Plastic-Free Protection: Paper Shred and Honeycomb Wrap
Paper shred and honeycomb wrap are definitely having a moment, and this has everything to do with saving resources. Paper shred and honeycomb wrap provide plastic-free protection to goods and gifts in both effective and economical ways. Not only are they plastic-free, they are also lightweight, easy to use, sustainable, and compostable.
As viable replacements to bubble wrap and plastic air pillows, they offer as much protection at a significantly lower cost to the environment. Read on to learn more about these versatile and eco-friendly packing products.
Paper shred
Paper shred is an essential packing product for small businesses and everyday home use. It’s a versatile tool that you can stuff into any container. It can absorb impact around a product of any shape as well as keep it in place. In this way, paper shred is both a void filler and cushion. Also, our paper shred is biodegradable, which is not only great for the environment, but also for your business’ branding.
At Koch & Co., we have a great range of paper shred suitable for packing any number of materials and shapes. Koch & Co’s shredded paper is cut to 3mm wide crinkle-cut strips made from 100% recycled 80gsm paper. Our paper shred is a handy and versatile tool whose bouncy quality helps to display the items in your packaging at the right height and angle. Use it in the packing of gift baskets, hampers, wine bottles, and festive wreaths. Whether it’s for delivery packing or retail packaging, paper shred is an elegant and sustainable way to keep your products and gifts safe.
Is all paper shred the same?
Not all paper shred is the same. At Koch & Co., we have a variety of different options that have enough integrity to support not only light but also heavy-weight items.
Crinkle Cut Shred
The crinkle cut of our premium shred improves its ‘bounce’. This means it does not crush as easily as tissue paper or inferior quality paper shred. Because they are not as ‘bouncy’ or resilient to weight and impact, normal paper shreds do not protect fragile goods as effectively as Koch & Co varieties. Being more crushed and less bouncy, this means that while some shred may be cheaper, more is needed for the job at hand. By the same token, this also means that you need less Koch & Co. shred to add volume and support. Crushed and dense cheap paper shred not only leads to greater consumption of packaging materials, it also has a coarser texture.
Food-Grade Shred
At Koch & Co., we also stock easy-to-use food-grade paper shred. This shred is manufactured under strict conditions to be compliant with food safety standards. Ideal for food hampers and food packaging, the paper and inks that make up this shred range are produced from raw materials certified for direct food contact.
Wood Wool
If you require additional shred or filler, check out our wood wool. Wood wool is a popular choice for hampers and wine packaging. Food safe and made sustainably in a 100% chemical-free process in New Zealand, our wood wool is a sustainable product that adds rustic charm and is sustainably made with by-products from logging.
Honeycomb wrap
Recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable, honeycomb wrap is made from kraft paper. As such, it provides an eco-friendly way to wrap fragile goods for shipping or retail packaging. Honeycomb wrap is flexible and stretchy in all directions due to the honeycomb shaped cells that form its structure. Non-bulky and lightweight, honeycomb paper can wrap around any shape with full coverage to provide a cushioning not dissimilar to bubble wrap. Use it as both a wrap and a void filler. It’s so effective, industrial companies use honeycomb paper to wrap pallets in their processing facilities.
How does honeycomb wrap work?
When honeycomb paper wraps around an object, the slits in the paper open and flex into a honeycomb cell shape. This increases the volume of the paper. The increased volume signals the ‘flexing’ of the honeycomb cells. These cells are strong when flexed thanks to the unique combination of the hexagonal-shaped cell and the stiff nature of the kraft paper. These qualities help to create an effective cushion of ‘honeycomb’ around the object.
How do I use honeycomb wrap?
Honeycomb wrap comes sold in compact rolls of kraft paper that stretch to show their honeycomb structure when in use.
- Put your object on your honeycomb wrap and roll the paper over it, like you would roll a sushi roll.
- The incisions in honeycomb wrap make it perforated. As such, cutting honeycomb wrap is simply a ‘pull and tear’ situation! Tear the wrap with one hand in a fluid motion while holding down your wrapped object in the other.
- Finish wrapping your object. The honeycomb cells that make up this wrap interlock, which cancels out the need for sticky tape.
Honeycomb wrap has become increasingly popular, and at Koch & Co., our honeycomb packaging is FSC certified. FSC certification indicates that our honeycomb wrap can be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to have been made from wood harvested from forests that are responsibly managed, socially beneficial, environmentally conscious, and economically viable. Also, At Koch & Co., we are proud to endorse this product by using it in our own packaging for delicate product deliveries to our clients.
The many ways paper shred and honeycomb wrap provide plastic-free protection to goods provides a win-win for a business’ bottom line and the environment.
For more information about protective packaging as well as plastic-free shred and fillers, read our other Koch Blogs A Guide to Wood Wool & Shred Buying and Wrap and Pack with Sustainable Kraft Products.
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