STG Aerospace, a Welsh company, introduced new, eco-friendly packaging for its aircraft cabin lighting.
This foray into sustainability started with the product itself. In May 2024, STG began manufacturing lighting strips with recycled materials and a "biodegradable additive," per Aircraft Interiors International.
The revamped product called for new and improved packaging. STG partnered with Priory Direct, a U.K.-based company specializing in sustainable packaging solutions, to develop it.
The original packaging was cylindrical. It was made of cardboard "reinforced with a layer of plastic and with plastic end-caps," Ryan Vincent, STG's production design engineer, explained to AII.
In the end, STG didn't need to change much. It kept the cylinder shape, removed the plastic, and used recycled materials.
The benefits were immediately clear. The new packaging was 4 kilograms lighter than the original, making it much easier to handle and manufacture.
"Because this packaging is so much better for the planet and our budget, we've moved our entire floor path marking range into the sustainable packaging," Vincent said.
Plastic poses multiple threats to the environment and humans, from manufacturing to the landfill. Sustainable initiatives help slow the warming of the planet and indirectly benefit human health.
According to the University of Colorado Boulder, single-use plastics — such as the ones STG used previously — are made with fossil fuels. And unlike natural materials, plastic doesn't decompose. It breaks up into microplastics, which pollute the environment and cause chronic diseases.
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The way it looks 😍 Single-use plastics also pollute the ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a floating mass of plastic in the Pacific Ocean that harms the local wildlife.
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It's a good thing, then, that companies such as STG are minimizing or eliminating plastic packaging.
In fact, STG and Priory Direct are already working on their next project. This time, they're focusing on packaging STG's LED lighting systems. Vincent said, "By ensuring [the packaging] is 100% recyclable we know that wherever it ends up … it will ultimately break down, just like the eco product it was designed to protect."
If you'd like to support companies with similar values, check out this guide on brands with plastic-free packaging.
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