Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA)
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- Automated Food Equipment
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- Instapak® Quick RT
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- Light Cushioning
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- Paper Bubble Mailer
- Paper Pack Station Solutions
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- Performance Inflatables
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- Retention & Suspension
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- Meal Kit Packaging
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- The True Cost of Damage
- Solving Complex Fulfillment Challenges
- Reducing Food Waste Throughout The Global Supply Chain
- 3 Ways a Preventive Maintenance Plan Can Save Food Processors Money
- Connectivity: The Modern Age Of Manufacturing Technology
- Are Your Recycling Efforts a Waste?
- 5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Automating Your Packaging Hall
- Case-Ready Packaging Helps Offset Uncertainty
- Closing the Loop with Advanced Recycling
- Dinner on the Doorstep: A New Age of Grocery Shopping
- E-Commerce Demand Drives Change
- How Direct-to-Consumer Brands Can Improve The Online Delivery Experience With Packaging
- Join Us in the Lab
- Limited Touchpoints Ease Consumer Concerns
- Net Zero Emissions for Automotive Packaging
- Online Shopping Goes High-Tech — and High Risk
- Package Designs That Drive Change
- Paper Remains Top Pick for Recyclable Packaging
- Questions for ODMs When Selecting a Packaging Supplier
- Return Logistics Shouldn’t Be an Afterthought for Online Retailers
- Shipping Trends Favor Parcels, Not Pallets
- Sustainability Impact of E-Commerce Packaging
- Sustainability in Seafood: Emphasized Demands and Redefined Standards
- Tackle Dimensional Weight by Rethinking the Box
- The Changing Face of the Retail Grocery Shopper
- Unboxing: The Power of Packaging
- Unsealing Food Technology to Feed the World
- What Is Smart Packaging?
- Why EV Charger Packaging Must Start With 'Unboxing’
- How European Grocery Retailers Are Rethinking Packaging Sustainability
- 4 Reasons to Switch From Rigid to Flexible Packaging
The True Cost of Damage
The Environmental Impact of Damaged Products
Understanding Packaging's Role in Environmental Impact
The total environmental impact of every e-commerce order is the total of many different factors. Manufacturing resources, primary packaging, distribution, and the shipping cycle are all part of the total impact. Using the example of a tablet, the shipping cycle (the journey from distribution center to consumer) accounts for about 2% of the total environmental impact of that tablet. Of that 2%, packaging materials account for about 15% of the shipping cycle’s impact. That equals about .003% of the total environmental impact.
Doesn’t seem like a valuable place to look for sustainability improvements, right? Wrong.
If a tablet is broken during the shipping cycle because the wrong protective packaging was used, the environmental impact of that tablet just doubled.
The resources used to manufacture a replacement, ship the replacement to the consumer, and return the broken product can more than double a product's sustainability impact.
Preventing damage is often the most sustainable thing a manufacturer can do when shipping its products.
Even a 1% Damage Rate Is an Unacceptable Damage Rate
Many manufacturers are willing to accept “small” damage rates of 1% to 3%. Accepting this amount of damage may seem inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be. Every damaged product results not only in unnecessary environmental resource waste, but also damages a customer relationship. One electronics manufacturer sold over 44 million tablets in 2018. If they accepted 1% damage, that means they are willing to risk losing 440,000 customers and doubling the environmental impact of those 440,000 tablets.
Our Packaging Application Centers are dedicated to designing and testing a protective packaging solution that ensures a safe, sustainable shipping cycle.
Get the right packs for your products.
More From Sealed Air
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01 Blog: True Cost of Damage -
02 Sustainability Report -
03 Packaging Design Application Centers