Many environmentally and economically driven consumers turn toward the long-term value and longer life potential of natural products such as marble, slate, and even glass. Most of these products will last “forever” assuming you can get them to their destination in one piece. The challenge is even though these products are literally “rock hard” they also tend to be heavy and quite breakable when dropped, especially when shipping them via UPS, FedEx and USPS.
So What’s a Shipper to Do?
More often than not when soliciting the guidance of the above shipping companies, their advice is usually adding extra/additional packaging and cushioning products. This is so “un-green” from many different perspectives.
For products similar to what is shown in the photo, their recommended solution is surrounding the product being shipped with several inches of peanuts, bubble packaging, or other cushioning products. The problem is that most customers hate receiving boxes filled with peanuts and most loose fill product. Bubble packaging on the other hand may be fun to pop but is not considered green by many.
Even in situations where a good, green paper-based cushioning packaging material is used, the effect it has on overall package weight and dimensions can still add unnecessary cost. For example, in the case of the slate serving plate shown in the picture, the package they shipped to us for a free evaluation was wrapped in over thirty feet of an otherwise excellent packaging material in order to accomplish the level of cushioning their product required.
You can see what all of these possible solutions can potentially do to box, interior packaging and shipping costs.
Custom Corrugated Design Saves Money and Headaches
You are not going to find the correct solution on anyone’s stock shelf because like a nice suit of clothes on an oddly shaped man (I can relate), the packaging has to be custom tailored for every application.It has to be designed by someone who understands the difference between blocking and bracing, cushioning and void fill, and knows how drop shock transfers through a poorly designed package and how that impact can destroy the very product it is supposed to be protecting. There is a lot more to it than it may appear. It is not easy to accomplish but it is also not difficult with the right design and materials.
We are very good at combining stock materials to create unique solutions for many basic applications. We also know how to work with what we refer to as “semi-custom” products such as our engineered laminated corrugated products to accomplish some tougher jobs. However, for many of the most difficult applications such as the ones described in this post, only die cut corrugated can protect the product being shipped with minimal cost and space.
Whatever the solution, the process always begins the same way – with a free no cost, no obligation, application analysis. Contact Salazar Packaging and feel free to ship us your product the same way you would ship it to your most valuable customers. We will be glad to review it based on decades of packaging experience, and tell you how your current package can be made greener, more effective and usually, lower in cost. In other words, we will help you make an informed decision and determine the best solution for you and your products.
Related posts:
http://www.greenpackaginggroup.com/industry-experts/the-many-forms-of-eco-friendly-protective-cushioning-void-fill-and-other-interior-packaging/
http://www.greenpackaginggroup.com/packaging/varisport-ultraslide%c2%ae-goes-100-green-with-custom-packaging-solutions-from-salazar-packaging-inc/
http://www.greenpackaginggroup.com/industry-experts/filler-cushioning/green-packaging-innovation-%e2%80%93-custom-molded-pulp-made-easy-and-inexpensive/
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/sustainable-packaging/green-solutions-for-interior-protective-and-retention-packaging/
