On June 28, 2024, the New Jersey Senate passed a bill prohibiting large online and major retailers in the state from shipping corrugated boxes that exceed two times the volume of the product(s) inside. This is just the latest in a slew of sustainable packaging legislations being passed in states all around the U.S., including Maine, Oregon, California, and Colorado. And even more states have EPR bills up for consideration in 2024 (Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee – to name just a few).
For retailers who, up until now, have relied on an assortment of stock boxes to ship their products, these laws will bring big changes to their packaging processes. Stock boxes are, on average, at least 40% oversized and often come stuffed with wasteful plastic void fillers; such as air pillows and packing peanuts.
For retailers in states implementing this new legislation, or any retailer that wants to get ahead of the curve on compliance, On Demand Packaging® automation from Packsize could be the solution. In this blog, we’ll discuss not only how automation can make your packaging more sustainable, but also how it can transform your entire packaging line, saving you time and money, while increasing your efficiency and throughput.
We already know that stock boxes are often oversized – by a lot. But did you know that the environmental impact of oversized packaging goes beyond that? When boxes are too large for the products inside, you’re not only wasting packaging material, you may be wasting the products themselves! Oversized boxes provide less protection for the items they are carrying (thus, the reason we stuff them with void filler). Despite this, these items are still more likely to shift around during transit, leading to damages. When your products end up in a landfill, that’s not only bad for the environment, but a bad experience for your customers.
In 2022, we conducted a consumer survey through Corus. This survey revealed that one out of three online shoppers shared a positive or negative packaging experience with their family or friends in the last three months. And 23% of respondents said they decided against purchasing from a company after hearing a negative packaging story. Your packaging makes more of an impression than you think! Right-sized boxes provide better protection for your products, by preventing them from shifting around during transit. In most cases, right-sizing actually completely eliminates the need for void fillers, while still reducing damages overall. Give your customers the best unboxing experience possible by right-sizing, and ensure their items get them in one piece.
Right-sizing reduces the carbon footprint of a business in a few ways that, coincidentally, also reduce costs. The first and most obvious is cutting down on material waste. On Demand Packaging machines create a right-sized box for each order in a matter of seconds. Rather than paying for expensive stock boxes and trying to choose the best fit, businesses purchase corrugated Z-Fold® in bulk. Z-Fold bales can be customized depending on your typical order size and volume. They are then fed into the machine system and cut down to the exact size needed when a new order comes in. Z-Fold is less expensive than stock boxes and gets delivered just-in-time. And, by right sizing, you get the most out of your bales and only pay for what you need.
Right-sizing also leads to reduced shipping and DIM weight charges, by making boxes smaller. On average, right-sized boxes take up 33% less space on trucks, meaning you can fit more onto a single pallet, and eliminate one in every three trucks on the road. This not only has a huge environmental impact by cutting down on diesel emissions, but it also reduces your shipping expenses. And, by getting more orders out the door, you’re able to move more product through your warehouse, scaling up your business with every shipment.
The benefits of packaging automation go well beyond sustainability, customer perception, and your bottom line. Automation is also the best way to scale up your packaging process flow and continue to meet increasing demand. More consumers are shopping online than ever before and there’s no end in sight to this particular trend. Online businesses have to invest in their long-term success by implementing packaging solutions that can keep up with their order volume. On Demand Packaging does just that.
Automated packaging systems can perform all of the necessary functions to package an item and get it ready for shipping. These functions may include dimensioning, box creation, gluing, labeling, and more. Industry-leading packaging solutions can complete this entire process in less than 4 seconds. This streamlines your packaging line while reducing human touches and increasing throughput. The best part is that these solutions are made to scale with your business, so you can continue to keep up with demand during peak season and as you continue to grow.
Efficiency and speed are essential to success – and now, so is the sustainability of your packaging. Right-Sized Packaging On Demand can help you get there.
To learn more about Packsize’s right-sized packaging solutions, and to find out how your business can become compliant with legislation, reach out to one of our packaging experts today.
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