If you have recently bought any type of consumer electronics, easy-to-assemble furniture, or even a tray of drinks from your local fast food restaurant, you may have noticed something different about the packaging.
Many manufacturers are moving away from the traditional molded polystyrene foam and turning to molded pulp package to keep their products safe from dings and dents during shipping.
Not Just for Egg Cartons Anymore
For nearly a century, dairy farmers have been using molded pulp packaging to safely get their eggs to your local grocer’s dairy cooler. It’s a great solution because molded pulp — which is made from 100% recycled newspaper — is soft and pliant, yet durable enough to absorb any shock that could otherwise cause eggs to crack.
Now other industries are finally discovering the benefits of molded pulp that chicken farmers have known about for generations.
Environmentally Safe
One of the biggest benefits of molded pulp is that is truly is good for the environment. Not only is it made from recycled paper, but it also is completely recyclable once its packaging use is done.
While many trash collectors won’t allow homeowners to put expanded polystyrene, packaging peanuts, and other petroleum-based packaging materials into their recyclables, molded pulp is more than welcome because it is completely biodegradable.
It also can be molded into any shape, making it perfect for end caps that protect sharp corners, trays that can be fitted between flat surfaces, and other packaging needs. And because it is paper-based, it offers manufacturers a clean solution to keeping their products safe during shipping.
Cheaper than Petroleum-Based Packaging
Molded pulp is made almost entirely from post-industrial raw materials, so it is substantially cheaper than packaging materials made from petroleum, such as inflatable bags, molded polystyrene, and packing peanuts.
Molded pulp can reduce overall packaging costs by up to 70%, according to some industry estimates. It also provides protection against vibration and shock that is equal to or better than other more expensive packing materials.
Space-Saving Efficiency
Then there is the space that can be saved. Molded pulp essentially is made from old newspapers and other paper products that have been pulverized, wetted, and then formed into any required shape. That means it can be custom designed to nest and stack together so you can pack more products onto a single pallet.
Compare that with products packed with expanded polystyrene, which require much more room between products. When these antiquated packing materials are replaced with molded pulp, in some instances an entire second or third layer can be added, increasing the amount of products that can be shipped in a single truckload — increasing efficiency and decreasing costs.