14 Mar 2012 Good Domestic Solutions for “Bad” Imported Packaging
Posted at 12:55h
in Sustainable Perspective
At the recent International Housewares Show, I had several conversations with a number of people who wanted to talk about the “bad” packaging they are getting from their foreign suppliers. Well over 90% of all house ware products we all buy and use are manufactured and packaged overseas, which typically results in substantial savings for the importing USA company. However, it can also lead to major headaches and unexpected costs when the packaging that is also being imported does not satisfy varying domestic requirements.
SOPHIE AND GATEWAY[/caption]
We are dog people. Our kids grew up with dogs as pets, so not surprisingly our grandkids are now growing up with dogs at their side. The dog in this picture is our beagle mix Gateway, who we picked up as a pup from a shelter almost eight years ago. Gateway has helped us raise, love and protect five grandchildren between the ages of two and five including the youngest, Sophie, who is shown in the picture playing with her “buddy” since birth. 
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The challenge to rack displaying undergarments, tee shirts, baby clothes, gloves, socks and other non-rigid items is that they don’t always hang well. In addition, quite frankly, soft goods are not always attractive when folded into compact, space saving sell units.
Typically, you want the product kept clean but visible for color or pattern identification and ideally touchable if the softness of the product is an important feature. The easy answer is usually a plastic bag or a plastic clam shell. However, most green product manufacturers are unwilling to place their organic cotton (or any other green fabric) soft goods in any form of plastic that delivers the desired visibility but is not considered a green packaging option, and those rarely permits product touching. 
CUSTOM-PRINTED, UNPADDED POLY MAILERS[/caption]
Our new line of 
We were very pleased when we found out some of our products would be featured in a leading photographic magazine because we never designed them to be photogenic. Though, after we saw our boxes in this month’s issue, we have to agree our boxes look great. Please read Robyn L. Pollman’s article,"
GWEN FROSTIC CUSTOM-PRINTED TAPE[/caption]
The internet is an amazing information-gathering tool. However, it also has the ability to make every product a commodity and every company appear the same under one broad heading or Google search term.
We are truly blessed to work with a wide variety of incredibly gifted and unique people and companies. We are also proud to be able to help them communicate and demonstrate the difference they offer through their packaging.
When “Unique” Is an Understatement
Gwen Frostic Prints is one of those incredibly unique companies started by an amazingly dedicated and talented lady and continued by people who loved her and her work. I will not attempt to recap the life of Sara Gwendolyn Frostic, but I do encourage you to visit 
100% RECYCLED CONTENT RETAIL CARTONS[/caption]
The term “so good it melts in your mouth” is over-hyped and so over used it has nearly lost all meaning. However, it really is an accurate description of the candy product made by one of our newest Globe Guard customers.
Barbary Brix is a San Francisco-based company that makes candy the way it used to be made before high-production equipment and cost-saving recipes became the norm. Check out the delicious assortment of unique flavors they offer on their online Barbary Brix candy store. My wife was almost immediately addicted to their “Salty Dog” flavor, and as one who enjoys nuts with his caramel, I am now a huge fan of “The Prospector.” 
BEFORE THE GGRBS IS USED.[/caption]
Decades ago, when I first entered the warehousing and distribution industry, one of the very first things I was taught is that it does not cost much to keep stored product “in good order.” On the other hand, not keeping inventory in neat, organized condition can prove very costly in the form of picking mistakes, damage, lost product and even pilferage. In addition, when boxes on shelves look good, the entire warehouse appears cleaner and better managed. 
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We are very quickly becoming a leading source for stock size die cut mailer boxes that can be custom printed with YOUR name, logo, return address, etc. The photos included in this post show off two of our most popular stock mailer sizes that have been custom printed to create an attractive and unique look.
What’s the benefit of utilizing a stock size?
We are able to save our customers time and money if we can avoid making a cutting die and are able to use one of the dies we already have on hand. Depending on a number of variables, a new cutting die for a mailer of this type can cost $500 to $800. What is at times even more important is that using an already made die saves time, in most cases a minimum of one week. 
Sustainability, when defined as something that by design reproduces itself indefinitely and never ends, is a worthy objective in almost any facet of life or business. However, I have found absolutely nothing that lives on forever the way a barter dollar does. Regardless of what you are told, this gross and corrupt example of sustainability is not for the benefit of the buyer or seller but for the organization sponsoring the program. I can’t say bartering is not good for anyone, but I can tell you how awful it was for us.