Eco Bags is one of our newest customers but I think most would agree they are not band wagon jumpers in the area of reusable or sustainable packaging. In fact, they are often credited as having helped to build the wagon for others, because they’ve been suppliers of reusable shopping bags and other green products for over twenty years. They know green and live it on a daily basis including reusing packaging as often and in every way possible.

Reusable Green Products Deserve Reusable Green Packaging

A quick look at the Eco Bags website shows a wide variety of reusable and eco friendly products designed to help heal and preserve our planet. They offer beautiful stock and custom products in many shapes and colors from domestic manufacturers as well as other parts of the world.

Importing product makes the reuse of factory packaging a challenge because the quality and standards in other parts of the world of some packaging products such as corrugated shipping boxes, are not high as ours. Importing also means the product and packaging have to make a long trip by boat with additional handling at both ends of the voyage. The end result is that in some cases (photo shown above) the poor quality packaging does not hold up nearly as well as the high quality products Eco Bags imports.

Keep in mind that even when the foreign packaging survives the trip to Eco Bags, it will likely require additional shipment to a distribution point, fulfillment house, or even to a retailer. The product may also be custom printed which typically results in additional handling, shipment and repacking.

When Reusing Packaging Is Not Possible

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It has been interesting to see the development of the green printing industry, which now goes way beyond using vegetable based inks and FSC certified or high recycled content papers. Eco conscious printers are not just concerned about the materials they use, but also about the waste and byproducts of the printing process.

Green is a Never Ending Continuous Improvement Project

The fact is that the graphic arts industry has been one of the greenest packagers for as long as I can recall. For example, while most companies shifted from plastic to paper tape for reasons of convenience, printers new that their heavy boxes filled with valuable printed materials, were much more secure when sealed with water activated paper tape. They also led the way with paper void fill products that traditionally have been made with 100% recycled content.

Unfortunately, the one area where most printers have been lacking is the most obvious one and that is the shipping boxes they use. They use some unusual sizes and historically, no one has ever produced and stocked green boxes in standard printers’ sizes. That is, until now.

Globe Guard Products Now Stocks 4 New Box Sizes for Printers

Our 100% Globe Guard boxes are now available in the following sizes:

• GG11 – 11.25” X 8.75” X 6” high, 32 C Kraft, Plain RSC shipping box
• GG44 – 11.75” X 8.75” X 4.75” high, 32 C Kraft, Plain RSC shipping box
• GG45 – 11.75 x 8.75 x 8.75” high, 32 C Kraft, Plain RSC shipping box
• GG46 – 17.25 x 11.25 x 8” high, 32 C Kraft, Plain RSC shipping box

These four printer sizes like all Globe Guard RSC style shipping boxes are printed on the bottom with the “Globe Guard 100% recycled (PCW) content” logo informing your green minded customers that you use a green box, by choice.

Globe Guard Boxes and More!

Of course we also carry a full supply of water activated paper tape, paper void fill such as Kraft, bogus, newsprint and indented and now even oxo-biodegradable stretch film for printed products shipping on pallets. You’ll also find a wide assortment of corrugated mailer designs, as well as padded and unpadded plastic, and paper mailer envelopes.

Branded, custom printed boxes and tape are our specialty, so don’t hesitate to ask us about those products too. Remember, if you don’t see the size you need, let us know and it may become our next new stock box size.
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Visit the Globe Guard ® Green Packaging Store for -

Green Shipping Boxes
Eco Friendly Packaging Materials
Discounts on Eco Friendly Shipping Supplies

Learn more about the Globe Guard ® Resusable Box

Downsizing is not always a step backwards. In fact, for sustainability downsizing is a big plus. Minimizing the size of a shipping container also eliminates shipping weight, space required, the amount of void fill needed. Downsizing reduces the end waste and of course – it saves money as well.

Size Appropriate, Green Packaging

People often forget that REDUCE is one of the three R’s of sustainability. Using less makes sense for so many reasons but sometimes finding unusual size shipping containers can be a challenge. In the last few months we have added the following to our Globe Guard store

• Larger Shipping Boxes
• Shorter, Low Profile Shipping Boxes
• Longer, Taller Shipping Boxes

What may have gone unnoticed is that we have also been recently adding a terrific variety of very small containers for very small products.

The economy has forced many customers to order in smaller quantities but some shippers are still using the previous, large containers because smaller boxes and mailer envelopes can be very difficult to find, especially if you are looking for green packaging products.

Four New Products for Small Items Added to the Globe Guard Line

Globe Guard 4” X 8” Bubble Lined Poly Mailer. It is made with low density polyethylene inside and out. Unlike paper outside/poly bubble inside, our mailers can be recycled anywhere a plastic bag can be recycled whether it is at curbside or your local grocery store.

Globe Guard 5” X 10” Flat Paper Mailer Envelope – made out of 100% recycled content. Strong enough to be reusable and easily recycled when its work is done.

Globe Guard 7” X 3” X 2” Die Cut Corrugated Mailer. It is made out of our Globe Guard 100% recycled content board and features a front lock design so it is safe, secure and very strong, making it ideal for eye glasses and other fragile items.

Our new 4” Cube Box is the latest addition to our already excellent selection of cube shipping boxes which includes 5”, 6”, 8”, 9”, 10”, 12”, 13”, 14” 16”, 18” and 20” Just like all of our other stock Globe Guard boxes, our 4” cube is 100% PCW (post consumer waste) recycled content.

All of these products are stock products on our store but please remember, if you don’t see exactly what you need, let us know. We also specialize in custom size products of every type and can custom print just about anything we make.

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Visit the Globe Guard ® Green Packaging Store for -

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

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…)

It had been a while since I wrote on this subject but a recent experience reminded me it was time again. I spoke to a potential customer who wanted our Globe Guard, 100% PCW shipping boxes.

The problem (he thought) was that he needed a different size and a heavier grade not listed on our green packaging, e-commerce site. Since the boxes were for the launch of a new, unproven product, he was concerned about having to order large initial quantities. I could see he was very worried about cost, especially when he admitted he would love to add his logo on two sides of the new box.

The fear left his face and he smiled when I told him none of his perceptions about custom size, custom grade, custom printed, green packaging were true.

When and Why Custom Grade, Eco Friendly Boxes Make Sense

Even though 32 ECT is the most popular grade, we know there are times when a heavier duty box is necessary. We offer a standard upgrade 44 ECT and have even worked with double wall construction designs when needed. The price jump from 32 to 44 ECT is usually less than 10% or in most cases, a few cents per box. This also puts to rest another old packaging wives’ tale – “my application is to tough for recycled corrugated board”. Nonsense! We can tailor the box thickness and grade to the application because we do not just offer what we have in stock.

Custom Size Shipping Boxes

We currently offer 24 of the most popular sizes on our green packaging store and that will increase to at least 30 in the next month or two. However, 50% of the boxes we sell are not stock boxes at all. We make them to our customers exact size requirements and have made as few as one hundred boxes for customers with a short run need. Don’t believe anyone who tells you you have to buy hundreds or thousands of boxes to get the size you need. We do it for our customers every day of the week. Those large internet and catalog companies who offer “hundreds of sizes in stock” are terrific but not if the size you need for your product is not on their stock list.

Custom Print Shipping Boxes (more…)

I recently had another “Madonna Experience”, with a potential customer who hesitated to make what he thought was the quantum leap from his current corrugated boxes, ALL the way to our Globe Guard 100% PCW recycled content corrugated boxes.

Those conversations always make me think of the pop singer’s infamous hit, “Like a Virgin” because the customer was convinced his current supplier was delivering boxes made of pure, new tree fiber. Not likely. Not even possible.

The Truth about Corrugated Board (more…)