Paper is 100% recyclable and can fit almost any packaging and protection need. Paper can be cut, folded, glued, shaped and molded in countless ways to secure and protect objects of metal, ceramic, glass and plastic, as well as printed and converted materials—especially for long or rough shipping environments.

Most people consider paper to be flimsy, leaky and too pliant to be of much good when wrapping or securing an object in place for shipping. Besides, plastic foam "peanuts" and plastic wraps and settings do a great job against the elements and rough handling. The problem, especially in business-to-business relationships, is waste generation and disposal fees.

In Europe, such materials must be either returned to or collected by the packer, or are outlawed entirely. In U.S. urban areas with landfill limitations, stringent regulations have been proposed, and fee increases have been passed to discourage waste that cannot be recycled.

Those converters with extra machine time and contacts with material packaging distributors can run corrugating sheets to make specialty products with minimum adjustments (except for die preparation). Converters of paper, paperboard, film, foil and other substrates can use cheaper packaging materials from paper and board to protect and set converted products. Packers can benefit from using recyclable materials that reduce waste costs for receivers and end-users.

The most basic forms of paper and paperboard packaging dunnage are single-faced corrugated sheets, single-, double- and triple-wall corrugated sheets, white-top board, chipboard sheets, kraft paper and molded pulp. These are applied most easily as clippings or wraps, or formed and converted products. Process and end-use parameters, like the pliability of the sheet, absorbency and sometimes traditional properties like compression and stiffness (guided by sheet thickness or caliper) must be taken into account.

Converters can look for trim rolls and off-spec grade paper and board such as high moisture or off-weight or off-color to further reduce cost. The following may result, however:

• When making these specialty products from off-spec materials, converters may experience higher dusting levels and shorter knife life.
• Higher amounts of trim and clippings are likely, so the baling and waste handling system will need attention and possible expansion.
• When folding or scoring paper and board, converters should probably stick to on-spec product from reliable suppliers, i.e., those with good formation and higher surface strength.
• Folding weak paperboard will cause the structure to become brittle and crack, creating more dust and inviting moisture contamination.
• When making corners or edge protectors for furniture or other higher quality/high perceived value items, virgin or low recycled-content sheets are recommended.

Single-faced (SF) board seems to be most effective for small wrapping and adhesive combinations. It is cheap and pliable, and can be used effectively for edge protection and coverage. Die-cutting and folding SF is problematic in that the base boards are thin and may also be soft. It works well as a "filler" material for shipping pouches and single-use shipping containers for printed materials, video tape, CDs and DVDs, and most other small, non-perishable items. SF adheres well with fibered sheets and internally laminated sheets because of their large surface area. The result is an excellent bulking material to aid in standard mailing arrangements when packages are belt transferred and fall frequently in processing.

Single and double wall corrugated sheets are usually used for stock items like corner protectors and wraps. These materials tend be more expensive and made from virgin or some recycled content linerboards. They should not crack at the fold or delaminate—if they do, return them!

Triple wall is best used for heavy machinery and sensitive equipment parts, but a high cost. Smurfit-Stone, for example, makes a wood-fiber pallet which it says is just as strong as any wooden pallet.

Kraft paper makes a great wrapping paper or moisture barrier for just about anything. Thickness varies over a wide range, so fitting your size is no problem. Color is often a concern when providing sheets or wraps to high-end retail items, but papermakers have the equipment today to measure and correct brightness and shade on-line. Most brown papers have recycled content, but may not be noticeable to the untrained eye. White kraft paper will cost significantly more money because of the bleaching needed in the pulping process.

Molded pulp is made quite differently than paper. A large drum rotates through a fiber slurry, draws fiber into molds, siphons off water, and then drops the molded fiber onto a moving conveyor. The conveyor may pass through a drying section or continue to a re-moisturizing or coating operation. The molded pulp drops and is stacked for shipment or converting. One item to keep in mind: the fibers come from old newspapers and mixed paper waste, which is often dyed in a vat before the molding operation. Deep shades must be used to hide the ink and other contaminates in the fiber slurry, but this can be specified.

These materials can be converted from sheets or molded for direct use, like egg cartons. Innovative molded products can be used for packaging dunnage and protection. These materials are 100% recyclable, and very effective. Depending on caliper, they can be die-cut, folded, wrapped or formed to fit nearly every application.

Structured fiber sheets are sometimes in direct competition with corrugated sheets. Price depends largely on thickness and shape. It can't be beat in bulking uses like wall and facade construction materials, but in container and packaging dunnage uses, price and availability may be close to corrugated.

Michael J. Ducey

Consulting Technical Editor

415/928-7297

paperfo@earthlink.net