27 Apr 2012 SeaOtters.com Uses Branded, Custom-Printed Packaging to Draw Attention to Their Cause
Posted at 05:58h
in Inside Sustainable Packaging
We help our customers communicate through their packaging, but few jobs we’ve completed are as personally satisfying as the work we recently did for www.SeaOtters.com.
Spend a few minutes on their web site and you’ll understand why this organization is so concerned about the health and well being of this endangered species. This is an organization that deserves and needs our support, and I encourage you to visit their site to “like” them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
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Like most industries, the corrugated business loves acronyms, and these are two of the most common.
RSC Boxes
RSC stands for “regular slotted carton” and is the typical box construction that results in four flaps on the bottom box opening and four flaps at the top opening. On a rectangular box, the smaller side panel flaps are the minor flaps, and the larger, longer ones creating the box length are called the major panels. The key point distinguishing an RSC box is that the major panels 
When you first call Luna Sandals and are greeted by a recording of the friendly voice of the company owner and founder, introducing himself as Bare Foot Ted, you realize you are connecting with a unique company.
Ted and many of his staff are accomplished “barefoot” runners, and it was that passion for his sport that led him to create the premier huarache style sandal. I encourage every reader to visit the 
At the recent International Housewares Show, I had several conversations with a number of people who wanted to talk about the “bad” packaging they are getting from their foreign suppliers. Well over 90% of all house ware products we all buy and use are manufactured and packaged overseas, which typically results in substantial savings for the importing USA company. However, it can also lead to major headaches and unexpected costs when the packaging that is also being imported does not satisfy varying domestic requirements. 
SOPHIE AND GATEWAY[/caption]
We are dog people. Our kids grew up with dogs as pets, so not surprisingly our grandkids are now growing up with dogs at their side. The dog in this picture is our beagle mix Gateway, who we picked up as a pup from a shelter almost eight years ago. Gateway has helped us raise, love and protect five grandchildren between the ages of two and five including the youngest, Sophie, who is shown in the picture playing with her “buddy” since birth. 
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The challenge to rack displaying undergarments, tee shirts, baby clothes, gloves, socks and other non-rigid items is that they don’t always hang well. In addition, quite frankly, soft goods are not always attractive when folded into compact, space saving sell units.
Typically, you want the product kept clean but visible for color or pattern identification and ideally touchable if the softness of the product is an important feature. The easy answer is usually a plastic bag or a plastic clam shell. However, most green product manufacturers are unwilling to place their organic cotton (or any other green fabric) soft goods in any form of plastic that delivers the desired visibility but is not considered a green packaging option, and those rarely permits product touching. 
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Our new line of 
CUSTOM-PRINTED PAPER TAPE SAMPLES[/caption]
In previous posts, we have provided numerous reasons why paper tape is “greener” than plastic tape, and these include the fact that it is biodegradable and repulpable. From a performance perspective, it also adheres better to corrugated creating a stronger box, better protecting the contents from damage, tampering or pilferage. Please see the list of recent Inside Sustainable Packaging and Green Packaging Group posts on this topic at the bottom of this post.
What makes this an ideal time to use water-activated tape (WAT) or convert to it? 
GREEN PACKAGING FOR CELL PHONE EXCHANGES[/caption]
There are a number of industries that routinely ship out products such as cell phones, tablets, laptops and a variety of other electronic devices. This is often times done for replacement or loaner purposes when products are being exchanged or returned.
Whatever the reason for the back and forth or “round trip” shipment, the end result is usually excess packaging and higher cost in an already expensive but necessary part of your business.
Usually, we are quick to suggest the use of one packaging material, rather than two, but there are unique applications when combining two different packaging components can result in savings and provide a greener solution. 
We were very pleased when we found out some of our products would be featured in a leading photographic magazine because we never designed them to be photogenic. Though, after we saw our boxes in this month’s issue, we have to agree our boxes look great. Please read Robyn L. Pollman’s article,"