Eco Friendly Gift Packaging from Nashville Wraps

I often describe the world of packaging as being a mile wide and I operate in a narrow strip which is called secondary packaging where function is usually much more important than appearance.

My guest today, Robby Meadows, the founder and Marketing Director of Nashville Wraps works the other end of the same packaging world where function is of course important but much of the focus is on the esthetics.

Nashville Wraps is the leader in the area of decorative, retail and gift packaging and I am glad to announce they are now making our Globe Guard corrugated boxes available on their internet web store to all of their eco minded customers. I am equally pleased to introduce Robby to our readers.

DS: Robby, Nashville Wraps is over thirty years old so please give us your background and tell us how you got started.

RM: My background is in sales and graphics. The company started in 1976 during the time of polyester prints in women’s fashion. We found a source for the paper used to make those prints and turn it into repurposed gift wrapping paper. So you might say our first products were recycled/reclaimed paper.

DS: Give us an idea of the types of products people are likely to find on your store.

RM: An extensive array of decorative gift and gourmet food packaging, from gift wrap to bakery boxes.

DS: Tell us about your Green Way product line and what led you to develop a private label brand of green products.

RM: We are astute trend watchers and saw the grassroots green movement coming many years ago. We knew it would stick since it wasn’t a government program Aside from that it just seemed the right thing to do and we led our suppliers and paper mills into changing their production.

DS: I believe your green initiative goes way beyond the products you sell. Can you please give us an idea of the other things you have done to make your company greener? (more…)

Much of the attention on sustainable secondary packaging is rightfully given to using too much of a given packaging material. A compounded example is using a box that is oversized for a shipment, thereby also requiring more void fill product than necessary. We have all seen the examples of bad packaging posted here on ISP and on other excellent green focused sites like Sustainable is Good.

We like to scrutinize not only the quantity of packaging also the quality of the packaging being used for a specific application. Some of this is for good environmental reasons but it is important to note that it often results in a lower cost to our customers, and today, that is a very good thing.

Typical Examples of Over Packaging

These include some of my all time favorites that can often be found in many mail rooms and shipping areas.

• Using cushioned mailers for products that do not require cushioning such as soft goods, textiles, paper products, etc. I have written many times on bubble and foam mailers that are destined to wind up in a land fill because the plastic and paper used to make the mailer are laminated together. Both packaging materials are recyclable in theory only, since they cannot be separated and effectively recycled.
• The use of white corrugated and envelope mailers of almost any type and configuration. Why do customers pay more for a product that is less eco friendly, looks less eco friendly and will arrive at its destination looking worse due to its white surface?  When a client wants to be “obviously” green and reduce costs, this is usually one of the first areas we look at and change.
• Utilizing Tyvek, Nylon reinforced and other premium or reinforced mailer envelopes.There are some marvelous materials being used for applications that do not require them. They usually have excellent specific properties such as moisture protection or puncture resistance but are also not recyclable because of the composition and structure.

Why Do Companies Over Package? (more…)

One of the busiest people in the packaging industry is JoAnn Hines with her numerous business operations and websites. Her newest venture is Packaging Launch, and I am pleased to be participating as one of her staff experts to help review new package designs as submitted by people in need of unbiased, and knowledgeable input.

I asked JoAnn for the opportunity to interview her so we could discuss Packaging Launch for the benefit of our ISP readers.

Get feedback on your new design

DS: Where did the rather unique Packaging Launch concept originate and can you please explain to us the valuable service it provides?

JH: PackagingLaunch.com came about for a variety of reasons.

1st: I get so many calls from people who need packaging help and really need to be pointed in the right direction. I wanted a professional, quick and efficient way to help them without having to spend a fortune.

2nd: So many people have disastrous packaging and they aren’t even aware how bad it really is. There needed to be a method of finding out that they have packaging problems before it’s too late.

3rd: This is the place to test a packaging concept if you are not sure before you invest heavily and have a packaging fiasco.

DS: Can anyone submit a package design for review and is there a cost?

JH: Yes, anyone can submit a package for review. However there must be a professional photo to submit on the site. The experts need to be able to evaluate the package and they need a quality image to do so.

There is a nominal fee of $250 for posting the photo (which includes a live link and a product description). This is far less that a single expert’s time and provides you with insights from a variety of packaging experts.

DS: Are there any ground rules for the expert reviewers? (more…)

What do a West Coast oyster farm, a Wisconsin maker of fine cutting tools, a creative designer of green products for the office and unique online green products store, all have in common? They all decided to combine unprinted boxes with custom printed tape to -

• Communicate their green brands
• Make their secondary packaging as eco friendly as possible
• Reduce their packaging costs

FREE machine for new printed tape customers. Contact for details.

The Benefits of Printed Water Activated Tape

• It is colorful, stands out and your customers remember your message, logo, and brand
• It is a much less expensive branding alternative to costly custom printed boxes
• It has a high green perception rating from even casual observers and customers
• It’s a paper product so no stripping of plastic tape is necessary before recycling the corrugated box
• It bonds better to the box making it safer, more rigid and much more secure because it prevents tampering and pilferage

Sustainable Packaging Is Creative?

Yes it can be.  Take a look at what these terrific customers decided to do to convey a consistent and memorable image. (more…)

In an unprecedented move, the Globe Guard Eco Consistency Award judges held a first ever midyear caucus and by unanimous vote decided to give Home Depot this prestigious award. OK, that all sounds quite impressive but the fact is that my wife took me shopping for the seasonal purchase of flowers for her garden and I spotted this sign.

That is when I realized Home Depot has launched an excellent, green program to encourage and facilitate the return of the empty flower containers they now sell.

Polystyrene – The Plastic Even Waste Management Doesn’t Want

What makes this move by Home Depot award worthy is that most flower pot containers are made of polystyrene (Recycled code #6). Most of us know polystyrene as the foam looking plastic material often used for takeout or left over containers, some “foam” drinking cups and some loose fill packaging materials shaped like shells or peanuts. That happens to be reason #42 why I hate foam peanuts, but that is a sore subject and a different blog post.

I am not sure why most floral containers are made of styrene but I am willing to bet it is about cost. Polystyrene can easily be blended with just about any plastic or near plastic trash and is able to be formed into the trays and pots we all take home, empty and discard. What I am certain of is that in our suburban Chicago curbside recycling service provided by Waste Management, is very clear to point out they will NOT take back anything with a #6 recycled code which includes any form or type of polystyrene. (more…)

People who are eager to find quick and simple solutions to some of our most complex sustainability problems are often disappointed when they hear me say there is no packaging magic bullet that satisfies all requirements, at all times, and on all products.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that rarely does one product do everything that is necessary for a tough application. If there is a “universal solution” to our eco dilemma, it is probably multiple products and resources working together, each bringing something unique, different and green to the application.

One Tough Green Packaging Application

Say hello to Bad Axe Tool Works, a company with a neat name, interesting web site and a premier manufacturer of cutting tools for woodworking and other wood related activities like pruning and clearing trees. When we met them they were concerned with preventing damage during shipment and making sure their packaging was as green as possible. Considering the incredibly sharp nature of their products, it was definitely a challenge.

One Great, Excellent Packaging Partner

Adams Foam in Chicago makes a terrific product called Green Cell Foam. The product is made from non-GMO corn, and after use, it can be recycled, composted or simply dissolved in water. It is also surprisingly tough and able to stand up to rugged applications like the one that was developing at Bad Axe Tools Works. We had conversations with the nice people at Adams Foam but nothing brings packaging people together like a good, challenging application and Bad Axe did indeed bring us together.

What it Took to Get the Job Done (See Photos Below) (more…)

They are known by many names including literature mailers, tuck and fold mailers, shipper boxes and even pizza boxes, but the corrugated die cut mailer is making a big comeback and guess what? It is greener and no longer white.

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? (more…)

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. (more…)

It may sound like the title to an unusual movie or book, but the fact is that today it is not at all uncommon for an eco conscious e-commerce company (seller) to utilize a fulfillment company, third party logistics (3PL) company, or contract packager to fill, package and ship their customers’ orders. Outsourcing the fulfillment portion of the order process is an excellent way to minimize costs and focus on sales and marketing but it does have a potential down side, especially if the fulfillment company (shipper) does not share the same green values as the seller.

The Biggest Risks of Using a Third Party Shipper

What you sacrifice when you turn fulfillment over to another company is control. For example, the people filling your valuable customer’s order are not your employees -  in fact they may not even be the employee of the company you are utilizing. More and more shipping companies use temporary labor services to satisfy their customer’s packaging requirements which can vary greatly with seasonal or other volume surges,  so the phrase “here today and gone tomorrow” certainly applies. In other words, there is little or no accountability for the person actually pulling and packing the order for you and for your customer.

Another potential casualty of working with a third party shipper may unfortunately be eco-consistency. The eco friendliness of the packaging materials and the techniques being used, as well as the ultimate appearance of that package shipping to the customer, are completely in someone else’s hands. As a consumer, we all have been on the receiving end of a product that is over packaged, under packaged, or one that uses an excess of packaging materials we hate. For me,  it is foam peanuts of any size, shape or color. The shipper is setting the quality AND green standard for you in the eyes of your customers but remember – while the shipper is invisible to the customer,  you are not. When things go bad, you get the blame whether you deserve it or not.

Packaging Sustainability and the Third Party Vendor Can Be a Beautiful Thing

We have been fortunate to be the supplier of choice in several of these seller/shipper situations and can tell you that when they work, they work great. One recent situation developed because the customer/seller introduced and recommended us to their fulfillment company. Obviously we had to overcome the relationships the shipper had with their existing packaging suppliers but eventually they saw the many benefits to their customer as well as with other present or potential customers. Today, being a “green fulfillment house” has many advantages as they soon realized when they quickly picked up another, substantial “green” client. (more…)

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…)