Packaging and Logistics Sustainability for the 21st Century

The authors in previous research have shared their understanding of ‘Sustainability’ a term that is often referred to as development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Some of the current drivers for sustainable packaging include customer and consumer demands, legislation and recent international reports and policies. Even in this global economic downturn, consumers are being reported to be willing to pay more for less as related to products offered in “eco-friendly” packaging. In addition they have become more tuned to only getting products that they want fast and directly from their phones and mobile devices form any region in the world, get confirmation of the financial transaction, a guarantee of delivery process, and receive the product or products from various sources at their door steps. This is the biggest trend and change in both logistical and sustainable packaging challenges where transportation costs, delivery in high populations, green packaging, use on new drones and fuel efficient delivery vans are the trend. This paper provides a perspective on the challenges and trends in these areas that are closely related to the final product delivery where you require consumer satisfaction, low costs, environmentally friendly materials, no damage to environment, and be able to face criticism on social media. This paper also wants to avoid “Greenwashing”, a term commonly used to indicate false promotion or exaggeration of the “greenness” of packaging is reported to be plentiful in the packaging industry as marketers try to take advantage of consumers’ vulnerabilities associated with environmental stewardship.