As we have mentioned before, we enjoy helping customers switch from pressure sensitive tape to water activated tape (WAT) because we are convinced it is a more eco friendly and usually, a better way to seal a box.

WAT Dispenser Cost Can Be an Obstacle

I think most people realize paper water activated tape is a more sustainable than plastic pressure sensitive tape and the reasons are well documented, including several times on this blog. Up to now, we offered two WAT dispensers, both of excellent quality but the prices have been $395 for the semi-automatic unit and $995 for our electric unit. This has often been a major problem for low volume customers or even larger volume tape users with multiple packing and taping stations.

An Unfair Comparison of Tape Applicators

“But my plastic tape supplier gives me my tape guns for free”.  I have heard this many times and am amazed some people still don’t realize they are paying for those “free or low cost” pressure sensitive tape applicators, in any number of ways – (more…)

Here’s good news for a struggling economy – sustainable packaging should never involve spending more money. Quite often, making secondary packaging more eco friendly is simply a matter of taking advantage of old ideas.

Box sealing tape is a good example. Most shippers use an RSC style corrugated box and use multiple strips of paper or plastic box sealing tape to secure it for shipment. Because an RSC box has two flaps that meet in the center of the box along its length dimension, a good deal of tape is required for the job.

But what if, instead of an RSC, you used a full overlap (FOL) box or a tuck-in folder? Pictured below is a tuck folder. An FOL is similar in concept, only the flap doesn’t tuck in.

With these box styles, one or more “L-Clips” of filament tape can be used to seal the box for shipment. Not only does the L-Clip sealing method reduce packaging material use, it speeds up the case sealing process and is easier for the recipient to open. (more…)

The standard width of pressure sensitive box sealing tape is 48 mm (2″). The standard width of paper box sealing tape is 72 mm (3″).  These standards are both compromises, and as a result, they lead to an unnecessarily high amount of packaging material entering the waste stream.

Extreme Pressure Sensitive Tape Solutions

1. For machine applied PST applications, use 36 mm (1-3/4″) wide tape. Unless the box is particularly heavy and/or subject to rough shipping conditions, the reduced width will not compromise box integrity. When in doubt, test. It is worth the time to test, though – the payoff is a 12% reduction in the amount of material entering the waste stream. (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…)