The packaging industry has always been great about finding new ways to utilize old products and designs. I guess that would qualify as a form of recycling and we are all for it! The photos below show a design that has been referred to as a pillow pack box or even as an apple pie mailer because the shape is reminiscent of the container McDonalds once used on their apple pie desserts. In any case, we are finding it to be a sweet design for a variety of packaging and mailing applications and very eco friendly.

What Makes These Mailers Sustainable?

Our Globe Guard Pop and Load Mailers are made out of our 100% recycled content corrugated board or 100% recycled content paper board, and of course they are 100% recyclable after their use. However, they are also sturdy enough that they are often re-used for a second, third or return shipment, which makes them even better than any single use envelope or box.

The material (board) composition is far from the only reason these mailers are excellent green packaging:

• The unique shape “pinches” the product n place, immobilizing it and eliminating the need for costly or time consuming void fill
• The contoured shape creates excellent crush zones on all four corners, protecting the product and eliminating the use of cushioning materials.
• It requires a minimum of tape to seal it and usually one small tab of tape does the trick. This saves tape and labor and also improves the likely hood the mailer will be re-used.

Why “Pop and Load”?  Many Reasons, Including Labor Savings! (more…)

It may seem ironic that any company that sells boxes would help you minimize their use, but we are committed to providing application appropriate solutions, not just what we may happen to have on our website or in our warehouse. Brad Shorr recently posted a terrific article titled 7 Ways to Reduce Corrugated Box Usage, and I encourage you to read it. But let’s take it a step further and talk about how not only reduce corrugated usage, but eliminate corrugated usage completely.

I am amazed at how often people use RSC style boxes when they are not really necessary. Probably because of their popularity and availability, boxes seem to be the standard or “go to” method of shipment, but there are times and applications when they are NOT the best choice. The cost of using a box usually includes the box, tape, cushioning materials or void fill, and a good deal of labor to form and seal the bottom, fill it with product and void fill, seal the top of the box and then label it. An envelope style mailer is typically less expensive from both a material and labor cost perspective, and is an underutilized alternative to standard boxes. (more…)