When businesses discuss sustainable packaging, attention often focuses on recycling.
But another factor deserves equal attention:
Weight.
Every kilogram of packaging becomes part of the load that must be stored, handled and transported.
For air freight in particular, additional weight has a direct relationship with operational efficiency.
The implementation of Eltete AirCargoRunners with Finnair provides a useful example of what can happen when a transport-packaging component is redesigned to achieve the same logistics function with significantly less weight.
The case also demonstrates a principle increasingly relevant under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation:
Good packaging should protect and support the load while using material efficiently.
Q – Why Packaging Weight Matters
A – Transport packaging performs necessary functions.
It may:
– Support a product
– Stabilise a load
– Protect corners
– Distribute weight
– Allow forklift handling
– Support stacking
– Secure goods during transportation
Traditionally, some of these requirements have been met using relatively heavy components.
But if the same required function can be achieved using a lighter engineered solution, the weight reduction occurs on every shipment where that packaging is used.
In air freight, this can become particularly significant because aircraft fuel consumption is affected by operational weight.
Eltete AirCargoRunner: A Different Approach to Air Cargo Loading
Eltete AirCargoRunner is a carton-based supporting runner designed for air-cargo applications.
Instead of using conventional heavy wooden beams for suitable supporting functions, AirCargoRunners can be positioned on aircraft pallet systems such as PMC platforms.
Eltete identifies several applications for AirCargoRunner, including:
– Creating a wider loading platform
– Supporting more even load arrangements
– Building lightweight platforms
– Replacing conventional wooden supporting components in suitable applications
Eltete also states that AirCargoRunner is designed to reduce cargo weight while maintaining the functionality required for air-cargo loading.
Eltete Malaysia already provides a dedicated technical explanation of how AirCargoRunner works, so the focus here is different:
What can its real-world use teach manufacturers and exporters about packaging optimisation?
The Finnair Implementation
In April 2026, Eltete TPM reported that AirCargoRunners were in use with Finnair.
The objective was straightforward:
Reduce unnecessary operational weight while maintaining efficient cargo handling.
According to Eltete TPM’s published scenario, replacing traditional supporting components could create an approximate 100 kg weight reduction per unit in the example evaluated.
For a typical long-haul flight from Helsinki, Eltete estimates that this weight reduction could correspond to approximately:
0.6 tonnes of CO₂ reduction per flight
and approximately:
35 kg of fuel savings
under the scenario presented.
Eltete clearly notes that the CO₂ estimate depends on route-specific emission factors.
This distinction is important.
The figures should not be interpreted as a guaranteed saving for every aircraft, route or shipment.
Instead, the case demonstrates the scale at which relatively small packaging-related weight reductions can accumulate.
Small Change, Repeated Many Times
Imagine reducing 100 kg from one isolated shipment.
That is useful.
Now imagine the same reduction occurring:
– Every day
– Across several routes
– Across multiple aircraft
– Throughout an entire year
The packaging change itself remains small.
The cumulative logistics impact becomes much larger.
Eltete’s Finnair case illustrates exactly this principle.
For the published scenario of one unit on one long-haul flight each day, Eltete estimated an annual impact of approximately:
– 219 tonnes of CO₂ reduction
– 12.775 tonnes of fuel savings
When scaled to three flights per day, the reported estimated CO₂ reduction increases accordingly.
These are scenario-based estimates rather than universal performance guarantees.
But the underlying principle applies beyond aviation.
Packaging optimisation becomes powerful when small improvements are repeated across large shipment volumes.
What Does This Have to Do With PPWR?
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is designed to reduce packaging waste and improve material efficiency across the European market.
It also aims to prevent unnecessary packaging and reduce the use of primary raw materials.
This makes packaging optimisation increasingly relevant.
A company reviewing its transport packaging should therefore ask:
– Are we using more material than the function requires?
– Could the packaging be lighter?
– Could a component be simplified?
– Could packaging volume be reduced?
– Could a recyclable alternative provide the required performance?
AirCargoRunner provides one practical example of this way of thinking.
Lesson 1: Start With the Function, Not the Material
A traditional component may have been used for years simply because it is familiar.
Instead, ask:
What does this component actually need to do?
For the AirCargoRunner application, the function includes supporting and configuring the load.
Once the required function is identified, alternative materials and designs can be evaluated.
This same principle can be used for industrial packaging.
Instead of saying:
“We need a wooden component because we have always used wood.”
Ask:
“What load, protection and handling requirements must this component satisfy?”
Then engineer the packaging around those requirements.
Lesson 2: Reduce Without Compromising Performance
Material reduction should never mean randomly removing packaging.
A load still needs to arrive safely.
The goal should be to eliminate unnecessary material while preserving the required:
– Strength
– Stability
– Protection
– Handling capability
– Load distribution
Eltete’s 3R philosophy starts with Reduce, but reduction is connected to engineered packaging design rather than simply making packaging weaker.
Lesson 3: Replace Heavy Components Where Appropriate
The next principle is Replace.
AirCargoRunner demonstrates this through replacing suitable conventional wooden supporting components with a fibre-based alternative.
The same philosophy can be applied to other transport-packaging requirements.
Depending on the application, Eltete solutions include:
– Slip Sheets
For suitable palletless handling systems.
– Paper Pallets
For applications requiring a raised load carrier.
– PallRun®
For paper-based pallet-runner structures.
– EdgeRunner®
For suitable paper-based pallet applications.
– Honeycomb Board
For structural support, cushioning and product protection.
– Edgeboard
For corners, edges and load stabilisation.
Replacement should always follow technical evaluation.
Lesson 4: Design for Recycling
PPWR makes recyclability increasingly important.
The European Commission states that the regulation aims for packaging on the EU market to become recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030.
Eltete TPM describes AirCargoRunner as a recyclable carton-based solution and connects its product development with evolving PPWR requirements.
For exporters, this creates another useful design question:
What happens to our transport packaging after the shipment arrives?
A complete packaging review should consider the end of life as well as the journey itself.
Lesson 5: Measure Improvements
Sustainability claims become significantly more useful when they can be measured.
The Finnair example is valuable because Eltete’s case evaluates the effect of a defined packaging-weight reduction against a particular operational scenario.
Other manufacturers can use the same principle.
Before changing packaging, record:
– Existing packaging weight
– New packaging weight
– Packaging volume
– Material used
– Number of shipments
– Container utilisation
– Packaging waste generated
This creates a baseline.
Businesses can then measure whether the new packaging configuration actually improves performance.
What Malaysian Exporters Can Learn
Malaysia is highly connected to international manufacturing and export supply chains.
Products exported from Malaysia may travel significant distances before reaching customers.
This means packaging efficiency can accumulate across:
Factory → Warehouse → Container → Port → International transport → European warehouse → Customer
A heavier or oversized packaging system moves through every stage.
Therefore, manufacturers should evaluate packaging as part of logistics rather than treating it as a separate purchasing item.
Packaging Optimisation Beyond Air Cargo
The Finnair case involves aviation, but the same design principles can apply to other transport modes.
Sea Freight
Evaluate:
– Container utilisation
– Pallet dimensions
– Packaging volume
– Empty space
– Material weight
Road Transport
Evaluate:
– Load stability
– Pallet optimisation
– Product protection
– Vehicle-space utilisation
– Warehousing
Evaluate:
– Empty-pallet storage
– Packaging inventory
– Packaging dimensions
– Handling requirements
The solution will differ by application.
The optimisation mindset remains the same.
PPWR and the 3R Approach
Eltete’s approach can be summarised as:
– Reduce
Reduce unnecessary packaging material, volume and weight.
– Replace
Replace suitable conventional components with fibre-based alternatives where the required performance can be achieved.
– Recycle
Consider recyclability and end-of-life handling from the packaging-design stage.
Eltete has followed this philosophy for decades, and its TPM operation has connected these principles directly with the direction of Europe’s PPWR.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q – What is AirCargoRunner?
A – AirCargoRunner is an Eltete supporting runner developed for air-cargo load applications, including PMC and ULD platforms. Eltete Malaysia has a separate detailed article explaining the product.
Q – Is AirCargoRunner used by Finnair?
A – Eltete TPM reported in April 2026 that AirCargoRunners are in use with Finnair cargo operations.
Q – Can AirCargoRunner reduce CO₂ emissions?
A – Eltete’s Finnair case estimates that a 100 kg reduction for the scenario assessed can correspond to approximately 0.6 tonnes of CO₂ reduction on a typical long-haul flight from Helsinki. The actual impact depends on route and operational conditions.
Q – Is lightweight packaging required by PPWR?
A – PPWR does not simply establish a rule that every package must be lightweight. However, packaging-waste prevention and material efficiency are important objectives of the regulation.
Q – Can the same optimisation concept apply to Malaysian exporters?
A – Yes. Manufacturers can evaluate whether transport packaging contains unnecessary material, weight or volume while ensuring that product-protection and handling requirements continue to be met.
From Packaging Component to Logistics Strategy
The Finnair AirCargoRunner case demonstrates an important shift in how transport packaging can be viewed.
Packaging is not only a cost required to protect the product.
It can influence:
– Material use.
– Shipment weight.
– Loading efficiency.
– Fuel consumption.
– Waste generation.
– Recyclability.
As PPWR increases attention on packaging efficiency and circularity in Europe, these considerations will become increasingly relevant for businesses supplying that market.
For Malaysian exporters, the opportunity is to begin measuring and improving packaging before inefficiency becomes a customer or regulatory problem.
Eltete Malaysia provides paper-based transport packaging solutions designed around the Reduce, Replace and Recycle approach. Contact us to discuss how your current transport packaging can be reviewed for material, weight and logistics efficiency.
