PAPER PACKAGING AND FASTFOOD INDUSTRY

 In fast-food parlors, almost all of packaging is made out of paper. Indeed, if you are a fan of KFC, Mcdonald or Burger King…., it is easy for you to realize that all your fast-food are wrapped in paper packaging, right? So, have you ever wondered why paper is used for fast-food industry?

It’s all about convenience and safety rather than sustainability.

Convenience of paper packaging in fast food industry

Hot food usually releases vapour, plastic packaging will trap that vapour and reduce the quality of food while paper packaging can absorb the vapour better and spare you crispy fries.

Safety of paper packaging for food

Paper material is safer for food than plastics, especially for hot food. According to Havard Health Publishing, Havard Medical School, certain chemicals like Phthalates or Bisphenol A… in plastic can leach out into the food and beverages we eat. Some of these chemicals have been linked to health problems such as metabolic disorders (including obesity) and reduced fertility. 

Dr. Hauser from Havard Medical School emphasized that this leaching might occur even faster and to a greater degree when plastic is exposed to heat. Fatty foods, particularly meats and cheeses, seem more prone to absorbing high amounts of these toxics.

Compared to plastics or foam boxes, paper wrapping would be safer for fast-food which is both hot and fatty. Paper packaging is also affordable for wrapping this product.

Sustainability: Of course, using paper for wrapping food also comes along with environmental sustainability. Instead of using plastics which is non-biodegradable, paper is still a privilege for their decay-ability. Thanks to paper wrapping in food industry, our oceans and lands would not be filled with plastic waste. 

The disposal problem of paper packaging in fast-food industry

Fast-food paper packaging is mostly unrecyclable because it contains too much grease and food loads. Those substances are contaminants in reproducing new paper pulps from used paper, hence, fast-food wrapping is usually not able to be recycled.

Despite the limitation in waste disposal treatment, paper is still recommended in fast-food packaging and other takeaway services in general for their safety and convenience until better innovation comes up. As an eco-friendly consumer, we could also choose to eat on the table of fast-food parlors or restaurants to limit the paper packaging used for takeaway.

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BOTTA PACKAGING’s PALLET CALCULATOR AND ECO-ENVELOPE ON RECENT FOREIGN MEDIA

 In early August, Botta Packaging got good news that our launch of free Pallet Calculator service has been recognized by colleagues in India on packagingconnections.com. On this occasion, we would like to talk a bit about our recent appearance on foreign media and, also, send our great gratitude to them for their recognitions about our 2 recent innovations: Pallet Calculator and Eco Envelope.

Botta Packaging’s Eco Envelope on Packaging Technology Today (USA)

Packaging Technology Today (packingtechtoday.com) from USA cited Botta Packaging as “A New Push Towards Sustainable Packaging”. On the occasion of our partnership with Esselunga – our well-known Italian retail store chain, packagingtechtoday.com praised our Eco Envelope (used for Esselunga’s eggs and bottles) for its sustainability as well as the same parameters of protection and resistance for these particular Esselunga’s products. 

Besides the pride to our products, we also feel grateful to packingtechtoday.com team for their recognition and Esselunga for choosing us as one of their partners.

Our Pallet Calculator service on Packaging Connections (India)

Our colleagues from Packaging Connections in India have mentioned our Pallet Calculator as a way to help companies towards their corporate social responsibility goals. Also, according to Packagingconnections.com, “by optimizing pallet utilization and proper palletizing planning, companies can decrease unnecessary greenhouse emissions.” That is also our motivation to launch this project for free.

Botta Packaging’s Eco Envelope on Ecoist (Japan)

Ecoist.life, a website for sustainable society in Japan, mentioned Botta Packaging as an example of ESG (Environment, Society, Governance) management.  

Ecoist.life also gave a close description of our Eco Envelope products to their audiences in Japan and we really appreciated their dedication. Ecoist also pointed out that, during the Covid-19 with high demand for online shopping, our Eco-Envelope would reduce the pile of normal cardboard as well as replace the bubble wrap for sustainability. 

For over 70 years, Botta Packaging has always followed the initial moto of Eco-Packaging, bringing the sustainable solutions to your products.  Once again, we would like to say thank you to all media who pay your interest to Botta Packaging and our 2 innovated products: Pallet Calculator and Eco Envelope. Your recognition is always our motivation! 

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CORRUGATED RECYCLE SYMBOLS

Used corrugated box can be recycled to make the new one, that’s why it is seen as a “green material” in packaging. However, every time cardboard is recycled, the fiber becomes weaker, which limits its recyclability. The great news is a cardboard could be recycled for up to 7 times, according to! So how could we know if a corrugated box could be recycled or not? The answer is very simple: Corrugated Recycle Symbols!

If you see one of 3 following symbols printed on your corrugated box, it means that box could be recycled!

                   

The common trait of three Corrugated Recycle Symbols is the shape of a corrugated box inside a circle with the clockwise arrow, which is the sign of recyclability. However, don’t read the message wrongly: The symbols do not mean that “this box is made from recycled material” (although most of the corrugated box is), in fact, it means “this container could and should be recycled”.

Brands can put Corrugated Recycle Symbols as a marketing strategy to draw audience’s attention about their social responsibility, as long as that corrugated packaging is “readily recyclable” (see below important notice). In fact, these international symbols are encouraged to be printed on the readily recyclable packaging as a guidance for consumers in waste disposal and treatment, unless your country has other specific regulation.

Corrugated Recycle Symbols could also be placed on website or stationery of companies and associations who get involved in promoting the recycling of corrugated packaging. It’s another way for brands to convey your recycling spirit to customers or direct your consumers to an environmental-friendly mindset.

Important notice: Brands and manufacturers can only put Corrugated Recycle Symbols on the “readily recyclable” corrugated package. “Readily recyclable” means that corrugated cardboard is not coated and treated with foreign substances limiting the repulpability of the cardboard like wax, aluminum, or plastics.... 

Source: International Corrugated Case Association (ICCA)

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CORRUGATED PACKAGING AND ECOMMERCE

 Boxes are backbone of E-commerce – according to corrugated.org. Indeed, due to the long voyage of transportation and logistics chain, e-commerce products need a light, strong and affordable packaging solution like corrugated boxes. Also, well-built packaging is one of the vital requirements from consumers for their e-commerce purchase and corrugated boxes perfectly match this expectation. In the following statistics, we can partly see the bond between corrugated packaging and Ecommerce and industries:

Corrugated packaging and Ecommerce grow together in term of demand

According to eMarketer in 2017, e-commerce was responsible for 10% of all retail sales, and was expected to grow to nearly 15% by the end of 2020. As the consequence, the demand for corrugated packaging used for e-commerce is also surging recently. Following the supply and demand rule, corrugated packaging and Ecommerce market will grow together.

In Smithers’s report about the Future of Corrugated Packaging to 2023, the statistician pointed out that e-commerce packaging – including corrugated, flexible, and protective or transit packaging – would reach almost $55 billion in 2022. Corrugated materials for e-commerce packaging alone might worth $20 billion. The overall growth rate for the packaging industry was estimated around 2.9% for 5 years period from 2017 to 2022.

Calculation of transportation cost for corrugated packaging and Ecommerce

The transportation cost of e-commerce package is based on gross weight or dimension weight, whichever is higher. Dimension weight basically is calculated by length x width x height in cm and divided by 6000. For this matter, corrugated boxes provide both light materials and the standard dimensions for optimizing the cost.

Sustainability in corrugated packaging and ecommerce

In a survey from First Insight, about 50% of participated buyers think Amazon shipments have excess packaging. The effort of reducing packaging layers in e-commerce is important in both cost-cutting and the sustainability. For many e-commerce products, only a thick and strong corrugated box is enough for protection, other inner packaging and lashing is not really necessary. 

Since corrugated packaging and Ecommerce are non-separable. E-commerce operators have actively educated their consumers about recycling by putting the Corrugated Recycle Symbols on their packaging. In fact, both retailers and consumers should play equal roles in building corrugated recovery.

Sources: https://www.smithers.com/resources/2018/may/e-commerce-a-$20-billion-market-for-corrugated

https://www.corrugated.org/for-e-commerce/

https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/ecommerce-sustainability/#8-steps-to-move-toward-sustainable-ecommerce

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TOP DYI TOYS AND MODELS FROM CORRUGATED CARDBOARD ON YOUTUBE

 Together with recycling, Botta Packaging always encourages our customers to reuse our corrugated cardboard for other purposes. In case you have no idea how to reuse them, below are some Do-It-Yourself ideas on Youtube for you and your children to play around with our used cardboard:

1. Fairy hat from corrugated cardboard

Source: from Materials Minder on Youtube

This fairy hat would be so nice for your child’s Halloween. All you need are just the used corrugated cardboard, paper-knife, glue, paint, pen, or some ornaments for decoration as you like. 

If you are an Irish descendant, you could also paint the hat in Green as a hat of Leprechaun – a mythical creature in Irish folklore to wear in your traditional festival.

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/ndGWaSzT0Ic

Information about Leprechaun: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprechaun

2. House model from corrugated cardboard

Source: from Antique Pencil on Youtube

It seems to be sophisticated but turns out to be very easy for you and your children to DIY. All you need for a house model from our corrugated cardboard is some patience and a guide. Watch out below video for the idea of how to build a model of your dream house.

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/9wryvEwUMW4

3. Guitar model from corrugated cardboard

Source: from Mr. Kryzer on Youtube

This could be a new toy for your kids or some ornaments to decorate your home. For this model, it might be a bit more difficult for a newbie in DIY but we believe you can sort it out. Check out below video for the idea of how to make a guitar from our old corrugated cardboard here:

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/cSUxVQYsxgU

4. A mobile robot from corrugated cardboard 

Source: from Awesome Builds on Youtube

Yes, you’ve heard it correctly, you can certainly make a robot that could move around with used cardboard. 

You might need some basic knowledge about simple electrical stuff to install the propelling system of this robot. However, we promise the rest is super easy. Below is the instruction for making a simple mobile robot out of old cardboard. This is a fantastic toy for your kids to show off with their friends. Let’s enjoy the show!

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/QcBeDbs8n9k

With the above ideas, we hope you and your children will spend a great time together on holiday or on weekends. Besides reusing corrugated cardboard, you save both your money on toys for your kids and our environment. It’s also a great way to educate your children about their responsibility to reuse and recycle.

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WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT ECO PACKAGING?

 For the recent decade, more and more consumers care about the corporation responsibility to environments and tends to choose the brands with “Eco Packaging”. According to a study on consumers’ behavior concerning Sustainable Packaging, published by Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, the main reasons behind the purchase of products in organic packaging… are the possibility of recycling and reuse, environmental protection, feeling of being responsible towards the environment (G. Orzan and colleagues, 2018). Today, Botta Packaging will introduce to you what Eco packaging is and the criteria a packaging must meet to be considered as “eco-friendly”.

What is Eco Packaging?

Eco Packaging, eco-friendly packaging or green packaging is packaging made out of recycled material, aiming for recyclability after disposal, as well as safe for human and environment. The production of eco packaging must minimize the negative impact in environments, reducing or eliminating waste of resources. 

How could a packaging be an “eco packaging”?

There are several criteria that your packaging must meet to be considered as sustainable or eco-friendly.

1. Minimal materials: products should use less packaging layers and all packages must be minimized in material used. It somehow would also benefit manufacturers in cutting down the production cost in packaging.

2. Energy efficiency: only clean and renewable energy must be used during the production of eco packaging.

3. Recyclability: packaging must aim for being recycled after disposal. 

4. Reusability: Old package could be reusable for other purposes to increase the lifespan of the packaging

5. Non- toxic to humans or the environment, eg. no effects on atmosphere or climate, during the value chain of packaging products.

6. Efficient waste treatment: The waste collection program must be set up to collect used packaging for recycling.

7. Worker impact: clean-teach must be used to maintain the occupational health and safety of workers in production of these packaging.

Eco packaging products at Botta Packaging

Botta Packaging’s products are all recyclable or reusable. 

Most of our corrugated cardboard products are safe for use. Especially, our inner eco packaging products used for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries are certified to be non-toxic, organic and GMO-free by ISEGA – the world-known German laboratory. 

Corrugated cardboard material used for many of our products are made 100% by recycled papers, which uses less energy in papermill for production. It also provides a solution for waste treatment as old cardboard could be recycled to make new cardboard up to 7 times, according to earth911.com. 

The value chain for production from old cardboard to new products are safe for both our workers and environment. Hence, we are proud to say that we are a producer of eco packaging.

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WHAT TO AVOID IN PACKAGING DESIGN?

Packaging design is very important in creating the first impression to consumers. As you might already know, we already recommend some sample design of package in one of Botta Packaging’s old blog posts. But if you want to design it using your own idea, here are the 5 common mistakes you should avoid:

1. Misleading information in packaging design

If you think you can mislead your consumers to get better sales, you are totally wrong. Besides the possible penalty for false advertisements from authority, the biggest consequence of deceptive packaging design is to lose the trust from customers. 

If customers have any doubt about the truthfulness of information on your package, they could easily shift their interest to other brands and your market share would shrink dramatically. Hence, the secret to win your customers is to be honest.

2. No brand’s imprint in packaging design

Don’t let your product sunk in thousands of other similar products on supermarket’s shelves. An eye-catching design always draws the first attention from buyers easily. Differentiation does create impression!

Besides, a useful and reusable packaging can be helpful for customers, which helps to drive their choices to your brands over other competitors on the market. 

3. Too many details and information on package

Consumers wouldn’t read them all if you put so much information on your package. Everything should be just simple and “enough” in packaging design. Only two to three distinctions of your products should be put on the package to impress customers, rather than making them overwhelmed by your exaggerated advertisement.

4. Waste in packaging design

Consumers do not always prefer quantity, especially for packaging. Unnecessary packaging can increase your cost of production and give consumers negative impression on your brand’s social responsibility. 

According to Mintel – a well-known global consumer research agency, 64% of of US food/drink shoppers say food/drink manufacturers should be responsible for environmentally friendly choices. 

Too many layers or extra-large packaging would not be considered as “eco-friendly” under the eyes of your customers. So we probably avoid waste in packaging design for both environmental and economical reasons.

5. Choosing a non-recyclable material for your packaging design

Also, in Mintel’s report, 44% of US Millennials (aged 26-43) say one of the best ways for a brand/company to show that it represents their personal values is by following environmentally friendly practices. 

Speaking frankly, material is not really a “mistake” for your packaging design but it is a choice of your brands to send a positive message to consumers or not, especially when your target market is young shoppers. 

Just remember: “Tomorrow's consumers will actively seek out environmentally responsible packaging and aggressively reward brands that help them understand what is actually better, rather than what is ‘less bad’.”

With above tips, we hope your packaging design will stand out among other products and your business will thrive further in the future. Just remember that you can probably choose your packaging and upload your package design on our e-commerce website for a reference of quotation at https://www.instapack.me/.

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WHAT HAPPENS ON THE EARTH WITH NO TREE?

Do you know that, without recycling, we will need 17 trees in average to produce 1 ton of cardboard? Imagine a world with no tree, it would, definitely, be a non-habitable world. And even when human could find the way to survive, do you really want to live on a planet without any green field? To see how important recycling and forestation are, let us draw a picture of our earth with no tree…

Severe climate for living on the earth with no tree

As everybody already learnt from the high school that, through their carbon cycle, trees absorb carbon dioxides and create oxygen which is important for all living creatures. Once trees disappeared, the low oxygen and the higher carbon dioxide or other toxic gas like sulfur monoxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide… in the atmosphere made it impossible for the respiration of human and animals. 

According to Professor Dolors Armenteras from National University of Colombia, the results of mass deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon in 2019 is that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increased exponentially after August of that year. Following, Brazil’s rural areas and large cities suffered from high level of air pollution (Antonio José Paz Cardona, 2019). 

Supposed that carbon dioxide, which is supposed to be stored by trees, was all released to the ozone layer, it would create vast greenhouse effect on the earth with no tree and temperature increases so tremendously that no creature could survive.

An image of disastrous earth with no tree

Trees prevent erosion, as we already know. “Removing trees means losing huge amounts of land to the ocean,” according to Dr. Thomas Crowther from ETH Zurich in Switzerland, said on BBC. Also, an earth with no tree to keep water into soil is an earth with drought and desertification in every continent. And even when there is rain, flood would happen in every of our remained flatland. 

Mass extinctions

“Even a single, isolated tree in an open area can act as a biodiversity ‘magnet,’ attracting and providing resources for many animals and plants,” Jayme Prevedello, an ecologist at Rio de Janeiro State University in Brazil, said to BBC. In the earth with no tree to prevent erosion, carbon running into the oceans would also cause acidification and kill all ocean’s lives. As a result, no food for human. The mass extinction would happen and turn our earth into an abandoned planet.

Above information is dedicated, thanks to the materials from BBC, National Geographic and Mongabay. It has shown us a brief future of our planet – an earth with no tree if we do not act to protect our green home. As one of our greatest prides, Botta Packaging could say that most of our products are made from recycled materials. By turning used paper into new corrugated cardboards, we believe we could help to reduce the use of new timbers in paper industry and, in some ways, slow down the deforestation. 

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NON RECYCLABLE PAPER – WHAT ARE THEY?

We all know that recycled paper are main materials for corrugated paper products at Botta Packaging. However, according to paperrecycles.org, only 66.2 percent of paper in general was recycled in 2019. So, what are the most common non recyclable paper? Let us name several “annoying” branches of paper family as following:

1. Wrapping paper – a non recyclable waste of money

Not all wrapping papers are non recyclable but most of them are. Indeed, wrapping paper usually contains too much foreign material such as foil-coatings, plastic coverage, blueprints or aluminum foil. Those articles are very difficult to be eliminated from the paper pulp and, in general, reduce the quality of new-born cardboard. 

2. Pizza boxes – a non recyclable corrugated paper

Theoretically, pizza boxes are corrugated cardboard – the most common recyclable paper, hence, it should be recycled easily. However, in facts, pizza boxes are full of grease and food load which are also seen as annoying foreign contaminants preventing the recyclability of them. Removing all foods inside the pizza boxes before disposal is a good way for you to give a hand in increasing the recycled rate of paper all over the world.

3. Toilet paper, napkin and other types of paper towel – the most non recyclable waste of resources

Almost all kinds of paper towel, napkin or toilet papers are non recyclable. It is understandable because most of them are wet, torn, or full of other substances when they are disposed. Unfortunately, they account for a huge amount of non recyclable paper and are mostly made up of new pulp from cut-down trees. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), "every day, about 270,000 trees are flushed down the drain or end up as garbage all over the world", and 10% of them are used for making toilet paper alone. Hence, please think before you “flush the forest down your toilet”.

After knowing some of non recyclable paper types, we certainly could be wiser and more responsible consumers. By using less paper napkin, saving toilet paper, replacing wrapping paper by other normal paper or removing left-over from pizza box…, we could save thousands of trees, energy and resources for recycling. Let’s go green from the smallest things like these!

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ECO PACKAGING FOR FRAGILE PRODUCTS

In packaging, for sure, the safety of your cargo during shipping and handling comes first, then the sustainability should follow. At Botta Packaging, we do care about both your cargo safety and sustainability in offering a harmony of the packaging solution. Below are the top 5 solutions of Eco Packaging for fragile goods you might be interested in.

1. Eco-sleeves as Eco Packaging for a fragile bottle and cylinder-shaped goods

Many of our customers would like to send a bottle of wine or a crystal vase as gifts to their friends and family but they are still concerned about the safety of them. As shown on its name, our eco-sleeves are like flexible sleeves that could cover around those cylinder-shaped fragile products and play a role as a mattress against all shocks and crashes during transportation. 

Also, the elasticity of eco-sleeves’ design allows them to fit well different sizes of cylinders. Last but not least, this eco-packaging for fragile bottles is also made of 100% recyclable corrugated paper as always been our motto for an eco-friendly packaging solution.

2. Eco-flex, another Eco Packaging for fragile bottles

Eco-flex is the upgraded version of Eco-sleeve. With an open-sided design, Eco-flex allows you to fit the different shapes of products much better than Eco-sleeves. Indeed, eco-flex is a multi-used item that helps you increase the lifespan of the package to cut down the waste and enhance the circular efficiency in packaging. It is another alternative Eco Packaging for fragile bottles besides eco-sleeves.

3. Paper airbag used for inner Eco Packaging for fragile

Using airbags as a cushion for inner packaging in transportation is not a new solution for cargo safety but with this paper airbags, reuse and recycle are now easier, more sustainable, and more economical. You could inflate as much air as needed into the bag to fill in the empty space in your box. This airbag is made of kraft paper, which is more resistant, more durable, and stronger than normal paper but, of course, still recyclable. 

4. Eco-fix sheet as Eco Packaging for fragile and stackable cargo

The Eco-fix sheet is the solution when you want to stack the cargo on a pallet with many layers for cost and space minimization. For fragile cargo, fixing the layers of the carton on pallets is very important to make sure the safety of cargo during the tough route of transportation. Eco-fix sheet is a paper sheet with tiny polyester dots holding the carton from slipping on each other when the pallets are shaken. 

The economical aspect of this item is that you can re-use it many times, increasing the life cycle of your packaging, saving cost and the environment. For this reason, the Eco-fix sheet is a solution to Eco Packaging for fragile and stackable boxes of goods on pallets.

5. Eco-Paper Inner Packaging

You probably saw this kind of paper inner packaging many times, it is used as egg trays and, in general, for inner packaging in other industries like cosmetics, pharmacy and food. Botta provides customized eco-paper inner packaging for those products. Our paper's inner packaging is certified to be organic, non-toxic, and GMO-free by ISEGA – the world-known German laboratory.

By choosing eco-paper inner packaging, brands and manufacturers have committed a social responsibility to consumers. 

According to Mintel – a well-known global market research agency, sustainable packaging is a new trend in the next decade when more and more consumers concerned about the matter of future resources and environments. The brands that could tackle eco-friendly solutions are the ones who could win customer’s insight. As an unavoidable choice, it’s time for us to replace the plastic foam by other inner lashing solutions like a paper airbag, eco-sleeves, or eco-flex… Our product line of Eco Packaging for fragile goods could be a great solution for your enterprise.

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