Sustainable Packaging: Why We Package Our Electrolyte Powder in Recycled Materials

Most of us think about hydration daily, but many of us do not think about packaging. However, both are intertwined in ways we may not realize. Here, we dive into why packaging choices matter for hydration products. For a broader look at hydration and how IMPAC+ approaches it overall, our complete guide brings everything together.

Each year, the world creates over 400 million tons of plastic, with only about 10% of the plastic created being recycled (Houssini et al., 2025). All of the remaining plastic goes into a landfill, an incinerator, or the environment. Once in the environment, plastic remains there for decades to centuries, breaks apart into microplastic, and moves through the ecosystem and our food supply (EPA, 2025). Many of these plastics were created as single-use packaging, designed for the consumer's convenience rather than the longevity of the packaging.

Hydration products also fit into this picture. Each hydration stick, bottle, or pouch that you see was created based upon a decision regarding the type of packaging material used. Those packaging material choices create either a continuous increase in the volume of waste, or a decrease in the volume of waste generated.

The Cost of Using New Materials

Creating new plastic and aluminum from raw materials is resource intensive. Mining, refining, and processing of the raw materials into a usable form creates greenhouse gas emissions prior to the packaging reaching a retail shelf.

One of the main issues associated with modern packaging systems is the significant disparity between the relatively short use period of packaging and the long-lasting impacts that the packaging materials have on the environment (Houssini et al., 2025). Indeed, using less packaging can make a difference. However, the manner in which packaging is produced will continue to matter equally.

How Recycled Materials Make a Difference

Recycled materials are a considerable improvement to the production process of creating all packaging materials from virgin sources. Compared to producing packaging materials from virgin sources, producing packaging materials from recycled sources, such as aluminum and recycled plastics, requires significantly less energy and produces significantly less greenhouse gas emissions (The Aluminum Association, 2024).

Additionally, many industries utilize recycled materials in their production of packaging materials. Beverage containers, food packaging, and textile manufacturers have successfully utilized recycled materials to meet performance, quality, and durability requirements (FDA, 2020). Provided that recycled materials are processed properly, they are shown to meet similar requirements as virgin packaging materials.

Designing Packaging for Reuse

Sustainability is not just about utilizing certain types of packaging materials. It’s also about what happens to the packaging materials once they are no longer needed. For packaging to be effective in meeting the objective of providing a sustainable alternative to traditional packaging methods, it must be designed to allow for reuse within the system.

Our objective at IMPAC+ is not to claim perfection, but to accept responsibility for making conscious choices regarding packaging. By selecting food-grade, recycled materials for packaging and designing the packaging to remain in the system for as long as possible, we strive to participate in a more sustainable system as opposed to contributing to a deteriorating system.

References

Houssini, K., Li, J., & Tan, Q. (2025). Complexities of the global plastics supply chain revealed in a trade-linked material flow analysis. Communications Earth & Environment, 6, Article 257. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02169-5

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2025, May 15). Impacts of plastic pollution. https://www.epa.gov/plastics/impacts-plastic-pollution

The Aluminum Association. (2024). Aluminum Agenda: Recycling Overview. https://www.aluminum.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/2024-Agenda_Recycling-Overview.pdf

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2020, October 5). Recycled plastics in food packaging. https://www.fda.gov/food/packaging-food-contact-substances-fcs/recycled-plastics-food-packaging