Reduce Packaging Waste and Cost

Close to 100 Billion boxes are produced and used each year within the United States. That’s a lot of boxes that companies and individuals are purchasing in order to send packages to various destinations throughout the globe. The question that remains in the face of this staggering statistic is, “have you begun to reduce your package waste and costs, or are you still spending too much money on shipments?”

Are You Creating Additional Waste And Costs With Your Packaging?

In many cases, package waste occurs when you choose the wrong type or size of a shipping box. For smalls– orders, this might not seem like a big deal, until you add up the costs over a dedicated period of time. For example, if your company uses 5,000 boxes per month, at a size of 15 x 15 x 10, then this can equate to approximately 54,453 square feet of corrugated board materials. However, what if the boxes were 15 x 10 x 15? Most would assume that it’s the same amount of material, but that’s not correct. A 15 x 10 x 15 would actually only require 45,999 square feet of material since the folded flaps would be smaller in surface area. To put this difference into perspective, imagine that the material cost is $50 per 1,000 square feet. This means that simply by changing the box dimensions, without losing any internal holding capabilities, you can save $422.70 per month or $5,072.40 per year by picking the 15 x 10 x 15 box.

Packing Tips To Reduce Waste And Cost

To further reduce package waste and cost, you should consider the following three tips.

  1. Reconfigure The Orientation. — As seen with the earlier example, if you reconfigure the orientation of the blank board area, then you can greatly reduce expenses. Studies show that the least amount of corrugated material is used when boxes are opened on the smallest dimension, while the largest dimension is used to create depth.
  2. Use The Correct Products. — In addition to assessing the orientation, you should analyze the actual shipping products. Can you reduce your filling materials? Are you using a packaging material that is puncture resistant, robust for long-haul shipments, properly cushions the product, and protects against any shipping elements? While the contents of your package should be protected, you can greatly reduce costs simply by limiting the number of layering materials.
  3. Reduce The Weight. — By lowering the weight of your packages, you can greatly reduce single shipment costs. You can also use customized packages or bulk shipments to gain the same savings. Don’t forget that the right sized box will only have two or fewer inches of unused space between the package and the product. If you have additional “dead space,” then you are creating package waste by using the wrong sized box.

Choose The Company That Can Save You Money

Reducing your package waste and costs is made easier when you follow the above three tips. If you’d like help from the experts, contact Express Packaging today. Reliable delivery, fast turnaround times, and a passion for taking care of customers that spans back to 1979.