Using more packaging material does not automatically provide better product protection.
An effective transport packaging system should protect products throughout storage, handling and transportation while avoiding unnecessary material. Eltete Malaysia’s environmental policy focuses on providing maximum protection with minimal packaging material, followed by straightforward recycling after use.
The goal is therefore not simply to remove packaging components. Businesses must identify which parts of a load require protection and select materials that provide the required strength, stability and cushioning.
Eltete’s complete Transport Packaging Solutions concept combines products such as Edgeboard, Slip Sheets, Paper Pallets and Wrap Around profiles to create packaging systems based on individual customer needs.
What Does Reducing Packaging Material Mean?
Reducing packaging material means designing a transport packaging system that uses only the components required to protect, stabilise and handle the product.
It does not mean weakening the packaging or removing protection without assessing the possible consequences.
Eltete describes its objective as finding the most suitable solution by considering the complete packaging chain. The intended result is maximum protection with minimal packaging material and the ability to recycle the material after use.
This approach follows Eltete’s 3R philosophy:
– Replace existing materials with more environmentally friendly alternatives
– Reduce the amount of packaging material used
– Recycle the packaging material easily after use
Eltete states that using less material and transportation through this approach can also positively affect transportation-related CO₂ emissions.
Why Should Packaging Be Optimised?
Packaging occupies space, adds weight and must be handled throughout the logistics chain.
Eltete identifies potential savings involving material, transportation, warehousing, recycling, labour costs and time. The company also explains that reducing packaging material can decrease the space required in a warehouse and allow more products to be loaded.
However, reducing material must be balanced with the need to protect the product.
Insufficient protection may expose products to impact, movement, pressure or instability. The correct objective is to remove unnecessary packaging while keeping the components that perform an essential protective function.
1. Evaluate the Complete Packaging Chain
Before reducing any material, businesses should evaluate how the product moves throughout the complete packaging chain.
Important considerations include:
– Product dimensions and shape
– Product weight
– Fragile or exposed areas
– Stacking requirements
– Loading and unloading methods
– Internal warehouse handling
– Transportation method
– Final destination
– Recycling requirements at the receiving location
Eltete states that packaging options should be selected according to the product, handling process and destination while optimising strength, space, material and cost expectations.
A solution suitable for one product may not provide the same results for another. Packaging should therefore be studied according to the actual application rather than reduced using a standard assumption.
2. Protect the Areas That Need Protection Most
Some products do not require an additional protective layer across every surface. Instead, the most vulnerable areas may be the corners, edges or sides.
Targeted protective profiles can concentrate the packaging material where it performs a clear function.
Edgeboard for Corner and Edge Protection
Eltete Edgeboard can be placed externally on pallet corners or internally within boxes. It can provide stacking strength and support palletisation, stabilisation and unitisation.
Using Edgeboard allows businesses to reinforce important areas of a package without automatically adding another complete outer packaging layer.
Depending on the application, Edgeboard may help:
– Protect exposed product corners
– Strengthen the corners of cartons
– Improve pallet-load stability
– Support stacking
– Distribute pressure from strapping
– Hold multiple packages together as one unit
The correct Edgeboard size and strength should be selected according to the load and handling requirements.
U-Profile for Three-Sided Protection
Eltete U-Profiles are designed to protect three sides of a product from scratches, impacts, shocks and vibrations.
Eltete describes the U-Profile as a protective solution that adds minimum extra volume and weight to the load. Its different configurations can also protect uneven shapes or be converted into frames using punched corners.
This targeted design can be considered for products such as:
– Doors
– Furniture
– Steel products
– Shower doors
– Fragile equipment
– Products with exposed edges
Instead of covering the complete product with additional material, U-Profiles can be positioned around the parts that require direct impact protection.
3. Use Lightweight Cushioning Where Required
Empty spaces or unsupported areas inside a package may allow a product to move during transportation.
Adding large quantities of material is not always the only solution. A shaped cushioning component can be designed to fill specific areas and support the product.
Honeycomb Board
Eltete Honeycomb Board is a recyclable paper product with a hexagonal internal cellular structure. It provides rigidity, compression strength and cushioning while remaining lightweight. It can also be cut or shaped into packaging components for individual applications.
This means Honeycomb Board can be used as:
– Interior cushioning
– Product separators
– Void-filling elements
– Top or bottom protection
– Support components
– Shaped inserts
– Structural packaging panels
An official Eltete case study describes a heavy-duty packaging requirement in which shaped Honeycomb components were used to hold a product inside the package. The solution was created by combining existing Eltete materials into a lighter modular packaging system suitable for the application.
Another Eltete case involved replacing a space-filling element. The Honeycomb raw material was optimised to provide the required compression strength, while an Edgeprofile was added to strengthen the Honeycomb edges against pressure from the strapping belt.
These examples show how combining shaped components can avoid filling an entire package with unnecessary material.
4. Consider Palletless Handling
A conventional pallet occupies space beneath the load and becomes part of the shipment’s overall packaging material.
For suitable handling operations, Eltete Slip Sheets provide a palletless alternative.
An Eltete Slip Sheet is manufactured from laminated solid kraftliner and can be produced according to different size, model and strength requirements. Eltete states that Slip Sheets are commonly used when businesses need to optimise space within the logistics chain and can provide savings in transport, material and storage costs.
Slip Sheets can help reduce packaging material by replacing a larger pallet structure with a compact sheet beneath the load.
They may be considered when a company wants to:
– Increase available loading space
– Reduce the amount of packaging material shipped
– Store unused load-handling materials more efficiently
– Introduce palletless export handling
– Maximise the number of goods placed in a truck or container
Eltete’s official material identifies food and beverage, consumer goods and logistics operations among the sectors using Slip Sheets for export shipments and palletless transportation.
The suitability of a Slip Sheet depends on the handling equipment and receiving process. It should therefore be evaluated as part of the entire logistics operation.
5. Choose a Pallet Based on the Exact Load
When palletless handling is not suitable, the pallet itself can still be optimised.
Eltete Paper Pallets can be designed according to the exact requirements of the packaging application. Different sizes and height options are available to improve the use of space and support cost-effective transportation.
Selecting a pallet according to the actual product dimensions can help avoid:
– A pallet platform that is larger than required
– Unused space around the load
– Unnecessary pallet weight
– Inefficient container positioning
– Additional materials needed to adapt the product to the pallet
Eltete evaluates the product, handling method and destination before recommending a pallet solution. This allows strength, space, material and cost requirements to be considered together rather than selecting a pallet according to size alone.
6. Combine Packaging Components
Reducing packaging material does not always require using a single product.
A better solution may involve combining several lightweight components, with each component performing a specific function.
Eltete’s FramePack concept combines different products from its range to provide packaging according to the strength and protection requirements of an individual application. A suitable packaging profile is chosen after studying the customer’s packaging needs.
Possible combinations may include:
– Edgeboard with Honeycomb Board
– PallRun with carton board
– PallRun with Honeycomb Board
– U-Profiles formed into a frame
– Honeycomb cushioning with protective profiles
– Top and bottom lids with internal cushioning
– Packaging profiles with strapping
For example, Eltete’s PallRun components can be attached directly to cartons or combined with carton board or Honeycomb Board to form a Paper Pallet.
By assigning a clear function to each component, the packaging can be designed around the product instead of adding multiple general-purpose layers.
7. Avoid Standardised Overpacking
Using the same packaging configuration for every product can result in unnecessary material.
Products with different weights, shapes and vulnerabilities may require different levels of protection. A lighter or smaller product may not require the same packaging design as a heavier product.
Eltete’s official customer material explains that its solutions can be tailor-made by combining different components to achieve the required strength while optimising material use. It presents individual application optimisation as the alternative to overpacking.
Businesses can review whether they are using:
– The same corner protector for every load
– Excessive layers of wrapping
– Oversized pallets
– Large amounts of general void filling
– Multiple materials performing the same function
– Packaging originally designed for a different product
– Additional components that are no longer operationally necessary
Any material reduction should still be tested before being implemented across regular shipments.
8. Test the Packaging Before Full Implementation
Material optimisation should be supported by testing.
Eltete Malaysia states that packaging profiles are selected based on a study of each application and its strength requirements. Final products undergo quality control, and the company can conduct compression, bending and strapping tests when required.
Testing can help determine whether the optimised packaging provides sufficient:
– Compression strength
– Bending strength
– Strapping performance
– Load stability
– Product support
– Resistance to expected handling conditions
The purpose of testing is to confirm that a lower-material configuration still provides the required performance before it becomes the standard packaging system.
9. Select Packaging That Is Easy to Recycle
The environmental effect of packaging does not end when the shipment reaches its destination.
The receiver must unpack, separate and dispose of the material.
Eltete supplies recyclable transport packaging products and gears its product and process strategies towards recyclability. Its general raw materials include kraftliner, testliner, coreboard and other similar recycled paperboards.
A packaging system that uses compatible fibre-based components may make the end-of-use process more straightforward than a system containing several unrelated materials.
Eltete also explains that customers receiving undamaged products can easily unpack and dispose of the transport packaging material.
Practical Process for Reducing Packaging Material
Businesses can follow this general process when reviewing their existing packaging:
Step 1: Document the current packaging
List every pallet, profile, insert, wrapping layer, strap and cushioning component currently used.
Step 2: Identify the function of each component
Determine whether the component provides corner protection, compression strength, cushioning, stability, handling support or another required function.
Step 3: Identify unnecessary duplication
Check whether multiple components are performing the same function.
Step 4: Review the vulnerable areas
Identify which corners, edges, surfaces or internal areas are most exposed to damage.
Step 5: Select targeted protection
Consider Edgeboard, U-Profiles, Honeycomb components or other profiles that protect specific areas.
Step 6: Review the load-handling platform
Determine whether the current pallet dimensions are appropriate or whether a Paper Pallet or Slip Sheet could suit the handling operation.
Step 7: Produce a trial configuration
Create a packaging design based on the actual product, handling and destination requirements.
Step 8: Test the solution
Evaluate compression, bending, strapping, stability and handling performance as applicable.
Step 9: Compare material and space usage
Compare the proposed design with the existing configuration before approving full implementation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business reduce packaging material without increasing product damage?
It may be possible when the packaging is designed according to the product’s actual protection, handling and strength requirements. Eltete’s environmental policy focuses on maximum protection with minimal packaging material. The final solution should be assessed and tested before full implementation.
Does more packaging always mean better protection?
Not necessarily. A larger quantity of material may not provide the correct type of protection. Targeted profiles, cushioning and structural components should be selected according to the areas and forces involved in the specific application.
Which product can reduce packaging volume under a load?
Slip Sheets may reduce the packaging volume under suitable loads by providing palletless handling. Eltete states that Slip Sheets are used to optimise logistics space and can generate savings in transport, packaging material and storage.
How can corners be protected without adding a complete outer layer?
Eltete Edgeboard can be placed around external pallet corners or inside cartons. U-Profiles can also protect three sides of products while adding minimal extra volume and weight.
Can Honeycomb Board be customised for a product?
Eltete states that Honeycomb Board can be shaped or cut into the required packaging elements. It can be used for cushioning, structural support and other transport packaging applications.
Should reduced packaging be tested?
Yes. Eltete selects packaging profiles according to individual application requirements and can conduct compression, bending and strapping tests when needed.
Are Eltete transport packaging products recyclable?
Eltete Malaysia states that it supplies 100% recyclable transport packaging products and aims for recyclability throughout the supply chain.
Build an Optimised Transport Packaging System
Reducing packaging material should not be treated as simply removing layers from an existing package.
The better approach is to study the product, identify its protection requirements and create a packaging system in which every component has a clear purpose.
Eltete Malaysia offers Edgeboard, U-Profiles, Honeycomb Board, Slip Sheets, Paper Pallets, PallRun and other fibre-based products that can be combined according to individual packaging requirements.
Contact Eltete Malaysia to discuss a transport packaging solution designed to provide the required protection while optimising material, space and handling.
