As many businesses embrace sustainable packaging options, FoldedPak offers a new 100-percent recyclable packaging material that also is reducing product damage and cutting costs for shippers of fragile products including semiconductors, medical equipment, veterinary and medical supplies, lighting fixtures, dinnerware and office supplies. The new material can be used to replace a host of packaging materials including petroleum-based foam and bubble wrap as well as krinkled kraft paper and packing peanuts.
The ExpandOS paperboard is made from post-industrial waste paper, earning it the endorsement of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
"ExpandOS has a very low carbon footprint when compared to other packaging materials," said Jeff Boothman, president of FoldedPak. "The product is made from 100 percent post-industrial waste. Carbon is only generated through energy used to die cut sheets of ExpandOS pyramids."
Each 1,000 pounds of post industrial waste ExpandOS uses averts the need to re-pulp the paper, saving 888 lb of CO2 that would otherwise be produced in the re-pulping process, according to the company.
The global market for sustainable packaging is projected to reach $142.42 billion by 2015, according to a report from Global Industry Analysts (GIA). The market research firm says sustainability has helped companies cut costs and reduce packaging waste by using recycled and reusable materials.
The ExpandOS, or Expand On-Site, system is delivered to shippers in pre-cut bundles of thin paperboard that contain 38 "fingers" designed to cling together using all three sides of the pyramid. An "Expander" machine cuts each row apart and folds them into highly-engineered interlocking and protective pyramids that fall by gravity into packing boxes, which the company says significantly reduces packing time compared to foam-in-place and other options. Each Expander can produce up to 1,000 cubic feet of material in a typical shift.
"Here at Ten Strawberry Street, we ship ceramic dinnerware to some of the largest retailers in the nation," said Gregg Sciez, distribution manager. "Reducing breakage was important to keep our customers happy. Since switching to ExpandOS, our breakage rate was cut in half. Our employees enjoy the ergonomic design of the machines and our customers are delighted we are not using petroleum-based peanuts and bubble wrap or wadded kraft paper that would end up in landfills or offer a lack of protection."
In addition to keeping paper out of landfills, businesses are also realizing savings in productivity and cost. As an example, a California-based lighting fixture manufacturer switched to ExpandOS from chemical foam. During a four-week test with 2,500 outbound packages, the company reported zero damage, and packing time fell one-third, from 60 to 40 seconds per box. The cost of packing material also dropped from $1.58 to $1.34 per box.
