10 CARDBOARD CUSHIONING SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR PROTECTIVE PACKAGING

PROTECTIVE PACKAGING


Wedging in protective packaging plays a key role in protecting products during the various stages of transport, storage and handling. The choice of a wedging material is, therefore, not trivial. However, there are many possibilities to properly secure your products in their protective packaging.

In this article, discover why it is essential to think about calibration methods. We also present interesting solutions to wedge your products and examples to inspire you. 

THINKING ABOUT THE METHODS OF WEDGING YOUR PRODUCTS: A NECESSITY

Wedging plays a crucial role: it completes the protective packaging and helps protect the product against shocks, vibrations or crushing. It also prevents the object from moving during transport. It, therefore, generally appears to be essential, whether the product is particularly fragile or not. It can also have a more aesthetic appearance, especially for wellness, beauty or luxury products. However, its use must be carefully considered. It has an impact:

  • On the environment: You can increase or reduce your ecological footprint depending on the materials chosen or the quantity used. For example, recycled cardboard cushioning will be a more eco-friendly solution. Another point to take into account is the increase in protective packaging. In addition to its impact on transport costs, sending packages that are partly empty and therefore filled with cushioning directly impacts the environment. Vacuum transport corresponds to 122 million tonne of carbon dioxide emitted each year. How you design and fit your protective packaging can significantly affect the environment. It is now a central question for many consumers, so it is in your best interest to consider it.

Protective cushioning and protective packaging often go hand in hand, but in addition to the choice of cushioning materials, you must also aim to avoid overuse. For this, you can: 

  • Opt for tailor-made protective packaging: their size is adapted as close as possible to the product, so you reduce, or eliminate, your cushioning needs;
  • Adapt the protective packaging as much as possible to the dimensions of the products: if you cannot invest in custom-made, you can at least try to package your products more suitably. For this, make sure you have different sizes of shipping boxes to pack as closely as possible. 

Whatever your needs and budget, we recommend considering cardboard. It is a particularly interesting solution that adapts to many uses: this material is ecological, light, robust, resistant and inexpensive. 

THE DIFFERENT WEDGING MATERIALS AVAILABLE

Removing the wedging is not always possible. In this case, you must find the protective packaging cushioning solution that best suits your budget and needs. The materials most frequently used or to know are: 

  • Cardboard cushioning and corrugated cardboard cushioning: already widely used to design protective packaging, cardboard can also be used as cushioning for protective packaging. A cardboard wedging fiber makes designing reliable, robust, ecological and light wedges possible. The cardboard protects the products during transport and handling. It is used to secure products presented in the form of a pack. It can also be found in the form of a honeycomb: its honeycomb shape makes it particularly effective in protecting even fragile products, such as glass plates (windows, windshields, etc.). 
  • Cardboard or paper crimps: these small elements represent a perfect alternative to plastic bubble wrap. Just like cushioning cardboard, it is ecological and perfectly absorbs shocks. 
  • Expanded foams, polymers or molded cellulose: aesthetic, waterproof and available in several thicknesses, cushioning foam for protective packaging effectively protects products. It is used in particular in the protective packaging of high-tech products. 
  • Plastic (bubble wrap and air cushions): the film or cushion forms a sort of mattress of air bubbles intended to wrap the product to protect it or to fill the empty spaces in the protective packaging. It is waterproof and can be used to transport liquids.
  • Wood: wood fiber is used in the form of a crimp. It is a plant wedging. It is ecological and particularly insulating. It is used in particular for food products. They are thus protected from thermal variations, vibrations and shocks.
  • Tissue paper: it has a role that is more aesthetic than protective. Inexpensive and customizable, it comes in all colors and adds a premium look to your protective packaging. It is mainly used for cosmetology and luxury products.
  • Kraft paper is a thin sheet of kraft paper available in reams or rolls. It is an economical, natural, biodegradable and recyclable cushioning. It can be crumpled to fill empty spaces in packing cartons. It is used, for example, for transporting heavy loads.
  • Textile fiber wadding: this eco-responsible material is recyclable, reusable and particularly effective in protecting fragile products.
  • Polystyrene chips (also called wedging particles or wedging chips): their great lightness makes it possible not to weigh down the protective packaging too much. Fragile in appearance, they nevertheless have strong damping power and can be easily inserted into the smallest corners left empty.
  • is its tailor-made design: since the cushioning integrates perfectly with the cardboard protective packaging, it can be personalized according to the company's needs and marketing strategy. This allows the creation of original protective packaging with a worked design that enhances the products. In addition to its protective role, the protective packaging improves the shopping experience.
  • Textile fiber wadding: both ecological and protective, it also has a cottony appearance that makes it very soft and pleasant to the touch. It is particularly interesting because, in addition to its protective role, it improves the customer's experience when unpacking, thanks to its soft and aesthetic side. Easy to produce, it is inexpensive. With this solution, you respond to several issues: the environment, protection and the shopping experience. You can use it for purely protective purposes and play with its appearance to offer original and aesthetic wedging.

Packing and cushioning are two aspects to consider when shipping products. While the protective packaging is essential to protect the product throughout transport, storage and handling, sometimes it is not enough. Wedging adds an extra layer of protection or fills gaps to prevent the product from moving. You now know different solutions to properly stall your products. To go even further, you can opt for custom cardboard protective packaging cushioning. By choosing tailor-made protective packaging, you can also reduce all or part of your cushioning needs and thus reduce your costs.

PRO TIP: Get in touch with Britwrap protective packaging company to buy best protective packaging stuff all over the UK.

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