Products play a vital role in promoting a company’s brand and identity, and the design and branding of packaging can be a critical aspect of a marketing strategy.
As a plastic packaging company, you often have in possession this very valuable asset and have the responsibility of ensuring any branded materials that are no longer usable are properly disposed of to keep your clients’ reputation intact.
For packaging companies like yours, proof of destruction is a crucial tool in achieving this goal.
But how can plastic packaging companies ensure product destruction actually occurs and that a product and its packaging simply doesn’t end up in a trash receptacle or worse, in the wrong hands? The answer is certified product disposal.
What Is Certified Product Disposal?
Certified product disposal ensures proof of destruction. In other words, products you no longer want or that have been
deemed unsafe are destroyed so they do not end up in the wrong hands. This process can include the products themselves, the packaging they are encased in, or both.
Certified Product Destruction is used across many industrial sectors and by many of the biggest packaging companies. Food packaging companies, cosmetic packaging companies, meat packaging companies, medical packaging companies and more often use this type of specialized disposal service to ensure consumer safety and brand reputation protection of both the packaging companies and their clients.
How does certified product disposal work? The process typically involves several steps:
- Collection: The products that require disposal are collected from the company’s warehouse or other locations.
- Transportation: A certified product disposal company then transports the items to a certified disposal facility or processing plant that is equipped with specialized equipment to handle the products. Depending on what is being disposed of, this facility may be in your state or across another state’s border.
- Destruction: Products or packaging are destroyed using methods that are safe and secure, ensuring that they cannot be reused, resold or repurposed. The destruction process may involve shredding, incineration, melting or other methods.
- Documentation: The destruction process is documented, and the certified disposal company issues a certificate of destruction form to the company. This certificate provides proof that the products have been destroyed and are no longer a liability.
A certified product disposal company should have the equipment, expertise and certifications necessary to ensure the secure and responsible destruction of products that the plastic packaging industry uses on a regular basis. We’ll explore what you should look for in a partner later, but first let’s take a closer look at why plastic packaging companies should take advantage of certified product destruction.
Why Plastic Packaging Companies Need Proof Of Destruction
Why plastic packaging companies need proof of destruction come down to two words: grey market. The grey market is a marketplace for sales not authorized by the manufacturer of a product. It’s accessible to anyone in the United States and around the world, and is a serious problem every year for manufacturers who want to keep their brand identity intact.
When buyers purchase products through the grey market, they are buying what appears to be branded products … either by what appears on the product itself or its outer plastic-based packaging.
Instead of the real products, buyers are instead purchasing knock-offs, recalled items or non-functional returns. Often these items are of inferior quality, and because consumers believe the product is from a particular brand, they now think poorly of that company and may even share their opinions with people in their circle or beyond their circle on the internet via social media. Those reviews can then go viral, impacting the reputation of your customers.
How do products or branded packaging end up on the grey market? Disgruntled employees, dumpster diving, non-secure transport and simply an opportunistic person who is at the right place at the right time can lead to plastic packaging thefts.
Any packaging … whether it’s on the inside of the boxes to safely guard a product for transport or the packaging that holds the product … can end up in the wrong hands. If that packaging is branded in any way, your clients are at risk.
It’s not unusual for companies to brand all aspects of their packaging, including on:
- Plastic packaging containers
- Other plastic materials
- Corrugated boxes
- Custom packaging solutions
- Mailer boxes
- Tissue paper
- Other paper products
- Larger shipping boxes made with paperboard packaging that hold multiple products
If last-minute changes, branding updates, misprints, recalls and other events that warrant discarding current plastic packaging occur, you may be responsible for discarding both the packaging and products inside them.
If discarded in a trash receptacle or even taken to a local landfill, you open up the possibility of someone swiping the packaging and filling it with their own knock-off products.
As a plastic packaging company, it’s critical that you ensure any branded packaging and products in your possession are properly disposed of … with proof. This process will not only help protect your clients but also protect your business from the harm that can come from the grey market.
How To Find A Certified Product Disposal Company
When researching certified product disposal companies in your area, look for a partner that has high standards and is experienced in disposing of the types of consumer products you package as well as packaging materials. It’s also important to ask for references from any company that you are considering.
When evaluating your options, look for a high-quality company that offers:
- The proper certifications: Make sure the company is properly certified, licensed and bonded.
- A detailed plan for your disposal needs: A company should offer you a detailed plan that is tailored to your needs.
- Evidence of destruction: Don’t take their word for it. A company should provide photos and/or video of the destruction process and chain of custody.
- A second look: The best disposal companies offer to check your products for any hazardous ingredients or components.
- Assistance with required documentation: A company should help you complete any manifest forms that are required for the disposal of products.
- Final verification: The disposal company should provide you with a Certificate of Destruction form that you can keep for your records.
Finding the right certified product disposal company that can offer proof of destruction takes some homework and investigating for any leading packaging company. The company you ultimately partner with will play an integral role now and in the future in ensuring any packaging in your possession is disposed of safely and legally.
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