Kellogg’s and Hershey among them, are setting timelines to switch to completely reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging. These companies and many others are looking to innovators with scalable packaging alternatives to conventional materials, and investigating some exciting new start-ups that are creating solutions.
AMS Fulfillment’s Green Team has been researching the latest in outside packaging and inside void fill. Hemp products are very versatile with different hemp materials creating biopolymers that can be used in many facets of the plastics industry. And there are many other solutions in the making as well.
Some examples are: 1) biodegradable plastic pellets from paper industry; 2) fully recyclable polystyrene packaging designed from the areca palm leaf; 3) bioplastic derived from potato industry residues; 4) containers that are created from sugar cane and corn starch derived from industrial waste products; 5) water soluble and biodegradable thermoplastic pellets based on casein, a milk protein; 6) bio resi systems that are suitable to bind a number of natural fibers like flax, hemp, pineapple, palm leaves, cotton, banana, and jute; 7) packaging material derived from seaweed and other plant materials; and 8) a foaming technology called 100BIOthat creates a biodegradable styrofoam that can compost in less than nine weeks without exuding carbon dioxide, heavy metals, or methane.
We’ll keep you informed as we examine the changes AMS Fulfillment can undertake to be even more ‘Good For the World.’