Today, sustainability is a genuine regulatory and operational requirement for e-commerce businesses. As the deadlines for the new European PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) approach, compliance offers an opportunity to transform your packaging into a driver of logistical and economic efficiency.
Beyond Materials: The Three Pillars of Modern Sustainability
According to the new guidelines, packaging isn’t “eco-friendly” just because it’s made of paper. To be considered as such, it must adhere to three key principles that are reshaping the rules of retail and e-commerce:
- Structural minimization: reducing weight and volume to the bare essentials, eliminating anything that does not contribute to the product’s protection.
- Design for recycling: designing packaging so that it can be easily sorted and recycled on a large scale (with a preference for single-material packaging).
- The recycling cycle: increasing the use of recycled materials—an area in which Italian cardboard stands out as a European leader.
The fight against "empty space": an obligation that leads to savings
One of the most significant changes in the PPWR concerns the ban on shipping empty space. By 2030, for e-commerce shipments, the maximum allowable empty space will be 50%. This means that large boxes filled with plastic or packing paper will have to give way to "on-demand" solutions or custom-cut packaging.
Less air means greater efficiency: reducing volume and optimizing product density allows logistics operations to fit more packages onto a single pallet, thereby lowering transportation costs (based onvolumetric weight) and CO2 emissions.
Moving from "box price" to "total cost of ownership" (TCO)
People often focus solely on the unit price of packaging. However, well-designed eco-friendly packaging generates savings throughout the entire supply chain. Here are some examples of the impacts it can have:
- Logistics: Quick-lock boxes increase the packing speed of warehouse staff.
- Shipping: A sturdy, custom-designed packaging solution provides better protection, thereby reducing the rate of returns due to shipping damage.
- Marketing: Unboxing is the first physical interaction between an e-commerce business and a customer; packaging that is excessive or filled with filler material is now seen as a sign of a lack of concern for the environment.
Would you like to find out how to optimize your packaging in light of the new regulations?
At Salco, we analyze your logistics flows to design solutions that reduce waste and costs, turning shipping into a competitive advantage.
