Galaxus case: Can protective plastic air cushioning be sustainable?
Absolutely, especially when talking about CO2 emissions!
Protective packaging is protecting products... in a sustainable way
The impact of using post-consumer recycled material: PCR material is made from true waste from consumers. It has completed its life cycle as a retail or consumer item, like plastic bags, bottles and plastic packaging. By changing from virgin air cushions to Pregis Renew air cushions, your CO2 emission decreases significantly.
When we order something on the internet we all want to receive the item undamaged. The packaging is crucial to avoid damage. Not just the outer box but also what we put inside – the cushioning material. It prevents movement from the product in the box and must absorb shocks because the travel your item makes, is often bumpy and harsh.
Our customer Galaxus strives for the lowest possible impact on the environment of all materials they use in their supply chain. For that reason they changed from air cushions made from 100% virgin material (fossil based) to AirSpeed Renew air cushions. These contain 30% post-consumer recycled material.
Testing with real products showed that the Renew air cushions provide the best protection. And making sure the item you ordered is delivered on your doorstep intact is the best they can do for the environment! When something arrives broken – it needs to be reproduced – reshipped etc. This has an impact on materials and CO2 emission that by far exceeds the impact of the protective packaging material.
Choosing this Renew air cushions is not the final sustainable step for Galaxus. Soon they start testing AirSpeed Renew Zero air cushions: a CO2 neutral cushion with zero fossil based materials.
Stay tuned for their next step in sustainable protective packaging!
