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

Globe Guard Shipping Boxes Now Easier to Reuse

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.

Globe Guard 100% Recycled Paper Mailers

Globe Guard Mailers Now 100 Percent Recycled

Regardless, these paper mailers were 40% recycled content before and are now 100%, which makes their product much more marketable as a sustainable packaging solution because less virgin fiber is used and that saves trees. 100% is always better than 40% and today, many green minded customers will accept nothing less.

Is the Green Packaging Market Maturing?

Not likely. It is barely an adolescent and it is growing and changing nonstop. In some product areas, like bio plastics, it is still in its infancy and on the verge of major breakthroughs with tremendous positive environmental impact potential. The corrugated, paperboard and packaging paper industries are also introducing their second and third generations of products, all designed to use less of our natural resources, with “cradle to cradle” design being the ultimate goal.

In sustainable packaging, much like our Chicago weather, if you don’t like what you see; wait, because it will indeed change very soon.
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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.

20 Cell Corrugated Partition

To minimize other packaging – We recently did a partition and shipping box design for products individually packaged in very attractive paperboard boxes. The partition kept them apart to avoid surface to surface abrasion but it also enabled our client to use a lighter weight box paperboard than originally planned. The partitions provided all the strength necessary to prevent the retail box from crushing so it looked great on the shelf. We were also able to design in a perimeter air cell to protect the product from the outside as well.

Corrugated Partition with Perimeter Air Cell

Any customers contemplating an increase in case thickness or grade because of shipping damage should consider partitions as a better and lower cost solution.

To satisfy a retailer’s request – In case you have not noticed, retailers depend on their suppliers to deliver product that is display ready. This created a problem for our client who was hand wrapping a semi fragile product in indented Kraft paper for cushioning and cleanliness. The retailer did not want their people to have to unwrap the products for display. Partitions solved the problem and increased our client’s sustainability score because many square inches of paper were eliminated.

Are “Built In” Partitions Right For You?

Many people do not realize partitions can be purchased pre-assembled but in some situations the space required for them may be an issue. One possible solution is utilizing a die cut box design that incorporates partitions. It is very possible an existing die can be used to avoid tooling costs, such as the jar/mug/candle box shown in the photograph below. There is no question that a design like this will be more expensive than a box with a separately constructed partition but it may not be as much as you think when you factor in all of the costs involved and depending on size, quantity, etc.

Built-in Partitions Ideal for Candle, Jar, and Mug Packaging

Corrugated partitions are just one of many solutions we offer and our advice to customers is always to consider the options before committing to the same, often ineffective and over priced solutions. Packaging products are constantly improving and many “old” solutions and designs are being re-invented to solve today’s difficult, green packaging challenges.

What Makes These Corrugated Mailers Greener?

In the past, virgin board was used to make these versatile shipping and storage containers but today we are making them out of recycled corrugated materials. More importantly they are being made out of 100% recycled material which means they cannot be white on the outside. Many people don’t realize it but when you give a box a white exterior, that outer layer (usually 1/3 of the overall board content) has to be virgin. If you want it white on the inside too, then 2/3 of the corrugated content must be made from virgin fibers. Remember our motto, a virgin fiber is a terrible thing to waste, especially when it is not necessary.

Why Have Die Cut Mailers Been Historically White

The theory was that they looked better, cleaner, nicer, etc. There is no argument about that when the product is shipped … but have you ever seen one of those mailers when it arrives at its intended destination? Whether is ships via FedEx, UPS or USPS, the mailer no longer looks pristine or white upon arrival. Typically it is dirty, scuffed and even covered with fingerprints. The white outer layer looks great when it is shipped but the appearance rapidly degenerates as soon as it leaves the shipper’s facility.

What Makes These Corrugated Mailers Better?

This mailer design tends to look more like a presentation box than a shipping box. The closing/locking flaps “disappear” into the side or front panels. Compared to an RSC corrugated box – that is mostly tape-covered flaps – the mailer gives a cleaner, more attractive look to valuable products ranging from collectibles to pharmaceuticals. You can also reduce tape usage because a die cut mailer can be sealed with a short, narrow strip of tape applied in an L-clip fashion.

A corrugated die cut mailer does consume a little more board but the redundant panels are also what make it substantially stronger that a typical RSC corrugated box. A mailer holds up better during shipment, keeps the contents safe, and since it is strong and still look good after delivery, it is much more likely to be reused – another of the three primary “R’s in sustainability.

What about the Cost of Brown Die Cut Mailers?

Corrugated, whether it is formed into an intricate die cut or simple RSC box, is all about volume and we are rapidly building our volume to the point where we are usually less expensive than comparable white die cut boxes.

Please take a look at the variety of die cut designs we offer on our green packaging store and understand that almost every stock size of die cut and RSC style box we now offer on our store began as a customer specific inquiry and need.

In other words if you don’t see what you want, there is a very good chance we will make it for you and turn it into a stock item.

Eco friendly corrugated mailers from Salazar Packaging

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Eco Nest Eco Friendly Void Fill

Those are words usually reserved for describing a mattress or pillow but it this case they are also the best way to describe our new Globe Guard Eco Nest void fill product.  It is very effective, undeniably green, an amazingly simple idea, and quite frankly it handles certain applications better and lower in cost than most “high tech” or “engineered” packaging solutions.

Sustainable Packaging Simplicity

Globe Guard Eco Nest is essentially nothing more that shredded corrugated board. Perhaps a little packaging science went into the determining the best width and length of the strands of corrugated board but it is as basic a concept as possible – used corrugated boxes are recycled, shredded and turned into protective, loose void fill. The product can be used over and over but when it is time for disposal, it can be recycled again and probably be used to make new corrugated boxes like our Globe Guard 100% recycled PCW corrugated boxes.  The whole concept and process is so simple, it’s almost ingenious.

The Pros and Cons of Loose Void Fill

The greatest benefit by far is that loose void fill easily and fully conforms to the shape of the product being packed. That is what makes products like foam peanuts appealing from a user/shipper perspective, though perhaps not from a receiver/customer perspective. Loose fill dispenses easily and quickly, is usually light weight, and most versions are relatively low in cost.

The down side of loose fill is that it often settles and crushes, especially when used to pack dense, heavy products. It is not at all unusual to receive and open a package where the product being shipped has drifted to the bottom of the box and the loose fill packaging material has shifted to the top where it offers little or no protection. Globe Guard Eco Nest conforms and supports but does not breakdown.

What Makes Globe Guard Eco Nest Different?

When a bird makes a nest in a tree, the components, usually twigs and blades of grass, have little strength individually, however when woven and working together, they are amazingly strong and resilient. We have all seen a nest on the ground that fell from a tree due to a wind storm, and noticed it is always fully intact. That is the same concept that makes Globe Guard Eco Nest such a terrific product from a performance standpoint. The shredded corrugated strands mesh to support even the heaviest and most delicate products – even when they are shipped via USPS, UPS and FedEx.

The Distribution Side of Sustainable Packaging

We have been in the packaging distribution business a long time and we realize that getting a product to the end user at a reasonable cost, with minimal carbon footprint, and on a timely basis are minimum service requirements. If we can’t accomplish that, the product performance and price becomes almost immaterial. That is why we have enlisted the help of two of our Globe Guard box distributors in Philadelphia, PA and Irvine, CA to stock and ship this product for us to their respective coasts. Between the three of us, we are sure we will be able to satisfy your delivery requirements, promptly and at the lowest possible cost.

Learn more about Globe Guard Eco Nest eco friendly void fill.

Eco Friendly Globe Guard Corrugated Boxes

The corrugated industry has experienced three significant price decreases since the first of the year. As a result, we have reduced our prices on Globe Guard eco friendly content corrugated boxes. What is a tough time in the corrugated business can be a great time for a green minded company to change over to green boxes and reduce their cost in the process.

Why is Sustainable Packaging Less Expensive Now?

Linerboard pricing has been on a slow decline since the fourth quarter of 2008. Even though our boxes are made of 100% PCW and not new linerboard, there is a direct correlation between the two. Remember a linerboard decrease only affects less than one half of the overall cost since it does not directly impact labor, transportation, etc. As a result, it takes a while for small incremental linerboard decreases to add up but today you could see pricing that is 5 to 6% lower than it was just a few months ago. That is not a huge drop but I am sure everyone could use some good news in times like this.

The Green Packaging Outlook Short Term

Indications are that the free fall of board pricing is far from over. Some industry experts are predicting pricing could drop another 5 to 10% before the bleeding stops. Of course there are no guarantees one way or the other, but with many corrugated sheet plants and converters reporting decreases in business of 10 to 15%, the market is becoming incredibly competitive. Oh, you may also be interested to know that another major influence is corrugated exports, which are down 40% from where they were a year ago. All things considered, the downturn in pricing is likely to continue.

The Green Packaging Outlook Long Term

Long term most industry people agree corrugated manufacturers will do what they and every other industry have ever done in times like this. They will control and limit capacity. A few unprofitable plants have already shut down and others have cut back production because it makes no sense to make what you cannot sell. The law of supply and demand is there to protect the interests of the seller as well as the buyer so we can be sure this decline will come to an end one way or another.

What Does This Mean for Your Sustainable Packaging Objectives?

Cost is no longer a real and legitimate reason to not use eco friendly corrugated boxes to ship your eco friendly products. The cost gap between standard corrugated board and 100% PCW has eroded to the point of being non-existent. Check out our new, lower box prices on our eco friendly packaging store, www.GlobeGuardProducts.com, and you’ll see pricing that is competitive with anyone and quality that is second to none.

DS: John, can you tell us briefly what General Converting does?

JB: General Converting is a premier designer and manufacturer of folding cartons for a wide variety of industries, including food, confections, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, automotive, media, entertainment, pet supply, etc.  We focus in high quality, high graphic content cartons.

DS: Please tell us how long your company has been engaged in sustainability and why you feel it is important.

Recent General Converting, Salazar Packaging Project

DS: Your website and brochures indicate your products are made with 100% renewable (wind) energy. Those of us who have visited your beautiful facility have not seen the windmills. Please explain how that works.

JB: We receive our energy from the same electric grid that supplies all of the electricity to the local area, except that we have purchased energy credits from Constellation New Energy that specify our watts purchased this year to be produced from a windmill farm in southern Illinois.  This means that all of our electricity requirements will be generated by wind power rather than a coal fired power plant which would otherwise have supplied the power.  This has resulted in a reduction of 1,475,000 pounds of coal from being burned in Illinois per year.

DS: John recently I wrote a blog post on this blog, extolling the benefits of using corrugated board for primary as well as secondary packaging. Please tell us the advantages of using paperboard.

JB: The primary benefits are cost and recyclability.  All of our paperboard and cardboard is 100% recyclable, even with the inks and coatings that we have applied to the cartons.

DS: There always seems to be great confusion in printed packaging, about inks. You hear about soy based, water based, vegetable based, plant based, etc. What do you use at General Converting and can you please bring a little clarity to this important area?

JB: We use only soy based inks at our facility.  These have much fewer VOC’s than solvent based inks and the soy based inks are 100% friendly to the recycling processes.  They are also renewable since they are derived primarily from soy beans.

DS: In conclusion John, what role do you see paperboard packaging play in sustainability and how do we get there quickly?

JB: As an industry, we need to continue to offer packaging that meets the needs of the customer in graphic content, appeal and style while also pushing toward more sustainable solutions.  The quickest way to do this is to look in our own manufacturing operations for ways to be friendlier to the environment.

DS: Thank you John. We wish you much good luck in 2009 and we thank you and General Converting for your care and contribution to sustainability.

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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“I must have 100% PCW or as close to 100% as possible,” one said. The other said, “I recently tried 100% PCW but it failed miserably”. Both comments demonstrated a basic misunderstanding about corrugated, how it is made and how even 100% PCW it can be modified to satisfy almost any application.

I sincerely believe that the “100% PCW” requirement has in many cases become at best an ineffective guideline, and at worst a crutch for people who want to make a difficult decision, as simple as possible.  Corrugated made of PCW material is an excellent sustainable packaging solution and a critical part of a long term environmental solution, but it has to be combined with some basic product knowledge to be cost effective as well as performance effective.

Corrugated Fun Facts. OK, not fun but good to know

For over a hundred years, almost since it was first used to line and support men’s’ tall hats, corrugated board has been made virtually the same way. A sheet of corrugated board is made up of three approximately equal (by weight) components, two face liner board sheets and the medium (the fluted layer) in between the inner and outer sheets.

If you make one of those three components 100% PCW, your board is approx. 33% PCW, two PCW components would result in 66% PCW, etc. Once you go below 100% PCW content on any of the components, the recycled content gets fairly “gray” but if someone is claiming 90% PCW, that is not only unlikely, it is virtually impossible. Since there is no accurate scientific way after production to verify the recycled content percentage or type (PCW or post production) of each component, a vendor is fairly free to claim almost any PCW percentage they care to.

If you are having performance issues with 100% PCW you have a few possible solutions.

• First and foremost, are you using the correct weight for your application? The industry and our Globe Guard standard for our stock boxes is 32 ECT but we have made boxes up to 48ECT, double wall construction.  Don’t blame the recycled content for a misapplication of corrugated board weight.
• You can increase the thickness of each or any corrugated component depending on the problem you are having. Keep in mind most of the puncture strength comes from the inner and outer liner sheets and most of the stacking strength comes from the fluted medium. This is probably not a good option you only need 200 boxes but if you are buying volume, corrugated board and boxes can be constructed to your exact specs, to satisfy your exact requirements.
• Depending on the type of application and problem you are experiencing, a possible solution is a mix of PCW and post production waste. It typically results in a slightly stronger sheet if your application really demands it, and you are still using 100% recycled corrugated even if it is not all PCW.
• Consider improving your interior packaging. As a good friend likes to say “think inside the box” because many times, the box is being blamed for failure of the void fill, partitions or dividers inside it. In many cases, increasing the box or board weight is a knee jerk reaction and not the result of an appropriate or in depth application and performance analysis.

Sustainable Packaging Credibility

Who can you trust when there’s a performance problem with corrugated? Let’s face it -  for most corrugated sales people, the solution they recommend to their customers is directly related to the product line they have to offer. After all, there is not a lot of satisfaction or for that matter, income, generated when steering a customer to a competitor’s product. There is a marvelous scene in the classic Christmas movie, “Miracle on 34th Street” when the Santa at Macy’s begins referring customers to other, competitive stores. The idea makes for great Hollywood fiction but I have yet to see a packaging salesperson do it without losing their job.

As I usually suggest to customers, don’t believe what a packaging salesperson says, but you may however be able to trust what their company is willing to put in writing whether it is in a proposal, brochure or even on their web site. After all, even the shadiest company will hesitate to document the misinformation they disseminate.

Is 100% PCW perfect? No, but it is darn good if you know what you are doing and I guess I just put that in writing, didn’t I?

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What we offer is a rather unique recycling tote constructed out of Globe Guard 100% recycled content corrugated. It is neutral, natural brown Kraft colored in color so it does not clash with any décor. We realize competitive products are often bright colored plastic but ours is not designed to double as a highway traffic control device. Furthermore, if you are one of the many people who advocate the limited use of plastic, isn’t it a bit inconsistent to utilize a plastic recycling bin for your paper waste?

If you are a regular reader you know we like to have fun with our topics and we are most definitely enjoying this one. In fact I am going to state that when designing our recycling tote, we strictly adhered to the following three R’s:

Recycled

As stated above, our tote is made of 100% recycled content corrugated board. No virgin tree fibers were killed or even hurt in the manufacturing of this tote.

Recycling

Its use is designed to encourage recycling and if we are honest with ourselves, we could all do more than what we currently do. My own new personal commitment for 2009 is recycling as much incoming mail as possible. After removing every bit of personal information from my mail, the rest goes into my Globe Guard recycling tote.

Recyclable

When this tote has finished its usefulness and alas that happens to all of us eventually, it is indeed fully recyclable, again. Others refer to that as “cradle to cradle” product design. We simply call it practical.

It is completely collapsible so it can easily be processed and recycled with all of your other paper waste and it will be used to make a corrugated product of some type, perhaps a Globe Guard corrugated box. Try recycling your plastic recycling tote. It is much like trying to throw away a garbage can or getting rid of the proverbial bad penny.

I also mentioned that good green ideas did not have to be expensive and this one is not. In fact it is free with every customer’s first order on our new green packaging store: www.GlobeGuardProducts.com.  Sure you can buy them too, and we’ll even give you a great price if you need to order 400 for your office building, but mostly we want to give away a bunch of them and make it easier for everyone to do the right thing when it comes to paper waste.
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Functional Differences between B Flute and C Flute Corrugated

As you can see, C flutes are taller, giving C flute corrugated boxes somewhat better cushioning properties than B flute.

And because the flutes are shorter, B flute boxes offer a superior printing surface and more rigidity.

For most general purpose secondary packaging applications, B and C flute are functionally equivalent.

Sustainable Packaging Differences between B Flute and C Flute

B and C flute are constructed using equal amounts of linerboard. In this respect, there is no sustainable packaging advantage one way or the other.

However, because B flute is not as thick as C flute, B flute boxes consume less vertical space when being shipped to and stored by the user – about one third less space, as a matter of fact! This means -

• Less fuel needed to ship to B flute corrugated boxes from the manufacturer to the user
• Less space consumed/energy needed by the user to store the boxes

Both of these points can have considerable environmental impact, since corrugated boxes are bulky and take up a good deal of space in a distributor or end user’s warehouse. Isn’t it amazing that something as small as a flute could have an impact on something as big as energy efficiency?
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