Imagine buying a shiny new product and taking it home. Besides the actual product, you’ll typically find a plastic or cardboard box, a printed user manual, recycling instructions, a handful of pamphlets, and maybe even stickers (hello, Apple!)
In the best-case scenario, you stash all of these “goodies” on a shelf somewhere. Iin the worst case, they go straight into the trash.
But wait, there’s more: a week later, the manufacturer updates the product, making those same brochures and instructions obsolete — which means you’ll need to print a new batch of papers all over again.
This isn’t a one-off occurrence either. In fact, this happens thousands (or millions) of times every single day, which ultimately leads to waste, towering landfills, and environmental damage.
How can we address this? One promising solution is sustainable packaging, which uses more versatile methods of delivering information — such as dynamic QR for packaging.
If you're ready to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and streamline your packaging strategy, keep reading!
The Environmental Impact of Traditional Packaging
Let’s take a second and go back to our example in the introduction. Think about what you normally find in the box for a smartphone or laptop: you get the device, but also manuals, warranty cards, flyers, brochures, leaflets, stickers, and tons of other paperwork.
It would be nice if we stopped here, but that’s not all. Each of these materials need regular updates (like when a new phone model is released), which means going back to the printer, printing out new resources, and consuming energy.
According to recent statistics, the European Union generated an estimated 186.5 kilograms of packaging waste per inhabitant, with paper and cardboard making up 40.8% of that total!
Their neighbors across the Atlantic aren’t faring much better: packaging accounts for almost one-third of all municipal solid waste in the United States according to the EPA. In 2018, that came out to more than 82 million tons!
How can we address this? One promising solution is sustainable packaging, which uses more versatile methods of delivering information — such as dynamic QR codes.
A Short Primer on Dynamic QR Codes
QR codes (or as they’re officially known, Quick Response Codes) are those small, square codes you’ve probably seen in cafés for accessing digital menus or on advertising banners.
Since the early 2020s, they’re become popular, especially after a certain unprecedented event. There are two main types of QR codes:
- Static QR Codes: These are encoded with fixed information that can’t be changed once created. They’re convenient for one-time use but aren’t easily adaptable otherwise.
- Dynamic QR Codes: Contain a link or data that can be updated anytime without reprinting the code itself. For instance, a restaurant could adjust its prices instantly and keep the same QR code, rather than printing a new one every time the menu changes. This flexibility saves time, money, and paper.
How Dynamic QR Codes Support Sustainable Packaging
Now that we have an idea of QR codes, let’s take a closer look at how they can help with sustainability efforts.
For example, one dynamic QR code can replace numerous brochures, manuals, or other printed materials, significantly cutting down on paper waste. Whenever information changes — like ingredient details, warranty policies, or promotional offers — you can simply update the data behind the QR code rather than having to reprint an entire batch of leaflets.
Likewise, dynamic QR codes save resources and time. A single scan can instantly direct customers to updated instructions, composition details, or new advertising offers, without the need for fresh printouts.
This method also simplifies instructions for recycling or reuse. For example, Samsung specifically designed their packaging boxes to be upcycled into various household items, like a bookshelf or a cute cat house!
Case Studies
As you can imagine, QR codes are very universal and can be used in practically any industry and business. Let’s take a look at a few examples.
When you hear the words QR code, probably the first thing that comes to mind are menus in restaurants. Rather than printing new menus whenever prices or dishes change, restaurants can simply update the linked data. This is especially helpful in countries dealing with high inflation, where pricing updates are frequent.
Likewise, QR codes have huge potential in the packaged food and cosmetic industries. For food products, scanning a QR code could show nutritional information, recipe ideas, or a site to gather customer feedback.
For cosmetics, a QR code might offer step-by-step application tips or show which other products work well together (i.e. an eyeshadow and lipstick combo).
Finally, QR codes can replace bulky paper manuals entirely — something very beneficial for furniture and electronics manufacturers.
IKEA, for example, could provide a furniture assembly instruction video through a single QR code (instead of those confusing stick figure drawings!). This approach not only saves paper but also makes it easier for customers to access and store the information.
By integrating dynamic QR codes into packaging, brands can significantly reduce paper waste while still providing important product details — the potential is almost unlimited!