Packaging is one of the first things a consumer notices while making a purchase. In India, packaging consumption has increased from 4.3 kgs per person per annum (pppa) to 8.6 kilograms per person per annum showing a two hundred percent growth in the last decade according to the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP). The Indian packaging Industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 26.7 percent and reach a net market value of US 204.81 billion dollars by 2025 from the estimated value of $50.5 billion in 2019. Over the last few years, the industry has been driven by technology and innovations, contributing to various manufacturing sectors, including agriculture and fast-moving consumer goods market (FMCG).
In coming years, the Indian packaging industry will see substantial growth". "The increasing awareness regarding clean water, safe food and pharmaceuticals along with adoption of next gen digital technologies will aggressively penetrate and drive the Indian packaging industry", mentioned Tomas Schneider, President of World Packaging Organization (WPO).
In India, packaging is the fifth largest sector in its economy and is one of the highest growing sectors in the country. The packaging industry is driven by the certain factors like demography, increasing income levels and changing lifestyles, that have anticipated the consumption across various industries leading to higher demand for packaging product solutions. Packaging market shows products that are customer oriented, that are both appealing and have a good durability and tensile strength to ensure product protection in transit.
Most of the enterprise in the Indian packaging sector fail to deliver appeasing and durable packaging, hence compromising on one of the major requirements, leading to customer dissatisfaction. In the last decade, India has focused on transitioning this industry towards sustainability and smart solutions by implementation of single use plastic ban policy along with a focus on recycling and bio-degradability.
Ecopack Solutions is a unique sustainable packaging solution provider in India, envisioned by young dynamic duo; Sonia Chaudhary and Sourabh Dhamecha. Their journey started with sharing ideas during their evening runs. Took advice from their mentors in industry in ironing out their issues during process development they finally established Ecopack Solutions in the year 2019. Today Ecopack Solutions is providing services in packaging innovation, design and product delivery to clients in large and small enterprises. Sourabh and Sonia brought their distinct knowledge and experience from their fields which makes Ecopack Solution a one stop shop for all sustainable packaging needs.
Sonia Chaudhary and Sourabh Dhamecha, who were well settled in their own professional lives and were also volunteering with NGOs that provided entrepreneurial skills and employment opportunities to prisoners. Sourabh Dhamecha has a keen eye to spot opportunitiesand has experience in audits and financial analysis while Sonia Chaudhary is a visual communication specialist and a graphic designer who has to her credit the creation of brand profiles of numerous leading companies like ITC, Whirlpool, Antarkranti and many more. While working for product development and marketing industry they both realized a huge gap in accessibility and the lack of innovation in ecofriendly packaging solutions.
Ecopack Solutions stays a notch ahead in the field due its focus on market researches, sector studies, customer needs and improvisation of products for cost effectiveness and consumer satisfaction.
The innovation that Sonia and Sourabh has brough in composite boxes in terms of design and usability has delivered effective packing solutions that are sturdy, customizable and can easily replace plastic in packaging options. Drawing from their professional experiences, Sourabh took grip on technical and mechanical parts while Sonia used her creative skills to provide design and branding solutions to the clients. This team has come a long way in bridging the huge gap in providing 360-degree ecofriendly packaging solutions to customers in sectors such as home ascents, pharma, nutraceuticals, food, personal care, festive and gift packaging.
What sets Ecopack Solutions from other competitors in the market is that it provides round paper tubes that are durable, light weight, plastic-free, bio-degradable and eco-friendly. The organization provides the solutions to the customers from the inception of designing to product and uses environmentally conscious production methods and 100 percent recycled paper. The paper tubes are not just sturdy and strong which can withstand mailing, transportation and stacking load but also offer precision of crafting and finesse. Ecopack Solutions also offers original, custom-made design to its customer at honest and reasonable prices and is committed to offer quality packaging solutions within the promised timeline. The organization has helped startups to grow, while growing with them, from using thousand tubes to consuming ten thousand tubes per month.
As shoppers become more environmentally conscious, they are looking for greener packaging options and paper tube packaging is an eco-friendly alternative to plastic because it is 100 percent recyclable. Plastic can take 1000 years or more to degrade while paper tube packaging is bio-degradable and breaks down in lesser time. In a 2020 report by Pew Charitable trusts, consumers were asked to choose their preferred packaging material and it was found that 55 percent of these consumers preferred paper packaging due to its environmental benefits.
Packaging tubes are made up of renewable material paper that provides durability, low permeability and makes for an ideal packaging material for protecting products like candles or cosmetics from environmental factors such as moisture, oxygen and pests. Paper tube packaging are a better alternative than plastic tube packaging as it does not create any unnecessary waste or health risks to the environment.
Compared to a plastic packaging, round tube packaging is ecofriendly as it helps in reducing Carbon footprint. The Carbon Footprint is increased since plastics are made mostly from fossil fuel and amounts to nearly 3.8 percent of the total global green-house emission. Unlike plastic, round tubes are recyclable and can be used as raw material for producing new tubes and products. Hence, reducing the carbon foot-print as recycled paper tubes need low energy for manufacturing. “Ecopack Solutions’ paper tube packaging is used by manufacturers and consumers across wide array of industries like candles, beauty products, coffee, apparels, watches, drink bottles, soaps, glass artefacts, food and snacks, pharmaceuticals and many lifestyle and marketingproducts", adds Sonia Chaudhary, Co-Founder of Ecopack solutions. The customized packaging tubes by Ecopack Solutions can be built using spot UV, embossing, cold and hot foil, with variety of laminations, and brand specific labels and helps to improve the overall appeal of the products.
Ecopack Solutions enables its clients create a strong market presence through eco-friendly packaging that helps them claim a space in the market and retain it
The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and the stringent lockdown measures across the country, disrupted the packaging industry. This compelled market players and other customers to halt operations but as the country lifted restrictions, there was an immediate recovery in the overall economy. As it would be Ecopack Solutions faced initial challenges but with hard work and belief they overcame that and are now up the ladder. The performance of sustainable materials used in packaging should be similar to the performance standards of the non- sustainable alternatives. The primary role of packaging is to protect the goods inside it which does not allow any compromises in terms of designs. Ecopack Solutions designs paper tubes that better suits the packaging requirement for size, including custom sizes to fit nearly any product.
Future Roadmap
Ecopack solutions is a paper tube packaging supplier that provides services across India. It was started in 2020 and was producing ten thousand boxes per month. Currently, Ecopack Solutions is producing twenty-five thousand boxes per day. The organization is a leading manufacturer for packaging of gummies and has a strong clientele base with the likes of Kapiva, Power Gummies, Setu, and so on. It has been catering to new generation startups with round boxes, which are in high demand and aims to expand its services to everything that involves packaging with a vision to provide packaging that are sustainable and eco-friendly.
In the future, Ecopack solution envisions to spread the word about sustainable packaging and the many benefits that comes with it. Sustainable packaging is the development and use of packaging which provides improved sustainability to help reduce environmental impact and ecological footprint. This is mainly achieved through efficient use of materials that are sourced, manufactured and recycled to provide packaging which are better for the environment. Ecopack Solution is one of the fastest growing companies in the country and it aims to strengthen its position by collaborating with start-ups and consumers, to formulate an array of methodologies that enhance performance, durability, aesthetics, and sustainability across the entire packaging industry.
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