Packaging Components can be Sustainable

According to EcoWatch, Americans use roughly 500 billion plastic bags and 35 billion plastic water bottles a year. Most of us have used and dropped plastic items into recycling bins, but few of us know where they go after they get picked up from the curb. Theoretically, the recycled plastic piece enters a global system, in which the material is sorted, melted, reformed, and turned into a carpet, toy, furniture, or another bottle. Sounds good, right? The reality is, less than 50% of the items in recycling bins are reused. The vast majority is accumulating in landfills or winds up in our oceans. Fortunately, some companies and organizations are working together to change that statistic, and Allen Field is one of them.

In terms of sustainability, we are always seeking sustainably sourced and plant-based materials from trusted suppliers. In fact, 15%-20% of our packaging components contain recycled plastic; a wide variety of our products can be made with 100% recycled materials. One of our best-selling hooks, the Euro Hook, offers a clean solution to reduce footprint on the environment for our customers. 2020 is the year we take another step forward to testing more materials, such as ocean recycled plastics. We are looking forward to using these eco-friendly materials to add even more value to our innovative line of plastic packaging components.

At Allen Field, we are proud of our zero-waste business practices. We reuse excess plastic during the production process in our facilities. Our handles, box clips, and display accessories are frequently used more than once and nearly all the products have a bio-degradable additive that aids in decomposition. That’s why our customers are encouraged to develop reuse programs and can feel safe to dispose the products when they reach the end of the lifecycle.

Being in the plastic manufacturing industry gives us a great opportunity to make a difference. To learn more about our sustainable goals and business practices, please visit our Environment Responsibility page.