There’s a lot to consider when boosting packaging efficiency. There are a few common ones that many companies use, and it gets them in trouble as a result. Whether it’s through returns, or upset customers, not making sure your packaging is efficient for your needs can make or break your packaging.
Some common ones include using way too much void fill, which I see as wasteful for a lot of customers, and it can impact how customers see you as a company.
Single-use materials are also out of style. Sure, it might seem like a good initial idea, but if you’re only using single-use plastics and other materials, that’s seen as wasteful and inefficient, which can in turn impact the way customers perceive your brand and interact with it.
Finally, you have mis-sized containers, where you put a small item in a giant box. Again, might seem like a good idea in theory, but in practice, it looks useless and a waste of resources.
On the flip side, cramming an item into a tiny container looks like it might work under the guise of being efficient, but this can cause packages to explode during transit, potentially ruining the item.
Again, all of these are inefficient, and you need to be mindful of such factors when choosing items.
How to Optimize Material Use
The best way to optimize the material use is to match the packaging to product size and functionality. On average, try to make it so that you’re only leaving a couple inches of space.
If you know that an item needs a foam shell around it for protection, then you simply design a package with a foam shell in place to make this easier. It can really help, and make things easier for you to get to customers. Plus, for fragile items, the right box is the solution to protect your time, since you don’t have to worry about them breaking during transit too.
What Sustainable Alternatives to Seek Out
You want to look for sustainable ones, because again, it’s multi-use shipping. It also looks better and far less wasteful.
The best ones are reusable insets, which the customer can keep to hold the product in certain cases. Recyclable plastics are another one. These are plastics that can be easily recycled, no matter where you are or the type of situation that you’re in.
You also might want to look into compostable options that will help make this work for you.
The Guide to Implementation
Figuring out whether you’re efficient or inefficient with packaging waste is important.
The best way to do this, is to run a packaging audit, where your packaging is thoroughly checked and inspected to ensure that the items inside are properly taken care of.
Cost-effective packaging is another one too. making sure that you’re still in the black with your packaging efficiencies and the like will help save you money in the long-term as well, and make it far more effective for you to use.
Being mindful of the problems will help to make this easier. If you’re still not sure whether or not your packaging is efficient, implement the impact metrics that are there. This will measure the waste reduction and customer satisfaction improvements, which will help to see how efficient your packaging is, and how effective it can be in the long-term.
Trying this packaging today will help make it better, so consider different ways to reduce packaging waste, while also keeping it effective, for your own overall success and wellness with the customer support you’ve dreamed of.