Cost-Saving Industrial Packaging to Reduce Freight Weight
Reducing freight weight begins with reviewing the complete transport packaging system, not only the product itself.
Eltete Malaysia’s transport packaging solutions are designed around savings in material, transportation, warehousing, recycling, labour, cost and time. By reducing unnecessary packaging material, businesses may also require less warehouse space and gain the ability to load more goods.
Eltete’s paper-based solutions include paper pallets, Slip Sheets, PallRun®, EdgeRunner®, Honeycomb Board, The Box and protective packaging profiles. These products can be combined and customised according to the product, handling method and destination.
Why Does Packaging Weight Matter?
Packaging materials contribute to the overall weight of a shipment.
Eltete identifies lightweight paper-based packaging as a way to create transportation savings, especially for air freight. Its official company profile states that an Eltete paper pallet weighs approximately 3–6 kg, compared with approximately 15–25 kg for a wooden pallet.
Eltete’s e-commerce solutions page provides another example: a standard carton pallet weighs approximately 5 kg, compared with approximately 15 kg for a wooden pallet. Eltete also highlights cost savings, light materials, material reduction, flexible sizes and easy handling as benefits of its carton-based packaging solutions.
The exact saving depends on the packaging design selected for the customer’s product and logistics requirements.
How Can Industrial Packaging Reduce Freight Weight?
Industrial packaging can reduce freight weight by replacing heavier traditional materials with lightweight, strong and customisable paper-based solutions.
Eltete’s approach is based on its 3R philosophy:
Reduce packaging material where possible.
Replace traditional packaging materials with paper-based alternatives.
Recycle the transport packaging material after use.
Eltete states that reducing material and transportation has a positive impact on CO₂ emissions. Its packaging products are developed with environmental aspects considered in material selection, production processes and product development.
1. Replace Heavy Pallets with Paper Pallets
Eltete Paper Pallets provide a lightweight alternative for suitable transport and export applications.
The pallets are built using PallRun®, which combines strong laminated U-profiles, a kraftliner surface and paper cores. Eltete states that this structure provides strength and resistance to humidity. Independent laboratory tests cited by Eltete recorded up to 10,000 kg of static compression strength on a four-way paper pallet without failure.
Eltete highlights the following Paper Pallet benefits:
Less weight and transportation savings, particularly for air freight
Suitability for heavy loads
Resistance to side impact and dragging
ISPM 15 compliance
Worldwide acceptance without restrictions
Different sizes and heights
Customisation according to packaging requirements
Eltete can provide the exact pallet size required to make transportation more effective in terms of space and price.
2. Use Slip Sheets Instead of Bulky Pallets
Eltete Slip Sheets are manufactured from multiple layers of strong kraftliner board. They are designed to replace heavy, bulky and expensive wooden or plastic pallets in suitable palletless-handling operations.
Slip Sheets are used when businesses need to optimise space throughout the logistics chain. Eltete states that their use can create savings in transportation, material and storage costs. Their sizes, models and strengths can also be produced according to individual requirements.
Because Slip Sheets do not have the raised structure of a conventional pallet, they require less material and occupy less space.
Eltete Slip Sheet Case Study
In an official Eltete case study, a customer wanted to reduce high freight costs for overseas shipments and load more goods into each container.
The customer replaced wooden pallets with laminated kraftliner Slip Sheets. According to the case study, the optimised shipments reduced freight costs by 15%, while material costs decreased by 85%. These percentages describe that particular customer application and should not be treated as guaranteed results for every shipment.
3. Use PallRun® to Build Lightweight Pallet Solutions
PallRun® is the basic element used in the construction of Eltete Paper Pallets.
It can be:
Attached directly to a carton box
Combined with carton board
Combined with Honeycomb Board
Used to create a two-way paper pallet
Used to create a four-way paper pallet
Eltete describes PallRun® as a viable alternative to wooden pallet runners. Its use allows businesses to create paper-based pallet structures according to their packaging requirements.
PallRun® is also described by Eltete as lightweight and resistant to humidity. Its design supports the manual assembly of carton pallets.
4. Minimise Material with EdgeRunner®
EdgeRunner® combines Eltete Edgeboard and PallRun® to form a four-way pallet alternative.
It can replace traditional pallet options such as wooden and plywood pallets. Eltete states that EdgeRunner® helps optimise the use of material and space, allowing businesses to load more while gaining the benefits of strong paper-based transport packaging.
EdgeRunner® can be used:
With corrugated boxes
With shop displays
With a top board
Directly underneath a product
Eltete also highlights minimised material use, strapping protection and shipment security as benefits of pallet bases using EdgeRunner®.
5. Use Lightweight Honeycomb Board
Eltete Honeycomb Board is a 100% recyclable paper product with a hexagonal internal cellular structure.
Eltete states that its structure provides compression strength and rigidity for impact, heavy loads and heavy-duty packaging. Despite this strength, Honeycomb Board remains lightweight and provides cushioning protection.
Honeycomb Board can be shaped or cut into the exact elements required for its intended use. Its applications include:
Customised outer packaging
Product dividers
Void fillers
Cushioning materials
Edge protection
Weight spreaders
Paper Pallet bases
Side walls for heavy-duty boxes
Substitution for wood
This flexibility allows packaging material to be placed where protection or support is required instead of using a single heavy material throughout the package.
6. Replace Heavy Boxes with The Box
Eltete’s The Box is made by combining Honeycomb Board, packaging profiles and PallRun®.
It was developed to transport both light and heavy products safely. Eltete describes The Box as:
Lightweight
Cost-saving
Easy to assemble and disassemble
Easy to load and unload
Easy to recycle
Suitable for replacing plywood and similar boxes
Suitable for air freight
A space-efficient storage option
The Box is delivered as a kit and can be tailored according to the required dimensions.
Eltete’s company profile also describes The Box as light, compact, economical and practical throughout the logistics chain.
7. Customise Packaging According to the Product
Using standard packaging for every product may result in unnecessary material or space.
Eltete Paper Pallet solutions can be designed according to the exact packaging requirement. Different options can be recommended depending on the product, handling method or destination, with the aim of optimising:
Strength
Space
Material
Cost
Eltete also offers different pallet sizes and heights to make transportation more effective in terms of both space and price.
Honeycomb Board can similarly be cut and shaped into the exact components required for its end use.
8. Reduce Material Without Reducing Protection
Material reduction should still support secure transportation.
Eltete offers a complete Transport Packaging Solutions concept that combines products such as:
Edgeboard
Slip Sheets
Paper Pallets
Wrap Around
Stretch film
Plastic strapping
Steel strapping
The purpose of this system is to find an optimal transport packaging solution rather than treating each packaging component separately.
Eltete’s official case studies also show that combinations of Honeycomb Board, edge profiles and other carton-based materials can create stable heavy-duty transport packaging. In one application, shaped Honeycomb Board was used to secure a product inside its package while creating a lighter modular solution than the customer’s previous packaging.
9. Reduce Warehouse Volume
Reducing packaging material can benefit both transportation and warehousing.
Eltete states that using less packaging material means less warehouse space is required and more goods can be loaded.
Slip Sheets are especially suitable when space needs to be optimised throughout the logistics chain. Their use can provide savings in transportation, material and storage costs.
Paper Pallets, PallRun® and The Box also offer lightweight or compact alternatives to traditional transport packaging materials.
10. Select Packaging Based on Total Requirements
Eltete’s packaging solutions can be recommended according to:
The product
Handling requirements
Destination
Required strength
Space expectations
Material expectations
Cost expectations
Paper Pallets are available in different sizes, heights, two-way configurations and four-way configurations. Custom dimensions allow the load platform to be adapted to the shipment.
Eltete’s typical Paper Pallet users include companies in the food, pharmaceutical, electronics, paper and export industries.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can industrial packaging reduce freight weight?
Industrial packaging can reduce freight weight by replacing heavier packaging materials with lightweight solutions such as Paper Pallets, Slip Sheets, Honeycomb Board, PallRun® and The Box. Eltete specifically links the lower weight of its Paper Pallets to transportation savings, particularly in air freight.
Are paper pallets lighter than wooden pallets?
Eltete’s company profile states that its Paper Pallets weigh approximately 3–6 kg, compared with approximately 15–25 kg for wooden pallets. The exact weight depends on the selected pallet design.
Can Paper Pallets support heavy loads?
Yes. Eltete Paper Pallets are designed for heavy loads, and the company cites independent laboratory testing of up to 10,000 kg static compression strength on a four-way pallet without failure.
Can Slip Sheets reduce freight costs?
Eltete states that Slip Sheets can create savings in transportation, material and storage. In one official customer case study, switching from wooden pallets to Slip Sheets reduced freight costs by 15% and material costs by 85%. Those results relate specifically to that application.
What is a lightweight alternative to a wooden pallet?
Eltete offers Paper Pallets, Slip Sheets, PallRun® and EdgeRunner® as paper-based alternatives for suitable transport packaging applications.
Is Honeycomb Board suitable for heavy-duty packaging?
Yes. Eltete Honeycomb Board has a hexagonal cellular structure that provides compression strength and rigidity for impact and high loads while remaining lightweight.
Can The Box replace plywood packaging?
Eltete states that The Box can replace plywood or other similar boxes. It is lightweight, cost-saving, recyclable and suitable for air freight.
How does customised packaging reduce material use?
Eltete can customise Paper Pallets according to the required size, height, product, handling and destination. Honeycomb Board can also be shaped or cut into the exact elements required for the application.
Conclusion
Cost-saving industrial packaging focuses on using lightweight, strong and space-efficient materials according to the actual product and transportation requirements.
Eltete Paper Pallets can reduce load-carrier weight and provide transportation savings, particularly for air freight. Slip Sheets can optimise logistics space and reduce transport, material and storage costs. Honeycomb Board provides lightweight cushioning and structural strength, while PallRun®, EdgeRunner® and The Box offer alternatives to traditional wooden or plywood packaging components.
Eltete Malaysia provides a complete paper-based Transport Packaging Solutions system designed to optimise strength, material, space and cost.
Contact Eltete Malaysia to discuss a customised packaging solution for reducing freight weight and improving transport efficiency.
