Adhesive Applications Don’t look pack in anger
Christopher Morgan, global sales director at Filtrona Tapes, says in the 150 years since the first corrugated cardboard box was made, it has become the backbone of the global supply chain and an essential part of the worldwide economy.
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t is strong, dependable, customisable, recyclable, affordable and sustainable. This incredible functionality means they can be the building blocks of a sustainable e-commerce business. But they are not the be-all and end-all of sustainability. There are still many questions that remain unanswered when it comes to the simple corrugated box. While they are effective tools for shipping orders to consumers, what happens after that? Sustainability is not a matter of a yes or no answer to a specific material choice, certificate or off-setting strategy. We work with sustainability as a systemic mindset that embraces the world in all its complexity and gradient colours. By taking a more holistic view of the whole life cycles of products and their packaging, e-commerce businesses can make a lasting, measurable sustainable change that benefits them – and their consumers.
FOCUS ON THE SOLUTION AND NOT THE PROBLEM
Next to your product, your packaging is the most important part of your brand. It takes a lot of time to build relationships with suppliers, tailor your packaging to suit your product, factor in sales channels, design your brand image, review prototypes, and schedule line time with manufacturers.
Product returns are a thorn in the side of most retailers, and it’s not surprising when you consider that return rates for online orders stand at a staggering 25%.
Perhaps it is not surprising that in the muck and bullets of rapidly scaling organisations, there can be thoughts of returning to a time when things were more manageable and less difficult. To avoid compounding the problem of inadequate packaging leading to resalable goods being damaged on the return leg, Filtrona Tapes believes customers need to look more carefully at their packaging choices.
Although more and more businesses are seriously considering their packaging from an aesthetic and environmental point of view, returns aren’t always part of the thinking. And it’s an issue that extends beyond the relatively straightforward route of the consumer returning a package. With many retailers giving consumers the
option to return goods to their stores, which can mean products are missing both primary and transit packaging, the question arises as to how stores manage the process of packaging goods to be shipped back to their returns centres. Businesses should look at their entire packaging process to work out the optimum packaging design in terms of assembly, the choice of materials – the outer structure, void fill and cushioning – as well as delivery and, of course, returns. Using good quality, well-designed and easy-to- use packaging that ensures goods get from A to B and back again, by whatever circuitous route, can greatly reduce the damaging impact of returns on business and the environment. We approach performance forensically, intelligently and purposefully by starting at the end. If you’re shipping mailers, there are two features you can build into the mailer itself to make returns easy.
AN OPEN-AND-SHUT CASE
When so many retailers offer free returns, people can easily be lulled into thinking there’s no cost attached. However, business leaders are quickly realising that isn’t the case, with reports showing that the reverse logistics of returns cost online retailers £6.3 billion in 2020. That figure is likely to rise by 9% by 2025, according to analysts at GlobalData. As packaging solutionists, the best option is often the most straightforward one: ensuring that the packaging you deliver products in can easily be used for returns in case of customer dissatisfaction. And that was the catalyst for our
latest innovation, which forward-thinking brands can use to enhance their packaging. EASILINER enables the preservation of adhesive qualities in packaging formats where a glue line is used in production. Paired with the SF-AS DH1 applicator and used in tandem with the widely deployed Rippatape tear tape collection, it represents a complete opening and closing solution for packaging manufacturers. Now that the circular economy concept is firmly established, it’s clear that single-use packaging is not ideal. It places the burden of recycling on the consumer, who may need to return their purchase after disposing of its packaging, which will naturally consume more resources. Returnable and multi-trip packaging consumes fewer materials throughout its lifecycle, which helps reduce waste from both a cost and sustainability standpoint. As consumers worldwide increasingly lean upon eCommerce as an essential part of their lives, it’s clear that treating packaging as a single-use, disposable item destined to be nothing but a waste product will likely become a thing of the past.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY MODELS LEAD TO NOVEL IDEAS.
Small things make a difference, whether it’s the stitches that hold our clothes together or the syringes that deliver life-saving vaccines. Yet these modest but essential components of everyday life are often overlooked.
You could say EASILINER is our homage to the small but mighty.
18
March 2023
www.convertermag.com
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