Corrugated cardboard has proved to be one of the most popular packaging materials, and sustainability has become the most important issue throughout the value chain. In addition, corrugated packaging is easy to recycle and the corrugated protected form improves safety, surpassing the popularity of polymer-based alternatives.
While the development of lightweight cardboard has long influenced the corrugated industry, the right weight and size of packaging materials is playing an increasingly important role in this market, not only in response to consumer demand for efficient packaging, but also in response to the adoption of volumetric weight in the logistics chain. Because in some cases, replacing lighter cardboard with heavier corrugated cardboard eliminates the need for additional protection on the outside and can have an overall beneficial impact compared to lighter paper.
In some cases, minimizing the amount of air transported in the logistics process can mean significant increases in logistics costs. For example, a logistics transport of 32 packs of sanitary rolls is estimated to cost 37 per cent more if a logistics cost calculation based on size rather than weight is used. Therefore, the use of packaging needs to properly consider the relationship between volume and weight.
The corrugated packaging lightweight initiative has been particularly successful in Western Europe, where Mondi, for example, has been working on the corrugated packaging lightweight project. As a result of this trend, cases in Western Europe are now typically about 80% of the weight of those in the US. The importance of lightweight will continue to emerge in the coming years as retailers look to save costs and attract end users. Therefore, under the influence of sustainability, the size and selection of packaging should fully consider many factors, not just make unilateral decisions.
Post time: Dec-16-2022