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These days, it is increasingly difficult to sell products solely on the basis of their “greenness”, particularly if the green product in question is more expensive than the non-green alternative.

And even when your green product is less expensive, that may not close the sale. Customers are looking for total value. There is simply too much bottom-line pressure in our recessionary market for customers to think otherwise. Are you communicating the total value of your eco friendly product to your prospect? For example, does your product … (more…)

The above photo from one of our best vendors, Automated Packaging Systems, is a personal favorite because so rarely does a picture truly demonstrate a product benefit as well as this one. The message of course is that the box of inflatable void fill is the equivalent to the bags of packing peanuts behind the model. Translate that into shipping cost and effectiveness, as well as carbon footprint and you have an overwhelmingly positive advantage for inflatable void fill.

Sustainable Packaging Must Be Application Driven

Readers, customers and vendors know we offer a wide variety of void fill products because the great range and diversity of applications demands it. What you ship, how you ship, where you ship, and how much you ship are all important factors to consider.

I believe however that from a green packaging perspective, the majority of people would agree the most eco friendly void fill solution is probably any form of paper. What’s not to like? It is relatively low cost, dense for shipping and storage purposes, compostable, recyclable, and typically made from recycled materials. There are only three reasons why some customers avoid paper: (more…)

Can Plastic Box Sealing Tapes Be Eco-Friendly?

From a sustainable packaging perspective, when you manufacture a packaging product made from plastic, you come to market with two – or maybe three – strikes against you.

Still, polypropylene box sealing tapes continue to be popular, even if shippers are buying them reluctantly. Here’s and article from the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council that makes the environmental case for its products. Some key points -

Source reduction – It takes less plastic tape material than paper tape material to seal a box, reducing shipping and disposal/recycling costs. (more…)

We have been very successful recently helping customers convert from plastic to paper box sealing tape, especially custom printed paper tape. These conversions are usually quite painless after the customer invests in a good water activated tape dispenser and concludes that 3” wide paper tape is NOT necessarily more expensive because it is wider, than the obviously narrower 2” plastic tape they are accustomed to using.

How to Compare Radically Different Packaging Tapes

The normal tendency when comparing paper to plastic tape cost is to determine a common unit of cost for easy comparison. Since plastic tape is sold in cases of rolls that usually specify yards per roll and paper tape is typically sold in cases of rolls that are measured in feet per roll, a little math is required, but very little. It is relatively easy to arrive at a cost per foot for both tapes but that is only part of the story. The real cost is yet to be determined because the person using the products rarely uses the same amount of both products. (more…)

Printing a logo and/or a brief sales message on paper box sealing tape or corrugated boxes makes total sense from a marketing perspective.

• The cost is minimal
• The message is usually seen by several people as the package moves through the distribution chain
• Printing converts a cost of doing business (packaging) into a sales and marketing opportunity

But what about printing from a sustainable packaging perspective?

A while back Salazar Packaging VP, Lenora Salazar, observed that plain corrugated boxes are more likely to be reused than printed ones. A very, very good point! Of course the tricky question is, how does the original purchaser know whether or how many of his boxes will be reused?

While I couldn’t find reliable statistics on the percentage of corrugated boxes that are reused rather than recycled or trashed, I think it’s safe to say reuse is a small but growing trend. Some of the ways we see the reuse trend in action -

• Individuals reusing boxes they receive from e-tailers or other sources
• Moving supply companies who sell and use reused corrugated containers
• Large companies that have internal, large scale reuse programs

Bottom line – By purchasing plain corrugated boxes rather than printed ones, you will be supporting the reuse cause. While it may not have huge impact, it may have some, and some is better than none. Printed tape can get the marketing and branding job done, and probably at a lower cost.
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Visit the Globe Guard Eco Friendly Packaging Store for -

Eco Friendly, Sustainable Corrugated Boxes

Eco Friendly Shipping Supplies

Special Deals on Packaging Supplies

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I realize I am negatively paraphrasing their marketing slogan but the change is quite appropriate after reviewing the packaging of an order they just shipped to us. As a customer, I admit I love Staples but as a provider of eco-friendly packaging products, and as a citizen of the earth, they are very disappointing.  I am sorry Staples, but picking and packing an order while utilizing sustainable packaging products and procedures, quite frankly, has never been easier.

Complainants Exhibit A and B

The photo above shows the three items we ordered whose combined volume is 582 square inches. The box they used was a 16” X 10.5” X12.25” high, which provides 2,058 square inches of packing space. Because the box was almost four times larger than it had to be, 600 (un-inflated) square inches of an inflatable void fill product had to be used to fill the oversized void.  Before you think this is just another story of a packer using the wrong box to fill an order, the green “wanna be” picture gets much worse for Staples. (more…)

Joe Angel, Vice President and Publisher of Packaging World, was closely involved with PACK EXPO 2008. Here is what he had to say about the show, from a sustainable packaging perspective.

How did PACK EXPO turn out versus your expectations? Do you think this year’s show was a success?

Given today’s economic downturn, I was pleasantly surprised at the attendance of the show. While PACK EXPO was down in attendance as expected, it seemed that overall the exhibitors expressed satisfaction at the quality of leads they received. I had the opportunity to talk with with several CPG companies at the show, and there continue to be significant projects in play. Smart companies cannot afford to be stagnant and must invest in R&D. That said, CPG’s are putting a growing spotlight on operational efficiency: total cost of ownership and OEE are more critical than ever with their machinery purchases. Smarter packaging automation and smaller footprints (not just carbon) ruled the show. On the materials side, some interesting new packages, many will be profiled in a follow up report from PTIS and Packaging World, “Top Trends and Insights at PACK EXPO 2008″ (our report can be ordered here). (more…)

OK, I will admit we do not yet have an official Globe Guard Eco Consistency award, but if we did, it would be darn prestigious and we would award to Citizen Watch Company. That has to be worth something, right? The fact is that we, like so many others in the green business, are quick to criticize when companies are inconsistent in their packaging. Therefore, we should also be ready, willing and able to point out when they do something positive.

Making Sure the Packaging “Fits” the Product

Rightsizing is a given but making sure that the package is sustainably appropriate for the product you are selling is an often overlooked detail. It seems logical doesn’t it that if a watch maker creates a watch series they decide to name “Eco-Drive” it is going to appeal to people like me who believe we all use way too many battery powered items in our daily lives. We are also almost certain to scrutinize the packaging and see if it is consistent with the product it contains. (more…)