Abstract
Every company which manufactures and transports products, whether long distance or otherwise, has a critical decision to settle on, which is the type of material which is most suitable for the product which is to be shipped and the length of distance for which the product is to be shipped. The choice for that businessman is mainly between three types of material which is wood, plastic, and paper. A successful choice is important for the success of the product and the un-ideal choice could yield unfavorable consequences. In this paper, we are going to compare the merits of each type of material over the other to provide the basic sense of how a choice could be made.
For every customer and every businessman, the choice of material in which the food or any other product is packed for shipping is critical because the seller wants the product to get to the buyer in its most optimal condition while the customer wants to receive it as such. For certain products, it is critical to maintain shape, while for others, it is crucial that shipping does not scratch or bump a product which took several hundreds or thousands of dollars and numerous man hours to reach to its finished state.
Like for instance, a fridge has to be packed in such a way that its polish does not get scratched up and also so that the machinery does not get damaged due to hitting hard surfaces. Also, since a refrigerator is pretty heavy, it is also critical that the packing itself does not add tremendously to its immensity and it is also recommended that the packing material be easy to handle the product in through transportation. Many companies therefore pack the refrigerator in cardboard while others also use wooden boxes.
So whether it be paper, plastic or a wood based packing material, each and every one has its own merits and every one also lacks in certain ways. In the next few pages, we are going to see in detail how.
Firstly, let’s go ahead and compare the two avenues of packaging which come to us from natural resources which are the wood and the paper based packages for the purpose of shipping. There is a very key demerit to both of these packaging options which is that since they both come to us from wood, they lead to deforestation and are not the easiest options for the conscience to reason with. A merit however is that since they come from natural source, paper and wood based packaging materials are not as expensive and therefore do not considerably raise the price of the product which is to be packed and shipped.
The key advantages of paper over wood packaging is that it does not add to the weight of the already heavy products and this slightly reduces the costs of shipping where that cost is directly linked to the weight of the object under transportation. Secondly, since paper is a little flexible and because it deforms itself, its flexibility means that it is not going to break during transportation. Also, the paper is easier to print on and therefore safety instructions could be printed on it which could ensure the safe delivery of the product in question.
For the more small-scale needs of the consumer, the paper based packing material is ideal because it is light weight and smaller to carry in comparison to wooden packing boxes. This is the reason why most of the perfumes, cosmetics and processed food products or in paper boxed rather the wood one. They are easy to transport and even easier to dispose of.
A few demerits of paper packaging over wooden is that since it is flexible and since it absorbs shock, it could also de-shape the production which is under transportation. In addition, even though paper container do not break very often, they can get torn off and they might leave the product be it a machinery or a piece of furniture, exposed to wind, rain and dust during transportation.
There are also a few benefits that both wood and paper based packing material have in common and that is that they are biodegradable which means they do not stay in the environment forever rather, they decompose and become part of the soil and this makes them more friendly towards the environment. Because of the same advantage, there are a number of customers who prefer to use paper based packing materials. For Europeans, the ratio of the people who would prefer paper packets over any other is 93%. Paper and wood based packaging combined have the largest share in the US market which stands at 34% compared to the 27% share of rigid plastic packages.
When it comes to paper versus plastic, we have a clear winner and the choice of the users very clearly gives evidence of the same. With the plastic packaging, the greatest problem is disposal, and with a material which is to become an eternal part of the environment in the least ideal manner, it invites more inconvenience compared to how easy it makes life for us. This is why in between plastic and paper, the paper bag or paper packaging is the more sustainable choice and it is therefore better for the environment in the long run.
There is however also a problem when it comes to using the paper bag over plastic ones. This is a problem which I have myself faced when at the supermarket. It was during one of those green campaigns that the man at the counter refused to put my grocery into plastic bags so I had to buy a paper one in its stead. Since it was quite pricey, I could only get one. This meant that I had to fit all of my shopping into that single bag and my friend could not help me carry it back home. There was also the danger of that bag tearing open and my groceries spilling out in the street so I found myself treading with utmost care on the journey back.
So the demerit of paper over plastic is that the paper can only hold a limited weight unless there is plastic added to that paper bag. It is less flexible compared to plastic and so it could tear up through transportation. It can also not withstand getting wet because liquids can dissolve the paper bag while the plastic bag stands strong in the face of that challenge.
The choice of plastic versus wood arises in a few conditions but in this case, there is no one clear winner because both of these materials serve their own merits and demerits, and are used for distinct purposes. Flexible plastic is rarely used for fragile objects like fruits and breakable crockery. This is where wooded crates come in handy and this is the reason why they are so popular amongst so many manufacturers.
When it comes to the benefits of wood over plastic, one is that of strength. Wood is stiff which makes it ideal for packaging delicate objects. Also, since it is less air tight compared to hard plastic containers, it is ideal for transportation of products which are perishable like fruits and vegetables, particularly over longer distances. Wood is also 3-6 times cheaper when it comes to packaging in pallets compared to the plastic ones. It therefore saves on cost. Additionally, while plastic possess the attribute of collapsing without warning; wood does not suffer from the same weakness which makes it a tad more reliable.
There is one area where the plastic pallet is handier and comes one top in the face-off between wood and plastic. That attribute is that of cleanliness. When it comes to the transportation of material which is to be kept sanitary, these plastic pallets could be treated with chemicals to make them suitable to transport pharmaceutical products. The same however cannot be made possible for wooden pallets.
All in all, it is not an easy task to conclude the debate in favor of any one type of packaging material. When we talk about sustainability and the environment, paper and wood are the two obvious choices, but only they cannot keep the market going; because without plastic, the pharmaceuticals won’t be transported. All three of these materials are necessary for packaging and adapted to various forms, each type of the packaging material serves a distinct purpose.
List of References
Atlas boxing and Crating Company. (2012, September 29). Advantages And Disadvantages Of Corrugated Cardboard Boxes. Retrieved from Atlas Box: https://atlasbox.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-corrugated-cardboard-boxes/
Gaulle, C. d. (2013). Wood and Paper in the Packaging Industry. Bonn, Germany: FSC Global Development.
Hamblin, P. G. (2013, January 11). Benefits of Paper-based Packaging. Retrieved from Lagrangeil: http://www.lagrangeil.com/technology/benefits-of-paper-based-packaging.html
Herwood Inc. Pallets. (2012, August 27). Wood versus plastic—your pallet questions answered. Retrieved 2012, from HWP Pallets: http://www.hwppallets.com/news/wood-versus-plastic%E2%80%94your-pallet-questions-answered-35.aspx
