Gummed tape: the most ecological closure

Our customers often consider the type of crate or cushioning they will use when looking for sustainable packaging. And that’s fine! However, it’s important to remember that there are also alternatives to traditional plastic tapes. One of these is gummed tape, the greenest alternative of all.

1. Presentation..

Une bande gommée est un produit extrêmement simple et innovatif en même temps. Elle est composée d’un support en papier kraft et d’une colle végétale. La colle n’est efficace qu’après avoir été mise en contact avec de l’eau. Pour cela, il existe des distributeurs spéciaux (vous les découvrirez à la fin de l’article).

La bande gommée se recycle facilement avec la caisse en carton dû au fait qu’elle soit en papier. Il n’y a donc pas de souci à se faire au niveau du tri car l’adhésif ne doit pas être séparée de son emballage en carton. Tout le monde le sait : au plus il est facile de trier, au plus il est possible de fabriquer de nouveaux produits à partir des matières recyclées.

Composition d'une bande gommée standard

Les rubans adhésifs plastique se recyclent aussi très bien… mais attention !

Les rubans adhésifs plastique de RAJA peuvent être recyclés avec une caisse en carton(toléra

2. The five advantages of gummed tape

Why use gummed tape if not to close a box? As you will read below, it has many other benefits than just closing a package.

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► Strong adhesion

Gummed tape

has

a higher adhesive strength due to the fact that its glue penetrates and melts into the cardboard. A single pass of the adhesive is enough, unlike tape, so you can save a lot of money on the amount of tape you buy.

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► Safe and tamper-proof

Once the

adhesive on the tape has dried, it becomes very difficult to open the case without it being noticeable. Once the tape is removed, damage

clearly visible on the carton. This will discourage many from discreetly peering into your packaging.

Tentatives d'ouvrir une caisse fermée

► Environmentally friendly

[

The ecological argument when talking about gummed tape is essential. The product itself is made from renewable resources. The glue is made from pot

ato

starch, while the backing is made from paper. Once glued, it can be recycled directly with the cardboard box. Once recycled, it will become a base for new paper or cardboard products. The loop is complete!

A reinforced gummed tape

made up of polyester or fibreglass threads. It is therefore preferable to recycle it separately.

► Easy to use

Un emballage doit être facile à utiliser et la bande gommée répond à ce critère haut la main. Pour travailler correctement vous n’avez besoin que d’une chose : un distributeur de bande gommée. Il humidifiera votre adhésif sur la longueur demandée (via les dimensions standards). Vous n’utiliserez donc jamais plus que le strict nécessaire : une économie de matière idéale. Afin qu’il n’y ait pas de reste de colle sur vos doigts, nous vous conseillons tout de même d’utiliser de simples gants.

Une bande gommée est en fait polyvalente. Contrairement à un ruban adhésif plastique, elle colle presque immédiatement sur les produits recyclés et surfaces poussiéreuses. Elle est, de plus, plus résistante contre la déchirure et dans les milieux froids. Finalement, vous pouvez la stocker beaucoup plus longtemps (quelques années pour une bande gommée contre 6 mois maximum pour les rubans traditionnels).

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3. Here is how to choose your gummed tape

Choose from our range of gummed tapes:

Standard	Standard	Army	Army
Quality 60 g/m2	Quality 70 g/m2	Quality 90 g/m2	Quality 130 g/m2
		With longitudinal polyester yarns*	With cross-linked fibreglass yarns** (see below)
For parcels< 5 kg	For parcels< 10 kg	For parcels< 25 kg	For parcels< 40 kg

[ The polyester reinforcing threads are located in the adhesive. The tape contains 2, 3 or 4 reinforcing threads.
** The reinforcing threads are located between 2 layers of kraft paper. They are also closer together than with the 90 g/m² reinforced tape. This makes it even more resistant to tearing and other external factors

The gummed tapes are also available with a pre-printed messagethis allows you to inform your customers about the fragile contents of your package.

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4. No gummed tape without dispenser

A dispenser (or "moistener") is specially designed to facilitate the use of a gummed tape. They moisten the glue and cut the tape to the desired length. Choose from the following models:

Manual .	Semi-automatic	Electronic (Vario)	Electronic (Lapomatic)
Weight: 1.7 kg	Weight: 9.3 kg	Weight: 15 kg	Weight: 12 kg
Belt width : 36 to 80 mm	Belt width : 20 to 100 mm	Belt width: 40 to 80 mm	Belt width: 20 to 100 mm
		14 preset cutting lengths	22 preset cutting lengths
For standard rubberised tape	For standard and reinforced tape	For standard and reinforced gummed tape	For standard and reinforced gummed tape

This video shows you how to use a gummed tape dispenser:

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5. Another member of the family: paper tape

There is a second alternative to plastic adhesive tapes, in addition to gummed tape: paper adhesive tape. This tape is, by its name, adhesive, which means that the glue does not have to be activated beforehand. You can simply unroll it and apply it. For this purpose, we recommend using a tape dispenser. Below are various models of tape:

Ruban adhésif en papier

Below is a list of advantages and disadvantages of using plastic adhesive tapes and/or gummed tapes:

Advantages	Disadvantages
► Paper tape is more environmentally friendly than plastic tape (PP or PVC): the backing is made of kraft paper which can be recycled along with a cardboard box.	► The glue of the paper tape is made of natural or synthetic hotmelt rubber, which is a little less environmentally friendly than the vegetable glue of the gummed tape. However, this does not prevent your tape from being recycled with the crate.
► You work independently, unlike gummed tape for which you need a dispenser.	► It is advisable to apply paper tape with a dispenser, which can, in the long run, become painful for your wrists. The knife in the dispenser can also increase the risk of injury, a risk you do not take when using gummed tape.
► Paper tape and gummed tape allow writing (unlike plastic tape) and are customisable.	►A reinforced paper tape contains fibreglass reinforcement threads which prevents it from being able to be recycled with the cardboard box.
► They are moisture resistant and therefore ideal for export.	► It is easier to open a box that has been closed with paper tape than a box closed with gummed tape.
► They can be torn by hand (not valid for reinforced versions).