Quantifying The Environmental Impact Of Secondary Packaging

By Peter Fox, Delkor Systems, Inc.

A comparison of the sustainability of "pad shrink" packaging systems versus RSC cases

The term "sustainability" is heard in boardrooms everywhere these days because it is a concept that embraces both environmental and bottom-line business concerns. For product packagers, sustainability means reconciling what can be conflicting goals: minimizing whatever negative impacts their packaging may have on the environment while adequately protecting products during shipping and handling, Packagers today are facing increasing demands for "sustainability" from every direction–– consumers, retailers and non-profit watchdog groups– –with few of these groups offering specific guidelines on how to measure it. What's more, packagers are encouraged to achieve these dual goals while also controlling the costs of packaging to their customers.