Cardboard Packaging Mistakes That Waste Material
There are a number of simple mistakes that small businesses can make when buying cardboard packaging, all of which cost more than they need to.
Boxes That Are Too Big
If the box you are using is much larger than the item it contains then you are paying for excess cardboard and also for void fill to fill the excess space. Measure up your goods to see what size box you need. Allow for about 20mm on each side.
Over-Specifying the Board Grade
Using heavy-duty double-wall cardboard for lightweight or non-fragile items would also be wasteful as it is not needed. Select the correct board grade based on the weight and fragility of the item to be sent.
Compensating With Excess Void Fill
Oversized boxes are usually filled with crumpled paper or bubble wrap to compensate for the excess space. However, this extra void fill can cost as much as the oversized boxes themselves and is usually a symptom of the boxes being too big in the first place.
No Nesting Plan for Flat Blanks
Laying out flat blanks randomly can waste large amounts of material. By cutting your custom blanks or sheets to interlock with other copies cut from the same sheet you can often increase the number you get from the same sheet.
Ordering More Than You Can Store Safely
Waste and spend are also affected by the way you store your packaging materials. WRAP’s guidance on reducing packaging waste recommends that you try to order the right amounts of stock and reduce the amount of time that packaging materials are stored before they are used. This could mean ordering small quantities of packaging more frequently if you have limited storage space and it is damp.
All of these changes can be made with no cost or change to current practice and will immediately reduce both waste and excess spend.