What is the Advantage and Disadvantage of Cardboard Packaging

Corrugated boxes are ideal packaging solutions for a variety of situations. These boxes consist of paperboard layers that have rows of air that are designed to protect against vibrations, jerks, and shocks. While there are numerous benefits associated with using this type of box for the packaging needs of a business, there are also some shortcomings. By better understanding these pros and cons, you can make an informed decision about whether or not these boxes are right for your business.

Advantages offered by a Corrugated Box

There are numerous advantages associated with corrugated boxes, and better understanding them can help you to determine if they are a good solution for your packing needs:

• Stock boxes are light weight, and this makes them extremely convenient to package, load, and unload.
• Corrugated boxes are entirely recyclable, and this makes the environmentally friendly.
• These boxes can be found in any size, shape, color, or design. They can be created based on the specific customer requirements, which is especially helpful because business needs are often very diverse.
• A corrugated box will have tear resistant qualities, and this is helpful in keeping the packaging intact and will protect your products from being exposed to the elements.
• The materials needed to create corrugated boxes are inexpensive, and that leads to boxes that are highly affordable when they are compared to alternatives that are on the market.
• Corrugated boxes have higher capabilities for graphics and printing, and this makes them effective when it comes to marketing, branding, and promotional purposes. Many companies use these boxes to print their company name and logo.
• The availability of these boxes is widespread, so they can be found in almost any region of the world to support international business.

Disadvantages of Corrugated Boxes

Despite the vast variety of benefits associated with corrugated boxes, some setbacks have been identified:

• These boxes may become deformed if they are exposed to extreme pressure or when stacked.
• Corrugated cardboard is not the best option for weatherproofing. Water and other types of liquid can saturate these products, and it may also seep into a box and damage the contents.
• Corrugated boxes are not always a good option for the packing of heavy items. This is because their endurance to mechanical stresses is relatively low.

If you need more information about our corrugated boxes and how they can help your business, contact us at Instabox today.

[3/24/2014]

Many businesses are looking to make the switch from plastic to paper packaging to pledge their commitment to the environment. Before giving up plastic for good, businesses will weigh up the pros and cons of each material to determine which will provide a more eco-friendly packaging solution.

To help you decide, we’ve compiled some of the advantages and disadvantages of plastic and paper packaging below.

Advantages of plastic packaging

The main advantage of plastic packaging is its price. Plastic can be produced quickly and cheaply, which is why it has become such a popular material for packaging across the globe. Other benefits of plastic packaging include its durable and lightweight qualities, making it ideal for transporting goods safely.

However, from April 2022, the UK Government is introducing a Plastic Tax on all packaging manufactured in, or imported into, the UK. This means that businesses using packaging that contains less that 30 per cent recycled material will have to pay a tax, so plastic packaging may no longer be the cheaper option.

Disadvantages of plastic packaging

Plastic packaging is becoming increasingly recognised for its damaging environmental qualities. Plastic can take thousands of years to biodegrade, so single-use plastic packaging is highly polluting. Even plastic packaging that claims to be recyclable often ends up in landfill – especially with recycling capabilities varying from council to council in the UK.

When plastic does degrade, small plastic molecules release toxins which can poison soil, rendering local land infertile. These molecules can also infiltrate waterways and damage delicate ecosystems.

The plastic production process is also damaging to the environment. Most plastic is produced as cheaply as possible in factories based in developing countries where there are limited laws on pollution. These factories release copious amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and many also discharge toxic waste and manufacturing by-products into local bodies of water.

Plastic packaging can be known for its lack of protection as well, air bags for instance are transmitting shock within the package as opposed to absorbing it. Along with being pushed down to the bottom of a package through transit and then bursting on impact, deeming it useless. A similar effect can be seen when using bubblewrap, the bubbles burst and then provide little to no protection for the product inside.