Six Ways to Encourage the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry to Become More Eco-friendly

We all usually recycle, because it's the law in most states. However, beyond that, there are many ways we can proactively help protect the environment. The following are six simple eco-friendly recommendations on ways you can help influence the consumer packaged goods industry.

1 - Buy in bulk
Simply put, instead of buying individually wrapped servings, you should buy in bulk and spend about ten minutes at home separating the portions into reusable plastic or glass containers. There is no need to have the manufacturer determine your food portions.

2 - Choose food with no or minimum preservatives
Preservatives are added to extend the shelf life of perishable food items. Purchase fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible. For other food items, choose food with no or minimum preservatives.

3 - Write to your favorite consumer packaged goods company
Most consumer packaged goods company have websites, blogs, email communication and/or facebook accounts. In order to voice your support for any of the following eco-friendly efforts, remember to use the key words repeatedly in your communication. Most of the market research surveys and/or email communication tracking systems are automated, so the more you write about the same concerns, the more likely your opinions will be considered and heard. Some great keys words to use repeatedly in your communication to consumer packaged goods company are: increased recycled packaging, reduce overall packaging, use no preservatives, no toxic dyes on packaging, increase organic selections and reduce price on organic selections.

4 - Combine your purchasing power with friends and family members
You can combine your purchasing power with your friends and family members by buying bulk items and then dividing the portions and items appropriately at home. You can even make it a monthly or weekly event. This is adopting the food co-op mentality into your regular shopping routine. Basically, you gather a good number of people (usually somewhere between 3-6) decide on items that you would like to purchase in bulk together and then divide the items accordingly post purchasing.

5 - Post your positive feedback on new eco-friendly items
Internet trend analysts show that consumers are increasingly influenced on product reviews and product recommendations by other consumers, so, help spread the word on great new eco-friendly items. If you see a new product, write a product review on its website. If you dislike the new product, also write a product review as well so the manufacturer will know what ways it can improve the product offering. Be an active consumer!

6 - Support new emerging eco-friendly companies
Most new emerging eco-friendly companies are offering cutting edge eco-friendly packaged goods and are also actively supporting legislation to enact more eco-friendly regulations. Therefore, it's important to support these local grassroots efforts. You can find a list of such companies on www.eco-friendlyliving.com.

A few years ago, eco-friendly efforts could have been considered token efforts, but now the adoption of new eco-friendly packaging and new eco-friendly products are becoming more widespread. It is up to each consumer to support these efforts to ensure that they are eventually considered just regular industry practice or mainstream.