5 Tips to Avoid Over Packaging

When it comes to cutting unnecessary costs and making your customer’s unpacking experience enjoyable, over-packaging can hurt more than you’d think. Going green and eliminating excess packaging can also help you identify efficiencies in your business — that helps your bottom line and strengthens your brand’s trustworthiness in the eyes of consumers.

While different product offerings may have unique ways to cut down on over-packaging, there are a few key under-performing areas that your business may be falling victim to.

Here Are 5 Tips on How to Save More and Use Less:

1. Use the correct void-fill material

Protective packaging is one of the biggest contributors to over-packaging — when done incorrectly. Understanding your product and the type of void-fill packaging it needs can dramatically cut down on waste. For example, if you need to wrap an extremely delicate item, then bubble wrap or air pillows are prime options. However, if your object is larger and not as breakable, then paper could provide enough buffer, without the overkill.

2. Try water-activated tape

Another way to eliminate unnecessary material is through proper case sealing. Sometimes, poly-tape has a hard time adhering to corrugated cardboard. This often relates to the quality of the box and whether it’s made of recycled materials. Often, in the hopes of maintaining a good seal, multiple strips are used. If you are doing this — stop. Adding more than one strip of poly tape doesn’t deal with the issue, but water-activated tape does. The bond is stronger and tamper-proof, meaning that one strip will create the seal your cases need.

3. Top seal is your friend

Another way to eliminate unnecessary material is through proper case sealing. Sometimes, poly-tape has a hard time adhering to corrugated cardboard. This often relates to the quality of the box and whether it’s made of recycled materials. Often, in the hopes of maintaining a good seal, multiple strips are used. If you are doing this — stop. Adding more than one strip of poly tape doesn’t deal with the issue, but water-activated tape does. The bond is stronger and tamper-proof, meaning that one strip will create the seal your cases need.

4. Use less and get more with pre-stretch

Pallet containment is yet another area that usually sees massive waste — and it’s mostly due to low-quality stretch wrap/stretch wrap machine. By using film that’s capable of pre-stretch, you can exponentially save on film costs. Pre-stretch allows the stretch wrapper to contain pallets with a fraction of the film, while also creating stronger support.

5. Replace boxes with opaque shrink film

Sometimes, conventional packaging methods can only go so far — then there comes a point when it’s time to try something new. Opaque shrink film is forcing e-commerce retailers to think outside the box. With a 99.9% opacity, this opaque shrink film offers an ultra-durable alternative that eliminated the need for shipping boxes and void-fill packaging. It’s a radical concept, but an effective one that’s taking the market by storm.

From a business perspective, it’s vital to make your packaging lean and efficient — and in order to do that, you’ve got to stop over-packaging. Through methods old and new, you can save money and look better to consumers, simultaneously.

Not sure where to start? That’s okay.

Talk to a Crawford Packaging Specialist today and get access to a personalized solution that addresses your needs.

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