While recently shopping at a club store, I found myself intrigued by a sharp looking three pack of Axe dry deodorant. The three tubes of product were not in the boring, traditional 1 X 3 or 3 X 1 multi-pack configuration which has become the norm. The products were staggered, which made them stand out in the personal care aisle.

First Impressions Can Be Deceiving and Greener than Expected

My first reaction was positive on the aesthetics of the package but I immediately assumed they had accomplished the staggered look with some type of pre-molded blister card or clam shell. I am not a big fan of either packaging style because though they are usually high on appearance, they tend to be low on my sustainability scale. The board and film used are fused together making them virtually impossible to separate. Even if I can get the darn package open, which is often a huge challenge, the packaging waste is almost always destined for a land fill because it cannot be easily segregated for easy sorting and recycling

Long Time Green Packaging Problem and Favorite Subject

I have carried on a long term personal war against the “one material” myth. There are green activists who insist that any packaging solution must feature a single substrate, material or component to be considered sustainable and green. I wrote about this almost two years ago in an article featured on Sustainable Is Good and in a word, my response is baloney. Baloney by the way is never a “one material” hunger solution. Much like hot dogs, the less we know about the composition, the better.
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The factory is in the middle of converting from the current 40% recycled content to a higher recycled content so they have offered us a great cost on this terrific green packaging product. We are happy to be able to offer these to you at 20% off of the already low list prices on our green packaging web store, while quantities last.

A Large Variety of Sizes and Two Styles

We carry many sizes ranging from as small as 5” wide X 10” long to as large as 14.5” wide X 20” long. They are ideal for economically shipping soft goods such as reusable bags, tee shirts and other apparel. They are also available flat for lower profile, thin products or gusseted for thicker bulkier products. Regardless of style or size, our Globe Guard mailers all feature a peel and stick closure so no tape is necessary for a tight secure seal.

100% Recyclable Paper Mailers

With 40% recycled content and since our mailers are 100% recyclable, they are among the greenest and least expensive shipping options available anywhere. As much as we love selling our Globe Guard boxes, these mailers require no tape, no void fill and take up a fraction of the space of corrugated boxes. For the right application they are the perfect, green, packaging solution.
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Our Sustainable Shipping Boxes and Recycled Mailers Are Now More Sustainable

Continuous improvement is a well worn phrase that means a lot of different things to different people. Even though the packaging industry is launching brand new green products on an almost daily basis, this post is more about redesign and enhancement of existing products, rather than new product innovation.

Here are two perfect examples of manufacturing taking a good, green product and making it better and greener.

Globe Guard 100% PCW Corrugated Board

Our manufacturer is not eager to share details but the structure of our board has been “re-arranged” to provide a stronger and thicker outer sheet to our boxes and less “wash boarding”. Not to be confused with Dick Cheney’s favorite past time, water boarding, wash boarding is when the vertical fluting on board is visible through the outer liner sheet.

Keep in mind that our 32 ECT board is still 32 ECT so there was no weakness being addressed or strength gained. This is an improvement made to provide a little more outward/in puncture resistance and for cosmetic reasons. Our boxes look better for a longer period of time and possibly improve the possibility of them being re-used. Re use is good and this is a significant green improvement to what was already an excellent, industry leading product.
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Most green minded people agree the only thing better than recycling used packaging is finding another or different use for it. Ideally this is using the packaging to create something of greater value and more permanent use.

We are all familiar with terrific “up cycling” success stories such as turning post consumer packaging waste into fashionable bags or transforming used glass beverage bottles into very durable and pricey counter tops.

A New Low in Up Cycling?

I rarely go on YouTube because I have a tendency of getting lost in the amazing variety of videos to be found there, ranging from the instructional and inspirational to the outright ridiculous. A friend sent this link to me with the usual and customary “you need to see this”. Unable to resist the temptation, I checked it out and was fascinated by what I saw.

A young man known on YouTube as “brusspup” created a sturdy chair using nothing but previously used corrugated board to construct it. It is obvious he knows something about design and maybe a little about corrugated as well because his chair uses no adhesive and it is assembled in a way that utilizes the strongest dimensions of the board for greater weight support than most would expect. (more…)

Earlier this year, January 13th to be exact, I posted an article complaining about some very eco unfriendly secondary packaging I had received from one of our favorite suppliers, Staples.

Large retailers often appear to be leading the green charge so the interest level they create is usually high and this was no exception. The post was soon picked up by Green Biz and other eco focused blogs and I even contacted them on at least two occasions and offered my services at no cost so I could help them determine where Staples’ in house fulfillment “eco system” is obviously broken.

I was told they were “working on it,” so as a loyal customer concerned about their secondary packaging as well as the environment, I waited, and waited until this week when we received delivery of an order we placed for two boxes of ink cartridges.

Staples Green Update – More Green Packaging Problems

The photo above show the two boxes of Canon ink cartridges which shipped from two different Staples facilities. I appreciate the fact that the order was split-shipped to be filled quickly but I find I hard to believe that neither facility had both items. I am not sure what type of carbon footprint that creates but the worse news is that each facility used a different way of packaging the product and neither passed the green test as far as we are concerned. The term one step forward and two steps backwards comes to mind when we compare it to the packaging described in our January blog post.

Package #1 Shipping from Beloit, WI

At this Staples distribution center the packer opted to use a plastic mailer envelope. Even though I don’t like flexible mailers for crushable product, I am generally a big proponent of mailer envelopes, plastic and paper. I like them because they are light weight, can be made of recycled content and in most areas may be recycled for creating more packaging or other plastic products. However, the mailer that Beloit used did not indicate any recycled content, and did not even offer a recycle code for handling the waste after use.

This is a real shame considering some of the new plastic mailers that are available. We offer several that would be better eco options than what was used on this shipment.

Package #2 Shipping from Carol Stream, IL

At this facility they used a 13” long X 10” wide X 5” box (650 cubic inches) to ship a 4” X 2.25” X 2.75” product, or about 25 cubic inches, which is obviously much more box than was necessary.
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We may not have the loudest voice but we proudly claim our rightful place in the in the front row of the sustainable choir, having spent over two years singing the praises of recycled 100% PCW content corrugated board and boxes. We are helping to educate the market and the people who hear us are asking questions of their current suppliers. Quite frankly, those suppliers do not always know how to respond and counter our unique products.

An email exchange with a new reader last week served to remind me that we continuously add new readers and subscribers to our blog, who may have not read some of our older, previous posts on the subject. So every once in a while it is a good idea to recap and update. Last week I also spoke to a prospective West Coast customer who complained her current box supplier was unable to give her the same answer twice on the construction and recycled content of the boxes they are supplying her.

Why 100% PCW Content Corrugated Boxes

Most eco minded people will agree recycling is a necessary component of an effective sustainability strategy. After all, recycling is one of the basic three “R’s” of sustainability along with reduce and reuse. What can we possibly do with all of the paper, corrugated, and paperboard waste we create? After all we can’t make deck lumber, designer bags or high end kitchen counter tops with it.

However, we can make excellent corrugated board and related products out of that paper waste and a handful of companies and suppliers like us are doing just that. To be fair, most corrugated board has some PCW content but the more we use the better, right? As long as there is no compromise on quality or performance, doesn’t it make sense to reuse as much of that waste as possible?

Dispelling the 100% PCW Quality Myth

Our products have been tested over and over again and grade for grade 100% PCW is every bit as strong and performs as well as any other board construction combination. As I have said many times, “ALL 32 ECT boxes are 32 ECT strong, regardless of the board’s recycled content.” After all, that is what that 32 ECT certification stamp on the bottom of every Globe Guard box means – the box has been tested and has met or exceeded the edge crush standard for 32 ECT boxes.

Yet, companies that don’t have 100% PCW to offer continue to respond with information that is at best out dated, and at worst, deceptive. “That stuff is no good.” “100% PCW board is not approved for UPS, USPS, or FedEx shipment”, they may say. “That board is like the stuff that comes in from China”, others may defend. Desperate people say desperate things but many of these comments are outright lies and need to be confronted whenever they are presented as fact.
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I think most would agree that corrugated board is one of the greenest packaging materials currently available. You can buy it with a high or 100% recycled content and when it is no longer needed, it can easily and readily be recycled to serve another day and another packaging application.

Partitions have been rediscovered by the green and packaging communities as a great way to solve a packaging or damage problem, while reducing material and labor costs when compared to other product protection options. Best of all, it can all be accomplished with undeniably eco friendly, corrugated board.

Corrugated Partitions – Not Just for Liquor Bottles Anymore

Historically corrugated partitions have been a mainstay in the liquor and bottled beverage industry because they do such an excellent job of separating and protecting one product from another. Obviously bottle to bottle damage is virtually eliminated and other benefits are also enjoyed.

• Labels are not marred or damaged in shipment because label to label abrasion is prevented.
• Stacking strength is dramatically increased, even when the bottled and cased products are heavy liquids
• Bottles and jars remain upright, minimizing the possibility of leakers

New Applications for Eco Friendly Corrugated Partitions

Recently we have had a flurry of partition projects and applications and here are a few reasons why our customers chose this solution over other options we offered:

To verify count – Products were individually wrapped with Kraft paper to avoid damage and then randomly stacked and packed in a corrugated case. Our customer was being inundated by claims of incorrect counts. Coincidently the complaints were always for under shipment, never over, so we created a 20 cell partition that separated the individual products for easy, accurate count confirmation.

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Just in time for holiday order shipments, we are offering several of our cube shipping boxes at the best bracket, lowest possible price, regardless of quantity ordered through November 30, 2009.

This “one price fits all” promotion includes our stock 6”, 8”, 9”, 10” and 14” cube shipping boxes. We also included our very popular 14 X 9 X 9 and 12 X 9 X 4 boxes as well.

Please remember that this pricing is for our Globe Guard 100% PCW boxes, which are made with rugged, 32 ECT board. The Globe Guard logo appears as an eco message on the bottom of every box so your customer knows your packaging is eco consistent with the green products you offer.

Green Shipping Boxes and other Green Packaging Supplies

Please visit our web store and you will also find a wide assortment of other green packaging products there including plastic and paper mailer envelopes, 100% PCW labels and many different void fill solutions.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or would like to receive product samples for review and testing.
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Visit the Globe Guard Eco Friendly Packaging Store for -

Eco Friendly Corrugated Boxes

Eco Friendly Shipping Supplies

Special Deals on Packaging Supplies

and more!

Just when I start thinking I have said and written everything I possibly can about our Globe Guard eco friendly, 100% PCW shipping boxes, I realize I have missed something really important.

Our 3 Eco Friendly Choices for Corrugated Boxes

Our focus has always been on sustainability, combined with application. Each customer requirement is slightly different so it became necessary for us to have available three different types of board, as well as several different grades, so we could provide the best green product for any specific and challenging application.

Green

For certain customer applications such as those requiring a white exterior on the box, no one is able to provide a product that is 100% PCW recycled content or even 100% recycled content. I have written several times on how a white exterior on any box requires a virgin (white) outer sheet so the greatest possible recycled content is 60 to 70%. It is important to note that this is still considerably better and greener than the average, “standard” box which is typically 30 to 40% recycled content.

Greener

Customers who use corrugated mailers often do so because they are looking for something a little more attractive than the average RSC style box. For those customers, appearance is every bit as important as function. Most customers are willing to forgo the outer, white (virgin) exterior in the interest of sustainability but they are not eager to compromise on appearance. We have determined that our 100% recycled content board enables us to die cut mailers just a little cleaner and neater so that is what we prefer to utilize for any die cut design. (more…)