For many businesses, finding the balance between making a profit and trying to be environmentally responsible can be a tough one.
Historically, packaging companies have never been considered very ‘green’.
Indeed, when our founder insisted on implementing the most environmentally friendly policies for our organization, some competitors thought it couldn’t be done!
But in today’s society, we do not just have a social obligation to support the long-term health of our planet, we have a moral one too. When it comes to our innovative packaging solutions, the effect that our products have on the environment is always important. Of course, we still want to save you money too!
Being Responsible Doesn’t Need to Break the Bank
For many years, we have been working with a client in the pharmaceuticals business who sells directly to hospitals.
When they first came to us, their product was supplied in plastic bottles, 20 bottles per box. These were then stacked up, 3 or 4 boxes high, one on top of the other.
As well as being worried about stacking the boxes this high, the client was also incredibly concerned about the environmental effect of producing all these containers. But the solution didn’t just have to be green, it had to be cost-effective too.
Though boxes can provide the most efficient and effective packaging solution for some products, where there are other, more environmentally sound solutions available, it’s always wise to use them. In this situation, the boxes could never be used for the same purpose again, increasing the environmental impact, and the unit price to our client.
The challenge was clear. How could we come up with an alternative packaging solution that was cost-effective, reliable, and kinder to the environment?
Sustainable, Cheaper, and Right for the Job
After careful consideration, we devised an innovative Tier Divider Sheet solution specifically for this purpose.
The sheets were made from a very rigid form of virgin kraft chipboard to provide maximum support during shipping. This meant each sheet was able to hold 60 to 80 bottles at a time, and with 4 or 5 sheets per skid, they could be shrink wrapped and shipped with ease.
But this was a solution that didn’t just solve one problem. It solved them all.
The tier divider sheet held more products, and therefore required fewer units for shipping, requiring less space for transportation and storage.
Furthermore, the tier divider sheets are reusable, offering greater sustainability and less impact on the environment.
Just to put the icing on the cake, the entire solution was significantly cheaper too.
We calculated the required width of each divider sheet with exact precision to incorporate as much support as possible, with the highest level of cost efficiency – all the time, minimizing the volume of raw materials used to provide a lower carbon footprint.
In total, this company was using approximately 1 million boxes per year. However, we were able to replace those boxes with around 250,000 reusable tier divider sheets. As each box costs approximately $2, while each sheet costs just $1.85, even in the first year, cost savings could equal $1.5 million. Not bad – even before the environmental benefits were considered.
This is just one example of how making use of the latest thinking can ensure a solution that meets all budget, environmental and quality standards in your business. Contact us at RDR, and we’ll see if we can do the same for you.
