5 ways to reduce your waste packaging
If you’re looking at ways to reduce your packaging waste and achieve Corporate Responsibility goals, we’ve put together a few pointers to get you started:
Stretch Reduction
If you use machine stretch then this is a good product to kick off your material reduction program. Stretch wrap optimisation also offers significant cost savings and reduced operator roll changes – helping to increase productivity.
Replacing your current stretch with a low micron performance film can reduce the amount of wraps on a pallet, reducing the weight of stretch material used per pallet significantly.
Professional analysis can help find the right material to maintain load containment by analysing your pallet profiles, weights and wrapping machines.
A pallet wrap analysis is quick, easy and causes minimal disruption to your packing operation.
Box re-engineering
If you rethink your shipper cartons, the material saving can have a positive knock-on effect throughout the packing operation – possibly negating the need for void-fill too.
Start with a review of the box size – can this be reduced? Next, look at the board grade, is the fluting grade still required? Does it need to be double wall? There have been some great developments in corrugate strengths which could potentially take weight out of a pack.
Proceed with caution though – always ensure that the pack still offers the level of protection needed for your product. A packaging professional can help you find the best solution to ensure that the packaging remains fit for purpose.
Is a Shipper Carton always required?
Some primary packaging can provide high levels of protection for product shipment but, a shipper carton is often used as an added means of security to transit goods. A switch to a heavy duty poly wrap – like Stealthwrap for example – ensures that the parcels arrive intact without the need for a shipper carton.
It’s 99.9% Opaque, which means that goods remain hidden. 1 roll of Stealthwrap can negate the need for up to 1,000 cartons. Depending on carton size it can reduce the packaging weight by about 500 grammes. Watch Stealthwrap in action.
Protective Packaging
If you are using a foam or EPS voidfil, perhaps it is worth considering a switch to a lightweight air cushioning solution?
Investigate products like Airsac – consisting of 2% material and 98% air it is inflated on demand and dramatically reduces the weight of protective material used. There are a wide range of stock product applications ranging from 65” TVs right down to pharmaceutical bottles but, It’s also available as a bespoke item – it can be converted to ship just about anything you can think of! It is also 100% recyclable and reusable.
Packing Tape
Packing tape gets used in every warehouse – a lot! There are ways to reduce material use and improve your tape yield. A switch to an automated gummed paper tape can ensure that pre-programmed lengths of tape are delivered to the packer, ensuring that they only use what’s required. As it forms a strong seal it also improves security and can reduce the need to H tape boxes.
Macfarlane Packaging offer free of charge packaging reviews to help you reduce waste packaging. Contact us today to find out more: https://macfarlanepackaging.com/contact/
