21 Dec 2010 Sustainable Packaging Question – Why are my brown boxes wrapped in green, plastic film?
Posted at 07:48h
in Inside Sustainable Packaging
Every bundle or pallet load of Globe Guard boxes we ship out is wrapped in our Globe Guard stretch film. Occasionally, we receive an email or call asking us how we can possibly wrap and ship a product as green as our Globe Guard 100% PCW, recycled content boxes in an un-green material like plastic. For the benefit of those who wonder but don’t ask us, here are a few reasons why we do what we do.
Globe Guard Stretch Film is Oxo-Biodegradable
In other words, it is not a typical or average plastic product. We usually attach a note to each bundle or pallet load reminding customers that the film is above all else recyclable. That is not always the case with bio plastics, but our formulation does not prevent the film from being recycled after use. If it does unfortunately end up in a land fill, the film is formulated to breakdown in a fraction of the time other, standard plastics will degrade.
Why Globe Guard Paper Mailers?
For green minded customers who will not accept plastic products, Globe Guard 50% recycled content paper mailers have been a very effective way to mail or ship relatively flat products such as books, photos, etc. The gussetted, three-dimensional mailer envelopes are ideal for thicker, bulky soft goods like tee shirts and reusable bags.
Even though they are paper, they offer enough water resistance for most applications and are strong enough to hold up through USPS, FedEx or UPS shipping. 
Globe Guard Corrugated Boxes[/caption]
(Note: this post written by Dennis Salazar also appeared on Nashville Wraps blog on July 6th, 2009)
Sustainable Packaging Creates Strange Bedfellows
I may be paraphrasing the old adage about politics but there is absolutely no politics involved in the decision for 
Most people and their own customers recognize Nashville Wraps as an innovator and leader in their market of decorative, retail and gift packaging. They long ago committed to making their products and company as green as possible and made news in the green and packaging communities with their Green Way® product line.
Our company, Salazar Packaging, Inc. has been working toward the same goal in our product area of green, eco friendly packaging products for secondary (shipping) purposes. We created and trademarked the Globe Guard® line of 100% PCW boxes and began promoting them in 2007. 
The photo above shows the three items we ordered whose combined volume is 582 square inches. The box they used was a 16” X 10.5” X12.25” high, which provides 2,058 square inches of packing space. Because the box was almost four times larger than it had to be, 600 (un-inflated) square inches of an inflatable void fill product had to be used to fill the oversized void. Before you think this is just another story of a packer using the wrong box to fill an order, the green “wanna be” picture gets much worse for Staples. 
When in doubt, claim everything?
There are certain packaging product areas where green has an even greater amount of “gray” and that most definitely includes bio-plastics. Consider the variety of products and applications out there and you will see the obvious problem. To me “plastics” means packaging films for wrapping, shrinking and forming. To our reader Neil, plastics are about disposable cutlery. Can “standards” ever be the same for both of us? 