It is important that the product packaging burdens the environment as little as possible throughout its lifespan. Packaging materials have a large impact on how large carbon footprint is created to a product.
Kiilto strives to utilise renewable materials and recycled materials more and more in their products. Over half of the production at Kiilto’s Lempäälä factory uses packaging that is either reusable as is, or manufactured out of recycled or renewable materials. A considerable investment is made into surveying, evaluating, and choosing of environmentally friendly forms of packaging. Green packaging, choice of materials, and logistics are also a large part of Kiilto’s Promise to the environment.
Selecting suitable packaging materials needs research
Kiilto researches continuously what kind of recyclable materials can be taken in use. The packaging must withstand different product properties, such as long shelf or pH value. Kiilto’s RDI Director Oili Kallatsa reminds that properties of recycled plastic can differ from those of virgin plastic. Implementation of different quality recyclable plastic packaging requires testing.
“As a product of this kind of testing work, we recently introduced a packaging containing recycled plastic for Kiilto Pro Natura product line. Natura line containing products for professional cleaning is also otherwise a good example of environment-based product development, as the products in the line are manufactured from plant-based, that is renewable and biodegradable, raw materials.”
Markings on the packaging will guide you
Kiilto also wants to encourage their clients to recycle product packaging right after use. In addition to most of the packages being fully recyclable already, many products have materials marking, which provides information on materials for different parts of the packaging. For example, if the bottle is made out of HDPE and the cap of PP.
Alongside recycling instructions, the packaging markings guide to customer to use the product in an environmentally friendly manner.
“Packaging markings instruct, among others, on proper dosage. Additionally, for example in laundry products, it is important to give guidance on the temperature the product works in. Washing temperature has a large meaning for the environmental effects over the whole lifespan of the product,” explains Kallatsa.