Air in packaging: tips to avoid it
7min read
14/11/2022
An online survey1 shows that Dutch packages contain an average of 30% to 40% air. At first glance, this seems unimportant, but nothing could be further from the truth. A compact packaging without air is very advantageous for web shops, consumers and transporters alike. That is why we ask you to think ‘inside the box’ for this article. We will look at how best to avoid air in packaging and why this is so important for the average webshop.
1. Five ways to avoid air in packaging
Isn’t this packaging too big? Isn’t there too much air left in my box? Questions a packer often faces…. In an ideal world, you choose smart and compact packaging so that you don’t transport too much air. That way, you create lower transport costs and require less to no padding material. It also reduces your company’s carbon footprint. Below is an overview of the most popular compact packaging.
► 1.1 Boxes with variable height
What makes this box so unique and popular is that you can always adjust it to the size of your product. Via the creasing lines on the side, you can cut and fold this box at different heights. Perfect for adapting your box to the height of your product – and ideal for avoiding unnecessary air in the box. For sending homogeneous or uniform products, a standard custom-made box is sufficient, but if you ship products with different shapes every day, we recommend this box with variable filling height.
► 1.2 Letterbox boxes
Letterbox boxes, with an outer height of only 2.8 cm, can be delivered to the end customer as easily as a letter. Their flat shape and small letterbox size avoid unnecessary air. Most formats are adapted to fit perfectly into a letterbox opening. As a result, by the way, there is considerably less chance of them being left in all weathers by a hasty delivery driver. No annoying administration, angry complaints or orders you have to reprocess. These boxes are suitable for sending lighter and flat products such as textiles or diaries.
► 1.3 Dispatch bags
]Unlike boxes, shipping bags can be pressed completely flat, saving you maximum space and really reducing the amount of air at the ‘last mile’ to zero. This compact packaging does not need any filling material and can be closed very quickly thanks to the adhesive strip. There are sturdy plastic bags but also eco-friendly alternatives made of paper. In short, the ideal e-commerce packaging to ship fragile products as quickly and efficiently as possible.
► 1.4 Postal boxes
A postal pack is equipped with crease lines that you can fold over according to the thickness or height of your product. Moreover, the flaps allow you to wrap each side of the postal box perfectly around your product. If you maximise the capacity of your postal box, there will in fact be no air left inside the packaging. Besides the absence of filling material, you will no longer need tape because most of them already have an integrated adhesive strip. With this smart packaging, you can send books and print documents compactly.
► 1.5 Postal boxes with inner protection
For very fragile products, it is best to choose a protective postal box with foam padding or fixing film. This special integrated protection not only avoids unnecessary air, it also protects against shocks. Remember that foam padding protects against scratches and shocks, while fixing film only protects against shocks.
Items such as optical instruments and small mechanical parts are best packed in a box with foam padding. Mailboxes with flexible plastic fixing film clamp small fragile products of any shape firmly to the bottom. To pack electronic products compactly, use a box with anti-static cling film.
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2. Why is airless packaging so important?
Avoiding excess air in packaging has a positive impact on your logistics and marketing. It is financially beneficial, ecologically sound, very practical and even good for your image. Let’s dive into the details.
► 2.1 Pack and ship cheaper
When calculating shipping costs, there are 2 components you can take immediate advantage of: the weight of your parcels and the space they take up in transit.
Space
When making transport charges, you are actually buying space for shipping and not just paying for the package weight in the cargo space. So by optimising your purchased piece of cargo space, you save a lot of unnecessary costs. How do we optimise? You choose smart packaging that allows as little air inside as possible. We outline 2 examples here:
- On the one hand, up to 3 packages fit in your optimised piece of cargo space instead of 1 oversized package. Consequently, the carrier has to take fewer trips for all your shipments resulting in lower transport costs. This can even involve whole sea containers.
- On the other hand, you use smart packaging so you don’t have to use multiple packages and therefore need less filling material . This already makes a lot of packaging costs disappear like snow in the sun.
Weight
The weight of parcels plays an equally important role in calculating transport costs. The prices of courier services depend partly on the weight of your parcels. A customised smart package does not contain unnecessary air and therefore does not need padding. Finally, less stuffing cost and less stuffing weight reduces packaging and transport costs.
► 2.2 Reduce environmental impact
Besides saving on transport costs, you also reduce your company’s carbon footprint. With optimised compact packaging, you create less packaging waste on the one hand and reduce CO2 emissions on the other.
Less packaging waste
By avoiding oversized boxes and unnecessary padding, you help reduce waste streams. By the way, you also ease the work of consumers as they have to throw away less waste.
Less CO2 emissions
Less air in a package offers more options in a vehicle’s loading space. A cleverly designed cargo area reduces the number of journeys for a transport vehicle and the number of vehicles in total, thereby reducing fuel consumption.
► 2.3 Better protect your products
In a small compact space, your products are more firmly secured than in an oversized space. This ensures that your product is slightly better protected throughout the supply chain against hazards such as stacking, rough handling and shocks. However, packaging without air does not 100% rule out damage from shocks. If you ship very fragile products, consider using a foam box or postal box with fixing film. You can avoid a lot of dramas this way.
► 2.4 Keep your customers extra happy
Those who deal a lot with e-commerce on a daily basis know that consumers are becoming increasingly sensitive to environmentally conscious packaging. Although packaging does not have the biggest impact on a company’s carbon footprint, it is still an environmental work point and something consumers will definitely judge you on. Unnecessarily large packaging or packaging with too much padding (i.e. packaging with a lot of air) never give a good impression to the end customer, especially in the world of e-commerce.
Together with Safeshops and numerous other well-known players in the e-commerce market, RAJA has realised a white paper around this topic. In it, you will find out more about the importance of sustainable e-commerce and how consumers think about this.
Source:
1 https://salvum-europe.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Rapport-SalVum-Lucht-in-Verpakkingen.pdf
