Green and organic products come in different forms and many different ways. One unique way I recently became aware of is the “affiliate marketer”, such as Erin Ely of Ely Organics who is a seller of ONEgroup products called miessence. I was intrigued by the dedication of Erin to the products she represents as well as this different “way to market” so I was pleased when she agreed to allow me to interview her.

DS: Erin, for those who are new to the term “affiliate marketer” can you please explain that to our readers? Also, please explain how it differs from traditional distributors or redistributors of product who buy and resell?

EE: An affiliate marketer is someone who does not manufacture their own product. I do not manufacture the miessence products, I sell them. I am like a conduit for people to find the products. I advertise and bring business to the ONEgroup as an affiliate and I am paid a percentage of my sales. I do not stock or ship the miessence products myself, that is all done by the manufacturer, ONEgroup.

DS: Please tell us about ONEgroup and your relationship with them.

EE: ONEgroup is a company that is called a multi-channel enterprise. Their business model includes network marketing, direct sales, and traditional retail. My website is like a portal to my “parent” site where orders are taken and processed. This is an affiliate marketing type of relationship.

DS: Does the fact that ONEgroup is Australian-based create any unique issues from an order process and fulfillment perspective? (more…)

A recent conversation with a potential customer reminded me that three out of my last six blog posts have been about some form of interior packaging. We really are proud of the wide selection we have to offer our customers but we also understand that sometimes too many choices can lead to confusion or worse yet, misapplication.

The Product and Application Determine the Best Protective Packaging Solution

We offer so many options because every product and customer can be unique. Are we shipping organic chocolate via USPS or bottles of fish oil via FedEx? Are we shipping two or two hundred cases per day? Even two companies making the same or similar product may be best served by different void fill products. Here is a partial list of our products:

• Globe Guard Packing Papers – everything from lightweight tissue sheets to rolls of 60# indented industrial Kraft and everything in-between including newsprint and gray bogus. All recycled and each with different protective properties.
• Globe Guard Oxo Degradable Bubble Packaging – available in stock in 12” wide rolls perforated every 12” for easy dispensing and use.
• Globe Guard Eco Nest ™ loose fill– a shredded corrugated product that delivers amazing support and protection, especially for heavy products.
• Globe Guard Eco Flex Molded Pulp ™ – an “eco obvious” product that is surprisingly versatile and can be used for void fill but performs best when used for cushioning and blocking.
• Globe Guard 100% recycled plastic and Automated Packaging biodegradable inflatable air pillows – lightweight, clean, easy to use and very economical to ship inbound and outbound.
• Expandos – a very impressive paper loose fill option that we recently added to our line that makes unique paperboard pyramids on site and on demand.
• Paperboard and corrugated die cut inserts – sometimes the best option for retention and protection.
• Paperboard and corrugated partitions – nothing separates products and prevents surface to surface abrasion like a well designed partition.

Stock and Custom Packaging Solutions

Many of these products are available in a stock size or format on our web store but over half of the products we sell are customer specific. So, just because you don’t see it, please don’t assume it is not available.

Our staff has over fifty years of combined packaging experience so we are eager to discuss your specific requirements. In many cases we will be able to mock up a package with the recommended packaging and ship it back to you for evaluation.
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Visit the Globe Guard ® Green Packaging Store for -

Eco Friendly Shipping Boxes
Green Packaging Materials
Special Deals on Green Shipping Supplies

In the entertainment industry this would be considered a teaser ad but we will soon be showing the world a new patent pending product that is about to change the way we all look at packaging and reusability. We believe companies committed to sustainability are about to become greener and reduce their costs in the process.

A Few Questions to Consider:

• What if reusing packaging products was easier?
• What if one corrugated shipper box could do the work of two or more boxes?
• What if your box inventory took up half the space?
• What if you had to replenish that inventory half as often?
• What if your customer return process was more customer friendly as well as more efficient and lower cost for you?
• What if product exchanges or loaners could be accomplished with the same packaging?
• What if you could easily communicate your commitment to green with something as simple as a corrugated shipping box?
• What if your customers appreciated you shipping their orders in a box that can easily be reused, saving them money?

As they say, “stay tuned” for the answers to these and many other sustainable packaging questions. Coming soon:

Anyone who’s been around the packaging industry for any length of time knows that the holiday season and New Year’s are traditionally followed by a price increase in basic packaging commodity products.

Price Increase Notifications and “Feelers”

A few manufacturers were quick to put through their small increases immediately after the first of the year. Other manufacturers such as corrugated tend to do a lot of talking about it first, especially when a market is considered “soft”.

In other words, business is not as strong as the industry wants and the mills are torn between a need to increase profitability but of course they also can’t afford to lose any business in the process. Last year (2009) was one with in some cases, multiple price decreases and overall business down from the previous 2008, so it is understandable if the price increases being contemplated and discussed for 2010 are coming across as rather timid.

Are Price Increases Positive Economic Signs?

As much as I hate to admit it, I am quite sure they are. Even though some would love to see another year of multiple price decreases on commodity products, I believe that is called deflation and many economists agree long term that can be every bit as damaging to us and the economy as the opposite concern, inflation.

We all hate to spend more on the products we buy but a slightly different way of looking at this is the sheer fact that companies are considering price increases indicates they are optimistic and eager to grow and prosper. That is in all of our best interests and a true indicator that things are looking up. For example, a strong corrugated industry typically reflects an increase in manufacturing and consumer spending because in either case, a corrugated box is being made and used.

Don’t Shoot the Messenger

My best guess, and it is just a guess, is that we will indeed see small increases this first quarter from almost every product sector in the packaging industry. I think in most cases the increases are warranted and needed.

Whether or not we see another series of increases later this year will depend on how well the overall economy is doing. A strong rebound will likely result in additional price increases later this year. On the other hand, a price decrease of any size would probably indicate our problems are much bigger than we would like.

Here is to a prosperous 2010 to all, even if that means more price increases in the third or fourth quarters of the year!
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Visit the Globe Guard ® Green Packaging Store for -

Eco Friendly Shipping Boxes
Green Packaging Materials
Special Deals on Green Shipping Supplies

We are always looking for ways to help our customers reduce or minimize cost and recently we had two situations where we literally had to think inside as well as outside the box in order to get the job done.

New Products and Unique Packaging

Sometimes the challenge is how to economically create custom packaging for a new and unique product and not break the bank doing it. In other words, protecting a product during shipment and making it affordable, even when the volume is relatively small. One way to do it is to combine stock and custom products rather than working with all custom items and eliminating some or the entire cost of dies and tooling.

Here are two recent examples:

Custom partitions and pads with stock RSC shipping boxes

Pente5 is a fast growing manufacturer of organic extracts which are all packed in glass bottles. They needed to create a four pack shipper case as well as a six pack shipper case for a new product launch.

We had no choice but to create custom pads and partitions for them but we intentionally designed them to fit two of our stock boxes. The finished product turned out great and we were able to avoid a higher cost custom box. This also minimized the amount of inventory they would have to buy and stock for their new product. (more…)

That seems like quite a claim and I have to admit I did not believe it but recently I received an egg, light bulb and a brick packed in the same box. I was surprised to find the light bulb and egg in perfect condition, completely unaffected by the heavy three and one half pound brick that accompanied it.

Expand On Site

That is where the name came from and it answers one of my biggest complaints about most loose fill products. They tend to be bulky, take up a lot of space and are usually very expensive to ship. Many loose fill users fail to include the inbound shipping costs when they are calculating the cost of other void fill options such as foam peanuts. Those loose fill products tend to take up a lot of space in your facility so you order less and that means a higher cost per unit as well as additional shipping costs.

Expandos on the other hand ship in as a fan folded bundle of sheets. They are processed through a machine and the unique triangular pieces are formed. Each bundle as shown in the photo is able to make up to 25 cubic feet and they do an exceptional job of blocking and bracing because of their unique design and shape.

Are Expandos Green?

If they weren’t they wouldn’t have caught my attention or be featured on this blog. The product is made from recycled industrial waste and SFI material. In addition they are also 100% recyclable but they are also reusable an indefinite number of times. They are light weight for a paper product and surprisingly clean compared to other paper options.

Expandos also solve problems and reduce or eliminate damage and that too is eco friendly when you calculate and include the high environmental cost of product replacement, reshipping, etc.

What is the Cost Compared to Other Products?

Prices for this product are based on usage and annual volume so an analysis of the application is necessary. That is also the time to factor in the cost of leasing or buying the Expander machine to be able to make Expandos as needed. Please check out the video and information available at: http://www.expandos.com/about_expandos.asp.

If you are interested in the product, and would like a no cost application analysis, please contact us directly at info[at]SalazarPackaging.com.
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Visit the Globe Guard Green Packaging Store for -

Eco Friendly Shipping Boxes
Green Packaging Materials
Special Deals on Green Shipping Supplies

There are few void fill options available that are as economical to use as our inflatable air pillows. Our eco minded customers love them because they are also available in two, very green styles.

100% Recycled Content

Our inflatable air pillows are available with our Globe Guard brand printed on them so everyone receiving a box packed with them quickly sees they are a green product. Not only are they made of recycled plastic material, they are also recyclable again as a polyethylene (PE #4) product.

100% Biodegradable

These are available with the Earth Aware logo and brand printed on them, indicating they are made of oxo-biodegradable film. An additive has been blended into the film that accelerates the degradation process that normally occurs in most waste situations

Both Products Are REUSABLE

So much focus is placed on their green (recycled content or biodegradability) benefits that we often forget that these pillows are usable over and over again. They have been shown to hold their shape and contain the air for weeks and even months so they are often shipped over and over again.

Other Eco Benefits

Before they are inflated they are incredibly compact (see box in photo) so inbound shipping cost and carbon footprint are minimal. They also take up very little warehouse or floor space until they are in use and are incredibly clean to ship and to receive. In terms of productivity, the system is capable of producing up to 50 pillows per minute so our inflatable air pillows will minimize your labor cost as well.

Our pillow system does require a piece of equipment to inflate them which is available at no cost if you meet the minimum material usage requirement. Typically, that minimum is easily met by most customers shipping 40 to 50 boxes per day on average.

If you are interested in a no cost evaluation or cost estimate, please contact us.

Interest has been high and sales have been brisk on our Globe Guard Eco Friendly Bubble Wrap since we first introduced it in November, so we want to show our appreciation by putting it on sale. All orders for this product will receive a 10% discount until January 31st, 2010.

What does biodegradable mean?

We’ve received several questions on this, so to clarify and confirm this is not a corn or vegetable based product. Many of us will remember “biodegradable” films in the past that were made with corn starch so micro organisms would consume the corn starch and the film would break down. Unfortunately, most of those films did not perform well and the clarity and overall appearance were not acceptable for most applications.

Today, a greatly enhanced and improved version of a corn starch like process is available in the form of polylactic acid (PLA) with properties making it now ideal for many rigid and semi rigid applications such as shrink bands, blisters and clamshells. Due to their stiffness, most PLA products do not lend itself for soft (wrapping) type applications.

Then what is oxo-biodegradable?

(more…)