Cardboard is Awesome

When I think about things made of cardboard, I’m always brought back to the traditional cardboard boxes you may think of: the rectangular and square boxes that house holiday and birthday gifts; the boxes that are sent to your doorstep with contents from online shopping within; and my personal favorite, boxes that have products for department stores. That last one is mostly reminiscent of my days as a stocker at a local Dollar General. And believe me, we had boxes for days at that place. People would come in often asking us if they could take home some cardboard for free, and we’d inevitably have an entire “roll-tainer” full of broken down cardboard.

So, believe me, I’ve seen plenty of cardboard in my day. And here I am, sipping from a soda can that was housed in a plastic bag within cardboard. It cracks me up thinking about how companies can make their products cheaper, and lo and behold cardboard makes it happen.

In fact, that’s what interests me most about cardboard. It’s so incredibly versatile and durable, yet one of the cheapest materials to manufacture. And what ends up happening because it’s so ridiculously cheap? It’s used everywhere. But it’s not even that cardboard is “bad” or compromises the safety of your product. Rather, the opposite happens: it’s so easy to use, so durable en route, and super cushiony for anything that’s fragile.

Cardboard boxes do it all, folks. No matter what way you look at cardboard, it’s always going to be around. Even if some material comes around that phases out cardboard, companies will still opt for cardboard solely because it’ll be an even cheaper material that still gets the job done. That’s how lasting its influence and pure power will be.

All in all, this material has stood the test of time in the past and it’ll continue to do so going forward. In a way, it makes you respect the fact that a material made of paper can be so incredibly useful worldwide in almost every industry you think of. Heck, the fact that you can have some cardboard at home as a versatile material shows you how amazing it is.

I think that more people need to appreciate the things around them. You’ll never know when you desperately need a box for storage or carrying things out of your house. Or you never know when you’ll want kindling. Or something to soak up an oil spill. That’s the power of cardboard.

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Packaging types

 

Packaging is a big part of every single brand, and it’s something that you send out to the different customers, or retailers that send it out to your future customers. You have to consider a few things though when you’re building your packaging. There are primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging options, and you must consider each of these. In this, we’ll summarize the different kinds of packaging to help you understand, and the best instances to use this. 

Primary 

This is basically packaging that preserves and protects various products, contains them, and also lets customers know of what’s within. This kind is great for direct contact and is also called retail or consumer forms of packaging. 

This is made up of various components, and you have to look for example at the packaging that contains the product. If you’re selling a package of juice boxes, the juice and the little hole to puncture are the main packaging. 

Secondary 

This is basically used for branding and logistics, an dis used to protect the products or bring individual products together. 

In the juices example for example, the box or the plastic container that holds all of these, or the cardboard that holds it in place are considered secondary packaging. 

It also can include the following:

• Boxes that contain the products 

• I display products 

• Shelf-ready packages 

• Retail-ready packages 

• Display units for a countertop 

• Packaging for gifts 

The secondary packaging is made up usually of corrugated cardboard, or printed cardboard its, and is the best way to show off creative branding for the most part. 

Tertiary 

This is the least common of the packaging if you’re going to display it, but if you’re going to be sending it to various locations, this is one of the most common types. 

They are used to handle and transport the units that you have. 

You basically see this when you’re transporting the products, but this is not normally seen by the consumer unless they’re opening the package that contains the package. 

Boxes, mailers, or anything that basically gets the package or products from one location to another is a fine example of this. 

There is usually some form of branding on these, but not all customers will see this. If the packaging is going to a grocery store for example, then the person who is buying it won’t normally see it. But some companies may not use tertiary packaging branding, since it’s not always needed. 

What to Consider 

If you’re considering any kind of packaging from one of these three areas, there are a few things that you absolutely must consider with this. 

First, you need to think about the most important parts of the packaging, whether it needs to be protected, if it has to have the branding shown off, if you wnat to recycle this, or have any branding values on this. 

You should also look at the packaging value. You don’t want to get packaging that’s super expensive if it’s just going to be tertiary packaging for example. You need to also make sure that the packaging is as functional as I can be. 

Then there are delivery and transit costs. There are some that do weigh a lot more than some of the others, or how they take up the space. This is something that costs you so much more than the expenses for the delivery, and it can be a pain to navigate, so make sure you keep this in mind. 

Finally, make sure that the branding stays consistent, and also has a logo and colors that fit it.

How Honeycomb Paper Wrap is Saving the Planet

Honeycombs are used for many things, but did you know that they work for packaging. It’s a unique form of packaging with a ton of benefits. Let’s first look at the makeup and the properties of this paper, especially when manufacturing it.  It's a biodegradable, eco-friendly aspect that highlights the benefits to the environment that this provides, especially compared to plastic packaging. 

The composition and properties 

This is a unique one, because the paper offers specific characteristics of this. It's made from blends of high-quality recycled forms of fibers and a virgin long-grain pine that’s from forests that are managed in a responsible manner. So yes, it’s flexible and yet, very strong. This composition means that it will definitely be easy to withstand the packaging and protect it within. 

Sustainable Material 

This might be one of the biggest benefits. It’s made directly from natural fibers, and they’re only sourced from renewable resources. They are also totally recyclable, so yes you can reuse and repurpose it.  That means the overall environmental impact is reduced. 

The honeycomb structure 

The biggest part of this is the honeycomb structure that’s there on this. It is made up of a series of different interconnected cuts, all of which create a pattern that’s unique. It’s great for cushioning of products, and enhances durability when items are retained within. 

This is great for protecting items inside, and also helps with the impact during transit and storage. So yes, your delicate items will not be affected by this. 

Biodegradable Structures 

Yes, since they are sustainable, they are actually biodegradable too. This is due to the natural fibers that allow this to break down with time and leave some harmful residues to it. it’s sustainable and minimizes environmental impact. 

It’s great as well for helping to decompose in a natural manner, so it will mitigate the pollution risks that are there. So yes, when you choose honeycomb wrapping, you are contributing to greener futures for this planet. 

Pros and cons of Honeycomb Wrapping 

Honeycomb wrapping is a unique type of packaging, and you might wonder if there are specific plus sides and drawbacks to this. Well, we’ll go over those here. 

The pros are as follows: 

• Great for cushioning fragile items 

• They’re easy to handle and lightweight 

• A superior eco friendly option 

Seems pretty good, right? well, there are a couple of downsides that you should be mindful of: 

• They’re not as effective as bubble wrapping for heavier or more delicate types of items. 

• May need more padding as a result for extra protection 

There are different scenarios where you might need extra care for delicate wrapping during the shipping process. This type of paper wrapping is the superior alternative to bubble wrapping along with packing peanuts. It provides the best protection while minimizing damage risks too.

It also is made from more eco friendly materials. Packaging peanuts are also made from plastic, so they are usually not easy to break down. however, honeycomb paper is much easier to recycle, is compostable, and reduces the impact of the environment. 

While this does have a higher cost upfront, it may be more cost effective down the line. This is due to the recent plastic taxes here too. 

The durability is definitely still good enough to protect the items, and they usually offer a more sustainable form of choice. 

They also are easy to fold, wrap, and cut together, providing the easiest way to prepare this so that you can use it for packaging. It can definitely benefit you in many ways.