Upcycling for more sustainability

by Newprint | October 11, 2019

Upcycling of packaging materials for more sustainability

Lately, we’ve been giving the sustainability of our packaging materials a closer look. The key lies in ecological upcycling. We need stable, securely sealed cardboard boxes. These have to be well-padded so that their contents – whether that’s brochures, leaflets or cards – are protected from shipping damage.

What does that mean? Up until now, we’ve been using PVC adhesive tape as well as standard polyethylene air bubble wrap or cushions for buffering. However, as an environmentally conscious company, we feel that that’s way too much plastic. Therefore, we’ve been scanning the market for sustainable alternatives – and we’ve been successful.

Sustainable padding material

Currently, we’re having a machine custom-built for us. Turning used cartons (we’ve got plenty) into quality padding material, it upcycles the base material using a type of shredding where the cardboard isn’t fully torn but merely incised with netlike patterns. Thus, the machine produces elastic cardboard pads that can easily be crumpled or rolled making for an excellent, environmentally friendly alternative to bubble wrap …a prime example of sustainability. In the future, this recycling process will save us the disposal of used boxes as well as the ordering of special padding material.

Sustainable adhesive tape

Concerning the tape, we’ve also found an environmentally friendly alternative to PVC. After extensive trials, we’re now working with a type of tape made of 90g kraft paper using the stickiness of natural rubber.

Paper-pouches for delivery notes

And to round things up, we now also use custom-printed delivery note pouches made of glassine paper! After a test phase, our logistics department now uses them on every package. They stick perfectly and even withstand rain if a package is loaded during transport in bad weather.

Farewell, plastic!

In conclusion: Farewell, plastic! From now on, even our packaging will consist solely of paper, just like it should at a printing company: sustainable and environmentally sound … padded with used waste material that is recycled without additional transport emissions, right here at Newprint.