According to Global Market Insights Inc., a market research and consulting service provider based in Delaware, U.S., the global molded pulp packaging market is expected to exceed some $4.3 billion by 2026. The exponential growth of the molded pulp packaging market is due to an increase in environmental concerns worldwide and more strict government regulations on plastic production (such as the proposed ban on single-use plastics in Canada). Global Market Insights predicts, “The molded pulp packaging market segment will account for over 25% of the global demand share in 2026.” The pro ..read more

America’s appetite for e-commerce continues to grow in popularity – ballooning to $469.2 billion in 2021 (up from $431.6 billion in 2020). With so many products being ordered online and shipped to customers’ homes, it has never been more important to ensure your edge protectors are up to the task. While there’s no denying the pandemic’s influence on e-commerce over the last few years, the convenience and boundless product choices will forever alter consumers’ shopping habits. This reality challenges packaging and shipping departments to offer the best protection possible for their pr ..read more

It has been estimated that shipping damages between the manufacturing facility and the point of sale average around half a percent of gross sales for businesses. While that doesn’t sound alarming, it equates to about $1 billion a year in total damages in just the U.S. alone. But such damages can be avoided by utilizing edge and corner protectors in your packaging and shipping operations. One of the most important things your business should do is evaluate the types of damages your organization reports and then evaluate and test your current shipping procedures. This will allow your b ..read more

It was another busy year for the recovered paper industry as demand remained high for much of 2021, driven largely by e-commerce and the need for more corrugated boxes and more sustainable protective packaging solutions – helping keep products and the planet safe. However, changes in how and what we recycle across the country have caused shifts in the recovered paper industry and how manufacturers use these raw materials in their operations. Organizations that have relied heavily on newsprint as a recyclable raw material in their production have had to look elsewhere. For example, Forbes ..read more

According to a recent Polystyrene Foam Market report, the global market for such foam products is expected to grow to $32.2 billion USD by 2026 – up from $26.4 billion in 2021. That’s a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.1% from 2021-2026. The main driver? The need for protective packaging solutions.   This increase is not surprising given the incredible growth of e-commerce over the last few years. According to an article by Sharon Goldman on The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience, during the height of the pandemic, e-commerce grew by a whopping 33.6% in 202 ..read more

There are many good reasons to utilize sustainable protective packaging solutions, such as roll cradles and edge guards in your shipping and manufacturing operations. For starters, there’s the obvious advantage. Sustainable protective packaging solutions are kinder to the planet – helping reduce your business’s carbon footprint while emphasizing your brand’s corporate social responsibility. Not to mention limiting the contribution of waste headed to over-crowded landfills. Another advantage, which is not often realized or readily tangible but incredibly impactful – it’s a powerful marketing as ..read more

Shipping heavy rolls of paper, foil, film, even steel is often challenging for fulfillment and distribution centers. But fiber roll cradles have become a popular shipping solution across many industries and operations today.   Cylindrical products can be awkward to package depending on their size and weight. As a result, many shipping departments have adopted the traditional pyramidal approach in which rolls are alternately stacked on top of a wooden pallet creating that triangular shape.   While this might solve the overall problem of shipping heavy, awkward rolls of product, it cre ..read more

During the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic, online shopping and packaged deliveries soared – so did the amount of waste being generated and left at the curb for municipal collection across the United States. Corrugated containers were the biggest culprit as boxes seemed to be a never-ending occurrence overflowing from the limits of recycling bins. But thankfully, the story of corrugated containers has a happy ending. Corrugated containers are currently the most recycled material in the United States. In 2018, 96% of all corrugated containers produced were not only recovered  ..read more

Rising demand for more sustainable products across all business sectors has also led to increased greenwashing practices in organizations globally. With no governmental mandates yet finalized (though the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation is proposing a team to closely monitor the consistency of sustainability-related disclosures), it’s difficult for consumers to wade through the facts when compared to increased greenwashing practices. Naida Schwingle writes on the website One Green Planet, “Research shows that two-thirds of Americans consider sustaina ..read more

It’s been estimated that each day in the United States, we throw away more than 60 million plastic water bottles, and sadly most of them find their way to landfills or in the ocean. What you probably don’t know is you could actually be inhaling tiny microplastics from those bottles. Microplastics result from the breakdown of larger plastics and measure less than 5mm in size. As plastics do not decompose quickly or easily (the EPA estimates it takes between 100-400 years to break down completely in landfills), they’re broken down into smaller and smaller pieces which are known as ..read more