Businesses across many industries ship fragile items every day and depend on those products arriving intact for their financial well-being. Fortunately, gone are the days when you had to rely on plastic to cushion items in transit.
This blog walks you through why sustainable protective packaging is a better choice, outlining:
You’ll be pleased to learn that if you pick the right sustainable, plastic-free packaging, you can improve efficiency and reduce damaged goods for greater profitability.
No matter the size of your business, fragile items need more protection than other goods. The consequences of failing to provide adequate cushioning can be serious:
Many industries produce fragile items that require extra protection. Examples include aerospace technology, electronics, optics, and medical devices. And of course art galleries, Etsy sellers, and makers of housewares like glasses and china need help with cushioning too.
The good news is that there are great options for businesses that need top-rate packaging to protect their items. And they don’t have to be made of plastic either. As you can read in the section below, plastic packaging is being replaced by more sustainable options around the world because plastic is bad for both the planet and businesses.
In fact, if you choose the right sustainable packaging solutions, you can get better protection than you can with conventional plastic packing materials. First, though, it’s important to understand what makes packaging sustainable:
The structure of sustainable packaging is essential to its success in protecting fragile items. Better protection with product wrap and void fill comes from honeycomb paper made with slit-paper design. It stores flat but transforms into three-dimensional cushioning that, unlike plastic bubble, doesn’t compact over time. This gives lasting protection to fragile items from the moment they leave your care until they reach their destination.
If your company ships larger items, crating is often necessary, especially in industries like art, aerospace, and medical equipment. There are innovative alternatives that eliminate both plastic and wood.
What are the advantages of wood-free crating? The best crating in this category, constructed with high-performance corrugated materials, offer multiple benefits:
Innovative wood-free crating can be used to protect priceless art, so you know it will excel at protecting products for your business too.
There are lots of excellent reasons to make the shift from plastic packaging to sustainable options. First, be aware that most plastic packing material isn’t recyclable. Or, if it is technically recyclable, it must go to one of those rare facilities mentioned above.
What happens to plastic packaging that can’t be recycled? It winds up in landfills and worse, sometimes as litter. Unlike paper packaging, it doesn’t decompose quickly, though. Instead, it takes decades or even hundreds of years to break down.
In the process, plastic leaches undesirable chemicals into the earth’s soil and water. And it often degrades into tiny bits of plastic known as microplastics or nanoplastics. These microplastics are actually found in rain and snow today, and they have terrible health consequences for animals and humans. Recent research shows a link between microplastics and potentially fatal health conditions like cardiovascular disease.
The same chemicals and nanoplastics can be present when employees or consumers are simply handling plastic packaging too. Therefore, reducing plastic use helps protect the long-term health of these people.
Because of all these concerns, many consumers are demanding sustainable packaging these days, with the charge led by younger demographics. But across all age groups, you’ll find people who are even willing to pay more for eco-friendly packaging. This is a great way to attract new customers and build your brand with your existing clients.
Right now, choosing sustainable packaging is mostly voluntary on the part of businesses. However, soon this won’t likely be the case, as more and more areas are regulating against plastic packaging in favor of more earth-friendly alternatives. As more states follow the example of Oregon and its Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, as well as pending European Union laws, using sustainable packaging will become mandatory. Your company can be ahead of the curve (and stay ahead of your competition) by embracing sustainable packing solutions today.
You can easily test the efficacy of HexcelPack sustainable packaging products to protect your items. Just send us your merchandise. We’ll repack it and ship it back to you. Then you can see for yourself how amazing it is at cushioning fragile goods.
Ready to try our packing solutions now? Reach out to our team to discuss your needs, including dispensing options, or head to our online store for smaller quantities that are perfect for startups and solopreneurs.