Why retailers are using cardboard as a packaging material

The most preferred packaging material used by most of the retailers is cardboard. Whether it is packing a small food item to large refrigerators and televisions. 

If you are looking for growing your business from a small scale to a large scale, you should grasp the knowledge about cardboard as your packaging material. Here you will get to know more about different types of cardboard used for packaging by famous retailers and how the different packaging style of cardboard makes the business efficient, advantages and disadvantages of cardboard packaging and future aspect of cardboard as a packaging material. Most retailers use cardboard as packaging material as cardboard boxes are most durable and much safer for your products. These are lightweight, easily affordable, and protect your goods and products. Unlike plastic, cardboard materials are much eco-friendly and reusable as it is made from paper pulp which comes mostly from fast-growing pine trees. 

In today’s time due to the outbreak of the pandemic disease COVID-19, it is very important to protect the food items from microbes and all sorts of food-born diseases or illness and this is taken care of by cardboard packaging which ensures no microbes can enter inside the packaging material. Package design and construction play a significant role in determining the shelf life of a food product. The right selection of packaging materials and technologies maintains product quality and freshness during distribution and storage.

Cardboard is thicker than paper with a higher weight per unit area and often made in multiple layers. These features lead to better barrier properties than paper. It is commonly used to make containers for shipping, such as boxes, cartons, and trays, and seldom used for direct food contact. 

Common style of cardboard used by retailers for packaging

There are mainly 3 common types of cardboard designs used by famous retailers for brilliant packaging. These are :

1. Corrugated fiberboards (Corrugated boxes)
2. Paperboards (Folding cartons)
3. Rigid boxes with cover (Set-up boxes)

1.Corrugated fiberboards

These are the brown boxes with varying sizes. It is used as a courier packaging or packaging of your belongings while shifting from one place to another. These boards have 3 layers, a fluted layer sandwich between two outer flat layers. The thickness of the box is decided by the fluted layer which is also responsible for the strength of the box. While packaging, the correct thickness of the box is kept in the mind by many retailers for the safe packaging of their products. 

2. Paperboard (Folding carton)

It is the most common type of cardboard boxes used for packaging by the retailers. It can be easily customized to our needs as it’s more flexible in shape and size. It can also withstand printing techniques and comes in varying materials like white boxes, kraft boxes, food graded boxes, etc.

3.  Rigid boxes (Set-up boxes)

As the name suggests, these boxes are hard and used for extra support for the important and delicate products. These boxes do not collapse easily and are way better than folding and corrugated boxes, and hence are used by many retailers to pack the products with safety.

Why are these cardboard boxes preferred over other materials

Here are some of the advantages of why cardboard boxes are used as a packaging material by almost every retailer to grow their business and think smarter to improve their sales. These are:

• The cardboard packaging ensures maximum protection of your products and goods. They are made stronger and at the same time provide cushioning stability for your products, so that it does not damage while handling and shipping. And your customers are satisfied with your products.
• Some of the cardboard boxes are designed to keep moisture and microbes away from the products, particularly food products which have to withstand long shipping time.
• Cardboard boxes for packaging are manufactured in such a way that it does not include shipping charge and extra labor charge, by making the cardboard boxes light and easy to handle and for free shipment for customers. Although these cardboard materials are light these are also strong enough to protect the goods inside it.
• Most of the cardboard boxes for packaging are very easy to customize as they are flexible and can be designed according to your personal business idea and requirements. This ensures your brand advertisement and awareness among customers about your business and can impress them.
• Another main advantage of cardboard packaging is that it is the most inexpensive and affordable packaging. It does not require a high labor cost or any other costly manufacturing tools.
• Apart from cost-effectiveness, cardboard boxes consume little space and can be stored in places with less space.
• Cardboard packaging is eco-friendly as discussed earlier. It is said so because these are made up of 70-100% recycled materials. Hence they do not harm the environment and are easily disposable. Also, it can be recycled and reused again and again.  

Hence based upon the above reasons most of the retailers used cardboard packaging as an effective and easy way for most of their goods and products.

Besides these advantages, there are a few disadvantages also for cardboard packaging which you should know before using cardboard as your packaging material. They are:

• Under extreme conditions like more pressure, the cardboard boxes can deform.
• These packaging boxes are not for heavier items or products, as they have relatively less endurance to mechanical stress.
• Some of the cardboard packagings are also not very good at weatherproofing like weatherproofing from water or other liquids. They may saturate easily or may damage the product present inside.

Besides all these disadvantages many of the retailers use cardboard packaging as the disadvantages are lesser than the advantages with little care given while handling. Including cardboard packaging in your business will be more effective and useful in the near future.

Nearly 90% of American products are packed with cardboard packaging. Plastics have to be banged in almost every country because of all the unhealthiness it is causing to the environment, to the ozone layer, and also to plants, animals, and human beings. 

Since plastics are being banned in India also and are already banned in developed countries including the USA, packaging industries are coming up with more innovative and ecofriendly ideas of using cardboard packaging instead of plastic wrapping. Plastic bags are being banned and paper bags are being promoted for a healthier and safer environment. Using cardboard packaging in your business has a brighter future and will last long with a little bit of care. 

I hope this article will be helpful to all the readers and people out there who want to start their own business in packaging. Also, customers should be aware of using paper bags instead of plastic bags and arise with helping hand to save our environment and to reduce pollutants from India as well as from Earth.