Packaging materials are necessary for items that are sold in stores. These products need to be wrapped with care so they won’t get damaged, and so customers can carry them around with ease. There are many different types of packing materials-each one having its pros and cons. Knowing what each type of material is made of will help you decide which is the best for your product!
Paper
The first type of common product packaging material is paper. Paper can be recycled and comes from trees, so it’s a renewable resource. If you choose to use paper as your product packaging material, make sure to choose paper that has been made from post-consumer and preindustrial waste – this way you’re using recycled products! One thing to keep in mind with paper packaging is the banding machine materials you could use. The disadvantages to using paper as your product packaging material are that it can get wet and tear easily, and it doesn’t prevent items from shifting around during the shipping process.
Plastic
The second type of common product packaging material is plastic. Plastic is a lot like paper in that it’s also made from trees and has some environmental benefits as well as disadvantages. For example, though it can be recycled, there is a high amount of energy needed to recycle plastics. One benefit of plastic as a product packaging material is that it’s usually very strong and sturdy, so items won’t break easily. However, the disadvantages of using plastic as your product packing material are that it doesn’t biodegrade well in landfills, and recycling needs lots of water.
Paperboard
The third type of common product packaging material is paperboard or cardboard. This type of packaging material comes from trees like paper does, but it’s thicker than paper so it has more sturdiness to protect packaged products inside. One thing to keep in mind when choosing this product packing material is that you’ll need to use an egg-crate or corrugated dunnage liner to ensure that your products don’t shift during the shipping process. The disadvantages of paperboard include the fact that it’s not eco-friendly. On the other hand, the paperboard is very sturdy and can be somewhat water-resistant.
Metal
The next type of common product packaging material is metal. Metal packaging materials are good for protecting packaged products inside because they’re strong and sturdy, but they also tend to be more expensive than paper-based materials like cardboard or plastic. When using metal as your product packaging material, you’ll need to make sure it has some kind of liner during the shipping process; otherwise, there could be sharp edges that cut into your products on the inside of the package! The disadvantages of metal include its high expense compared to paper-based materials like cardboard or plastic.
Polyethylene (HDPE) and Wovens Polypropylene
Another type of common product packaging material is polyethylene (HDPE). This can be recycled like paper, but it also has water resistance and strength to protect the items inside the package from damage. It’s not as biodegradable as paper, though. If you choose this as a product packing material, then remember that there are many different sheet sizes and types of bags available. There are also woven polypropylene materials. These materials have some stretch so they’re very flexible for use on irregularly shaped items, but they also have the strength to protect items inside of them. One thing you’ll want to keep in mind with this product packaging material is that it’s heat sealable, so you can use it for hot-filled products like soup or coffee.
Cellulose Fibers
The next type of common product packaging material is made from cellulose fibers. These are created from plants that are easy to grow and harvest, making them a good choice for the environment. Cellulose fiber products are biodegradable so they break down easily in landfills. However, one disadvantage of these types of product packing materials is that they aren’t very strong, so they don’t protect items well enough on their own.
Waxed Paper
Common product packaging materials also include waxed paper. Waxed paper is made from natural sources too, so it’s biodegradable and renewable. It doesn’t have much stretch, but it works well for protecting items that are soft-sided. One thing to keep in mind with this product packaging material is that it can be read by scanners easily since it reflects light well, which means you’ll need to use an alternative if that matters for your company or business. The waxed paper also doesn’t work well for items that need to be heat sealed.
Plastic Films and Coatings
Another type of common product packaging material is plastic film. These films are known by different brand names like Saran, cling wrap, and stretch wrap. It’s also not very sturdy; however, these products do tend to offer a high level of protection against moisture and oxygen diffusion and they’re cheap and easy to use (just don’t try microwaving them). The disadvantages of plastic films include how they don’t biodegrade easily after they’ve been used or thrown away.
What To Avoid and What To Do
One more thing to keep in mind when choosing your product packaging materials is that you’ll need to avoid using paper or plastic-based material, especially polyethylene-based plastics if they’ll come into contact with water. Also, it’s important not to use too much tape on your packages because this can make the package look like it’s already been opened by someone else. To choose the right product packing material for your company or business, consider all of its pros and cons. Think about costs but also about what kind of impact your decisions will have on the planet! It’s important to consider how the product packing material will protect your items in transit, and how much it will cost you in terms of time and money.
Make sure to consider how likely it is that someone might try to tamper with or steal your products while they’re in transit. You’ll want to make sure anyone who handles the package can tell at a glance if the product has already been opened or not so this won’t be an issue during shipping! Once you’ve determined which options will work best for your company or business’s needs, then start choosing from one of these common types of product packaging materials listed above to wrap your products before they go out on their way.