Your 5 Ways to Use Plastic-Free Shipping Materials

The search for plastic-free shipping materials is growing with e-commerce managers, subscription box companies, fulfillment teams, packaging engineers, and operations leaders. If you work in one of these roles or a similar one, you may be looking for eco-friendly packaging materials that also protect merchandise.

It IS possible to use sustainable packaging and simultaneously get superior cushioning and wrapping for your goods. In this article, we explain how to solve five common problems using plastic-free packaging and discuss the need for plastic-free shipping materials, including:

• Why plastic-free packing materials are essential for shipping today
• How to use sustainable product wrap to eliminate merchandise damage
• Why void fill is a must when packing shipping and subscription boxes
• How to make the switch from plastic poly mailers for small products
• Why are alternatives to wood crating on the rise for large items
• How paper pallet wrap can replace outdated plastic stretch wrap

Your company doesn’t have to settle for harmful plastic packaging or subpar merchandise protection when you choose the right sustainable materials for specific shipping needs.

Searching for Plastic-Free Packing Material That Also Cushions Merchandise

If your company is like many today, it’s looking for an alternative to plastic packaging. That’s because many US states and overseas shipping locations are phasing out plastic and other single-use packing materials. These outdated packaging types are harmful to the planet and human health, according to Stanford University researchers. Individual consumers are also asking for sustainable packaging, driving changes in municipal, state, and national laws.

There’s good news, though. You can find earth-friendly, plastic-free packaging options today that offer many solutions for shipping and storage needs, whether you’re an enterprise-level corporation or a small startup. And if you choose the right kraft paper sustainable packaging made with a honeycomb structure, it can actually do a better job of protecting items. You’ll enjoy fewer returns and exchanges for damages, which cuts into your profits.

How to Wrap Fragile Goods to Prevent Damage

Fragile items need protection from impact and wear during transit. This includes things like:

• Dishes
• Electronics
• Home decor
• Glassware
• Bottled liquids

You can’t expect the outer box or bag given at checkout to do all the heavy lifting. Items must first be wrapped in a layer or two of product wrap to eliminate the risk of chipping, scratching, breaking, and scraping.

Product wrap can slide between ceramic plates, for example, or around glass lanterns to keep them in pristine condition. Wrap with slit-paper design turns into three-dimensional cushioning that won’t compact as it sits in storage or on a truck. In fact, it provides better protection than an old-fashioned plastic bubble, too.

How to Fill Voids in Parcels and Subscription Boxes

When you place items in a shipping carton or subscription box, do you end up with space left over? This allows them to shift around, which can result in breakage or wear that prompts returns and negative reviews.

The answer is to use void fill in those empty spots. This keeps merchandise in place to prevent damage. And it also presents merchandise in a more attractive way—vital for subscription boxes and products that might be videoed for social media unboxing by influencers.

Like a honeycomb product wrap, slit-paper void-fill puffs up to fill empty spaces in boxes. And it remains fluffy until it’s reused or recycled curbside, unlike plastic pillows or foam peanuts that wind up in landfills and pollute the planet.

How to Eliminate Unnecessary Boxes and Plastic Poly Mailers

Do packers in your company automatically reach for a cardboard box to ship a tiny item? It’s wasteful, frustrating for customers, and racks up the budget on shipping costs.

Maybe you’ve switched to plastic bubble mailers, which save money and space. But they’re bad for the environment because they can’t be recycled or composted.

You can still use minimal outer products and eco-friendly packaging materials by utilizing sustainable paper protective mailers. These envelopes will still reduce your freight spend on merchandise such as jewelry and small automotive parts. Still, they’re much better for the planet.

How to Ship Art and Large Machinery Without Wood Crating

For shipping the largest items, most businesses resort to wood crating, which has been around for hundreds of years and remains essentially unchanged. But this type of crating has multiple downsides:

• Heavyweight requiring extra labor and shipping costs
• Splinters that cause injuries to workers and recipients
• Protracted assembly time that eats up work hours
• Screws and nails that hurt packers and damage goods
• Potential exposure to pesticide treatment chemicals
• Disposal options are not healthy for the environment

Fortunately, innovative wood-free crating avoids all the negatives above. And it offers companies several advantages over outdated wood crates. It provides superior cushioning against impact and damaging vibration. Its lighter weight makes it easier to load and unload with fewer people.

And it’s reusable, curbside recyclable at the end of its lifespan, and customizable to your unique needs. That’s why wood-free crating is becoming the go-to shipping solution for galleries, museums, and the aerospace industry.

How to Better Wrap and Stabilize Pallet Loads

Eco-friendly packaging materials aren’t limited to envelopes and packing for inside boxes. You may not be aware that plastic-free shipping materials also include pallet wrap made of kraft paper.

Finding the best pallet wrap is essential to:

• Make the loading and unloading of bulk merchandise easier
• Protect workers from unstable pallet loads
• Protect merchandise during storage and shipping
• Discourage theft of and tampering with goods

You can check off two boxes with sustainable paper pallet wrap: it protects the planet from harmful plastic waste. It offers better load stability with less material. That saves your business money and time (which is, in effect, money) with every pallet wrapped. For larger companies, those savings are significant.

HexcelPack Offers a Comprehensive Sustainable Packing System

For businesses looking to embrace sustainable, plastic-free packing materials, HexcelPack makes it ultra easy. We are the only sustainable packaging producer to offer a full suite of paper-based packaging, including product wrap, void fill, protective mailers, wood-free crating, and pallet wrap.

Getting all your sustainable packaging from one source makes ordering easier. And our team can better tailor custom solutions for your company, including manual dispensing and automated dispensing.

If you’re ready to solve packaging problems with plastic-free shipping materials, our team would love to get the conversation started. Reach out today to schedule a call, and say goodbye to packing issues while also making the switch to sustainable packaging.