Box Insert Options for D2C E-commerce Packaging A quick search on the internet will confirm that there are many companies that sell boxes. Online catalog houses and retailer providers ranging from office supply stores to truck rental facilities all sell boxes in their basic, simplest form. What...
The worst possible customer experience is for an eagerly awaited product to arrive damaged or broken. In addition to having a very disappointed customer, you also have to deal with product replacement, which can make a profitable order very unprofitable, very quickly. At the same time,...
I think the greatest compliment a box designer and manufacturer like us can possibly receive is when their work is selected by a company inspired and driven by leading contemporary designers to package the products they ship. That is the story of Darby Smart, a...
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Corrugated inserts to hold and protect a product within a mailer shipping box are usually a great packaging solution. In most cases, they reduce or eliminate the need for additional protective packaging products such as foam, paper or bubble packaging, and the labor required to use and apply those ancillary packaging materials.
When is a “built-in” insert advantageous?
In some situations, it is wiser to create a mailer box and use separate inserts for different size or shape products. Being able to stock one box and only have to swap out the inserts can be the most convenient and economical way to go.
However, in many other circumstances, when the mailer box is going to be used only for one product size and shape, there are numerous advantages to using a mailer with a built-in insert. These benefits may include:
I’ll put it bluntly but politely - most secondary packaging (boxes, tape, etc.) we receive from overseas is not very good. People have shared countless stories with us about boxes that smell funny, are weak, thinner than expected, don’t stack well, don’t hold up in shipment, etc. And it matters little whether the packaging originates in China, India or almost any place else on the globe.
Domestically produced boxes, even boxes like our 100% recycled content Globe Guard® boxes, are better and stronger than the vast majority of corrugated boxes that are used to ship the imported products we all purchase. It is widely accepted that when the US buyer negotiates a lower price with a foreign manufacturer, one of the areas that is most easily cheapened is the packaging used for shipping it here.
Corrugated partitions are an excellent green packaging solution because, just like corrugated boxes, they typically have a high recycled content, are reusable, 100% recyclable/repulpable, biodegradable and even compostable. Also, when they are designed and used properly, they usually minimize or eliminate the need and use of other, less green, products.
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“What makes one package greener than another?” It’s a rather simplistic question that does not permit a brief or concise answer. It was recently asked of me by an intern working for a governmental agency, and I began by telling him that my response was only my opinion, but one that would hold up in most circles. I added that when we attempt to answer that question we look at packaging in three critical areas:
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Even though we are best known for the boxes we sell, it’s what we can create for the inside of the box that truly sets us apart in a crowded field of packaging suppliers.
Recently, we have blogged about partitions and molded pulp options, and our inflatable and other “stock” void fill options are also quite popular. However, the need for custom packaging continues to grow as companies work not only to minimize packaging but also to completely eliminate unfavorable materials such as EPS foam in favor of greener alternatives. Of course, this all has to be accomplished at minimal cost and deliver the product being shipped safely to its destination.
More than a year ago, Packaging Digest published this article about some protective packaging work we did for Volcano Island Honey to safeguard their glass jars of rare and delicious white organic honey from breakage. Gratefully, since then companies have sought us out to help them overcome their greatest packaging challenges, especially if their objective is to solve the problem in the greenest way possible.
In some areas of packaging, there are few green solutions available. Fortunately, however, when it comes to interior protective packaging there are several. Two of the most popular are molded pulp and corrugated partitions, and below is a quick comparison for your convenience.
