I have come to believe that every box has a story to tell about the person or company who sent it. I am quite sure that together with the other packaging/shipping materials being used, the box sends a silent but powerful message to the recipient about the shipper.

• If you are utilizing “used/recycled” boxes are they saying you are conservative and considerate of the environment or are they screaming, cheap and uncaring about the image you project to your customers?
• If you are using boxes that are obviously too large for the product(s) being shipped, are they communicating your lack of knowledge and/or concern about the correct use of packaging materials?
• If your customer’s product arrives damaged, are your boxes saying that you would rather save a few cents than to develop a long term relationship with them?
• If you are using a standard corrugated box with any percentage of virgin fiber, are your boxes admitting you are willing to sacrifice a few trees in a misinformed effort to save some money or time?

Our Green Customers Are Not Like Everyone Else

And thank God they are not. However, this also means that we as a supplier to them, our packaging not only has to perform as well and be as cost competitive as everyone else’s, it also has to be as green as possible.

“I know my customers and they all appreciate the fact that I re-use packaging materials, including foam peanuts,” stated a green business person as we discussed the importance of eco-consistency. Every year hundreds of books are written on sales and marketing so I seriously doubt anyone has really figured out their customer base and what turns them on and what turns them off.  What I have determined is that it is a big mistake to seriously believe we know them or to lump them in together as if they all think exactly alike.

I am sure some customers do indeed appreciate a supplier who re-uses packaging materials and I am equally certain some dislike it, especially when the materials are not as eco friendly they could be. My advice is always – when in doubt, ask your customer about packaging likes and dislikes, because in most cases, they will tell you what they are thinking if you take the time to ask and don’t assume. Also, save the used packaging materials for friends, relatives and others who have to buy from you. Do not use them for new customers unless you are prepared to risk that it could be a one and only purchase.

Present Economy versus Future Ecology

Don’t misunderstand.  I realize the key to staying in business these days is to reduce costs as much as possible, and used boxes, reducing inventory and using less packaging materials are great ways to accomplish those cost cutting goals. However, the other mandatory component of keeping the ship afloat is increasing sales and whether you believe it or not, your packaging is either helping or hurting those efforts. Your boxes can be a great salesperson for your company or they can also un-do all of the positive things you did prior to product delivery.

I continue receiving packaging from some very high profile companies who call themselves green, and I always make it a point to let them know when their packaging does not reflect what they say. Not as a supplier of green packaging products but as a green consumer I feel an obligation to let them know. Please remember all customers are not as open or willing to share their thoughts. Most simply move on to another supplier.

Here is the bad news – if you are disturbed by what your boxes are communicating, you are going to hate what your void fill is saying about you.
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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!

• Reduce labor and improve ergonomics
• Increase throughput
• Produce more attractive packages
• Improve tamper evidence

Eco Friendly Benefits of Packaging Automation

First and foremost, packaging automation will reduce the amount of packaging you use to produce each shipping unit. When box sealing tapes and stretch film are applied manually, they are almost always overused. Shipping and receiving personnel regard tapes and stretch films as flimsy because they are so thin, and therefore use two or three strips of tape when one will do, and eight wraps of stretch film when four will do. With regard to stretch film, equipment can stretch film up to 300%, whereas applied manually, stretch percentages average from 25-40%.

Second, packaging automation opens the door for new, eco friendly shipping package designs. For instance, if you are shipping bottled water in a corrugated box, you are using a lot of corrugated board, and an especially heavy construction as well. Through automation, you can replace that corrugated box with a lighter weight corrugated tray and a shrink film over wrap.

Injecting less material into the waste or recycling stream is very important in the world of secondary packaging. Millions upon millions of pounds of paper and plastic materials must be used to safely transport merchandise, but with a little effort, those pounds can be reduced by a large order of magnitude.

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Visit the Globe Guard Sustainable Packaging Supplies Store for -

Eco Friendly Corrugated Boxes

Eco Friendly Shipping Supplies

Special Deals on Packaging Supplies

and more!

• 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

and more!

Well, we definitely want to sell Globe Guard boxes. Being made from 100% post-consumer waste, they are the ultimate in sustainability from a materials standpoint. But at the same time, our experience in packaging tells us this -

The biggest cost saving AND the best environmental consequences come from using less corrugated material in your operation.

That’s why we openly encourage corrugated users to use less corrugated, and offer suggestions about how to do it.

But the real mystery is this. Why do so many customers fixate on the purchase price of their boxes, when changing their box requirements will produce far greater savings? A couple reasons come to mind.

1. Over the years, large companies have downsized or eliminated their engineering departments. They don’t have the internal resources they used to, so packaging, especially secondary packaging, falls to the bottom of the priority list.
2. Shopping price is easy. Changing parts of an operation is work. It’s true. Getting a 1% or 2% price concession from a corrugated supplier is quick, definite, measurable, gratifying, and can be accomplished by one person. On the other hand, changing something as simple as a box takes time, involves more complex total cost analysis, and usually involves several people and/or departments within the organization. Ugh!

Take it from us, the payoff is worth the effort! As a matter of fact, transitioning to a new box design need not be all that difficult, especially if you are working with a packaging supplier (like Salazar Packaging) that has decades of design and application experience. Give us a shout — maybe we can help.

However, corrugated partitions can sometimes reduce overall packaging usage and unit cost, while providing a number of other important sustainable benefits.

• Partitions provide excellent product protection for small parts and fragile items such as coffee mugs. Reducing damage means reducing returns and replacements – which reduces packaging consumption!
• Partitions are easy to reuse if logistics support it. Heavyweight corrugated partitions can be reused many times over for intra-plant transport and sub-assembly applications.
• Partitions provide additional support inside the corrugated box, giving the shipping unit better crush resistance and overall durability. For that reason, using partitions may allow shippers to purchase lighter weight boxes, reducing overall corrugated consumption and cost.

For consumer-direct shippers, partitions have the added advantage of being customer friendly. Partitioned contents are as easy to unpack as it gets. Plus, the corrugated material is easy to recycle and can be reused for storage around the house.