From Guest Blogger Brooke Chaplan: Economic Packaging Solutions–What's Making Your Business Green?

Saving money on packaging is a simple way to increase the profitability of your business in more ways than one. Many companies have been using the same packaging materials for years without giving any thought to how they can cut costs and improve efficiency. But changing materials and methods can save you time, money, and manpower and increase your profits significantly. The following are a few ways your company can change your packaging and reduce your environmental impact, and the impact on your funds.

Mechanize Your Shrink Wrapping
Companies that use shipping pallets to send products to their customers often have employees shrink wrap them by hand, which can be a waste time and material. A simple way to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness is to invest in a stretch wrapper and automate your packaging. Automated machines like these uses less film per skid by wrapping it tighter, and also take less time to wrap each skid. You will also need fewer workers to get the job done making for a more effective process overall. Manufacturers like SIAT S.p.A. also have semi-automatic versions available which can mean less upfront costs to you, and an opportunity to keep valuable employees.

Change the Container
Many companies ship their products in drums or buckets which is fine if you are shipping paint, oil, or other liquids. But drums and buckets can be expensive. If you are shipping other types of products, it may be more cost-efficient to use a combination of plastic liners and corrugated cardboard. This will cost you pennies compared to the dollars you pay for shipping barrels and buckets. Depending on the size and shape of the products you are shipping, you can vary the thickness of the corrugated boxes and the plastic liners. Different containers can make all the difference in efficiency and can help make your company greener when you use recycled materials in them.

Low versus High Density Polyethylene
Companies that ship their products wrapped in high density polyethylene for years might not see a need to change. However, these chemicals can be expensive coating, and what many companies don’t realize is low density polyethylene can be just as effective and costs a lot less. Low density polyethylene is strong and is able to stretch a great deal more than high density polyethylene. Making this simple change can save your company thousands of dollars each year.

These are just a few packaging solutions that can cut your packaging costs, save you money, and increase your profit margin. When you really start to think about it, there are ways all over your company to reduce your carbon footprint and make processes more cost effective. Take the time now to asses where you might be losing out in your packaging methods.