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Sustainable Packaging: Will the Momentum Continue Post Coronavirus?

Posted by Blair Holland on April 24, 2020 8:01 am | Comments Off

The full effects of the coronavirus on the global economy have yet to be seen. The crisis has prompted a fairly immediate shutdown of the world economy.

In our small corner of the economy, the packaging industry, the 12-18 months prior to the coronavirus marked a welcome shift in packaging trends.

Sustainable packaging solutions were gaining traction – FAST! Plastic had become a dirty word and companies looking to reduce or eliminate its use in packaging applications.

The fuel for this trend can be attributed to:

The power of popular opinion.
The massive power a few large companies have over the entire industry.

Popular opinion

The combination of social media and the simplicity of its access via the cell phone have heightened the pressure on companies to show environmental ethics. Consumers of their products care more about the environment, share more online and it’s a snowball of environmental demand heading downhill. Companies have no choice but to respond. Not that companies did not have environmental directives of their own. However, it is hard to deny the social pressure and that has accelerated the trend.

Big, Powerful Companies

The best analogy could be astrological (a personal interest of mine). I view these large powerful companies like black holes. You might view this as a negative comment, but I intend it as a positive. Black holes are so massive and have such a high degree of gravity associated with them they warp space-time. Their gravitational pull is so strong that star systems rotate around them. Black holes command the universe. Similarly, the largest companies in the world set trends and the market follows. Here is are two examples from the packaging industry.

In 2008, Amazon started to use reinforced water-activated tape for closing eCommerce delivery boxes. Today, the reinforced water-activated tape is a standard closure method for the entire eCommerce industry.

In 2018, Dunkin Donuts announced that by 2020, they will no longer use polystyrene styrofoam cups. Time will tell, but my bets are they you will not see many Styrofoam cups in a few years.

These big, powerful companies have the power to say “this is the right way” and the market will follow. When it comes to the desire for sustainable packaging, these big, powerful companies are under pressure to do the “right thing” and that thing is to increase sustainability.

So, we have now established the motivation (public opinion supercharged by social media via cell phones) and the method of change (big, powerful companies and their space-time bending gravity to shift market trends). On top of this, the mission is GOOD. We need to save the planet – the world is ready to take responsibility and make changes. So much momentum, positivity – sustainable packaging could save the world (OK that is going a bit far, but you get the point).

Then we watched and continue to watch a slow-motion train wreck also known as the coronavirus. The global economy has gone from thriving to survive in a matter of weeks. So, my question, what is going to happen to all the positive momentum on sustainable packaging? Will companies previously committed to green packaging products divert their priorities to the “other” green ($$$)?

I say NO, this sustainable packaging movement is here to stay. Here’s why?

Coronavirus is not a computer virus; it does not impact cell phones. The method for how public opinion is shaped has not changed. If anything, social distancing has made people more reliant on their cell phones, imagine that.
The Coronavirus has shown in dynamic ways how damaging people have been to the environment. The economic stop has displayed dramatic images across the Earth with the reduction of greenhouses gas emissions from far fewer cars, buses, trains, airplanes and ocean liners traveling around the world. Residents of Northern Indian towns are reporting to see the Himalayan Mountain range for the first time in 30 years as a result of improving air quality. Along with other images from China, Europe and North America of air quality improvements that are noticeable from space (in only 60 days) – it reinforces the mission; that we have the power to reverse our impacts on Earth.
More Effort to Reverse Progress than to Keep Going – Big, Powerful companies are going to thin resources and conserve capital. With the likely reduction in the workforce, it would be more difficult to reverse the progress of sustainable packaging initiatives already in motion. Let’s look at our Dunkin Donuts example, are they likely to reverse the course of Styrofoam cups? I doubt it. Of course, it would be a PR nightmare for them, but to our point here, it would take a lot of time and effort to reverse supply chain decisions. They don’t have time for it.
Technology and Innovation have made the cost difference less. There was a time that environmentally friendly products were more expensive, much more in fact. Depending on the product, there are sustainable packaging solutions that do not cost significantly more. The economic downside of sustainable packaging is not overwhelming for most companies.

While the coronavirus pandemic will end, our opinion is that the growth of sustainable packaging will continue. The pace of adoption will likely slow as the whole economy slows; however, the momentum is too great for interest in sustainable packaging to disappear.

At Holland Manufacturing, the last several weeks have been very difficult and we foresee challenging times ahead. However, we are committed to doing our part to decrease our environmental footprint and develop sustainable packaging materials beyond the current options that we do offer. Moving forward, please look for more updates and information from Holland on sustainable packaging. We are going to develop a special section of our website devoted to sustainability and look forward to working with our customers to meet their sustainable packaging needs.

Also Read Here: Bogus Paper: Sustainable Packaging by Holland Manufacturing

Also, Read Here: Water Activated Tape: Everything You Need to Transform Your Packaging

About Holland Manufacturing Company : Holland Manufacturing Company Also Offers Packaging Products like Water Activated Tape, Blue Shield Industrial Products, Specialty Coated and Laminated Products, Custom Printed Labels ; Tags, Industrial Paper Products etc.

Get in touch with us on- 1-800-345-0492 Or FAX: 1-973-598-6233 Or Email us at info@hollandmfg.com

Happy to help!

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Job Site Surface Protection – More Important than Ever!

Posted by DGFootprints on March 19, 2020 6:10 am | Comments Off

With the ever-rising cost of labor and materials, unexpected damage leading to replacing or repairing finished surfaces on the job site is a disaster for contractors. Proper surface protection on the job site is a necessity for all quality-oriented, financially wise contractors.

The days of throwing down a $5 roll of red rosin paper to protect the floor are over. Prudent contractors are turning to more premium surface protection solutions to save time and protect their bottom line.

Trends in flooring have shifted more towards hard surfaces with expensive stone, wood and more recently engineered hard surfaces. These surfaces tend to be more expensive and less forgiving to construction impacts than carpet. The need for impact protection has led to the dramatic rise of surface protection paperboard. These high caliper, heavy-duty paperboard products have taken the market by storm and are now widely accepted and trusted by contractors across the country.

At over 40 mils thick, commonly used surface protection boards do offer excellent impact protection for hard surface flooring. It would be hard to argue that floor paperboard does not offer some peace of mind in the event of a construction mistake, like dropping a hammer or moving a ladder. There is a tremendous amount of marketing hype for these products with fancy names, printed characters, claims of special moisture barrier characteristics, etc. It’s all very convincing and the marketing efforts have taken hold. Truth be told, the product does work well. Even the creative advertising for simple sizing (adding starch) in the paperboard, does hold out water and liquid long enough for you to clean up the spill. However, be aware these paperboard products are not true barrier products; liquids will penetrate them if enough time passes.

Despite the undisputed advantages of high caliper floor protection paperboard products, there are some major disadvantages. First, unless you are moving heavy equipment on the floor, you probably do not need a 45 mil, thick paperboard. The product is heavy and difficult to handle. Conforming the material, overcoming the roll set curl of the roll and difficulty to cut the material all make is more time consuming to apply and more expensive. For many 45 mil, thick paperboard is simply put, Overkill.

With these advantages and unfortunate disadvantages of high caliper paperboard in mind, Holland Mfg. has designed a new product called Blue Shield F22. F22 is a 22-mil thick moisture hold out, paperboard made with the same fiber construction as our heavy gauge F45, 45 mil thick floor paperboard. At 22 mil, F22 is easier to conform, position and secure to the floor. The product still offers temporary moisture hold out similar in performance to the F45 board. Moving F22 rolls around the job site is much easier with a roll weight of 24 lbs. (half the weight of a F45 roll). Additionally, the product is less expensive.

No one would question that 45 mils of paperboard offers more impact protection than a 22-mil product. However, besides impact protection, other characteristics of the F22 board are nearly identical to the F45. At 22 mil thick, the F22 would never be considered thin in the surface protection world. The product is 2.5 to 3 times thicker than standard flooring papers like rosin papers or 50# kraft paper.

The surface protection paperboard product is popular and with new additions of lightweight options like F22, it will be a more user-friendly, properly gauged solution for many more construction projects.

Holland’s Blue Shield F22 Board is offered in 35” x 100’ rolls and is currently available. Featuring a water resistant, high density fiber construction, F22 might be the right sized surface protection product for your upcoming renovation or construction job site.

For more information about Blue Shield F22, please visit: /products/blue-shield-industrial-products/surface-protection-products/surface-protection-board/