Protective packaging ensures products reach their destination safely and securely without damage or related problems. Businesses in many industries, including food and beverage, electronics, automotive and aerospace, use protective packaging materials to protect raw materials or parts and products during shipping, storage and handling.
This guide comprehensively examines everything you need to know about protective packaging to help you choose the right option for your specific applications.
Defining Protective Packaging
Protective packaging refers to materials built to buffer or insulate products from potential harm, damage or destruction during shipping, handling or storage. It is made from various materials, including plastic, cardboard or metal.
You can leverage it as primary packaging, the first layer of product protection. Primary protective packaging must be of the highest quality because it’s in direct contact with the products and maintains their quality and characteristics. It may also be used as secondary protective packaging, making for easier and safer handling, transport and storage without impacting the products’ qualities and attributes.
Protective packaging safeguards products from various elements, from corrosion to electrostatic damage. Common options include:
- Air pillows
- Shrink packaging
- Moisture barrier bags
- Desiccant packs
- Anti-static bags
- Plastic films
Lack of protective packaging may jeopardize the aesthetic or functionality of your products.
Why Use Protective Packaging?
Protective packaging is used in a variety of different industries including electronics, appliances, automotive, pharmaceuticals, and more. These businesses rely on their protective packaging to store their products safely, ship them to their customers, and import parts from other countries. Some of the products in these industries are very delicate and sensitive, which is why there is a huge need for reliable protective packaging.
Why Is Protective Packaging Essential?
Protective packaging has many benefits for your business, brand and bottom line. These advantages result from the availability of different types and degrees of protective packaging, which allow protection against different conditions, including moisture and extreme temperatures. The following are the main advantages your company can enjoy.
Increased Cost Savings
Investing in protective packaging can lead to significant cost savings by minimizing the risk of product damage. Damaged goods result in losses and reduced profits when customers request exchanges or refunds. Getting the right size of protective packaging reduces shipping costs by ensuring the products fit perfectly and streamlines the shipping weight and costs.
Boosted Business Reputation
Modern consumers care a lot about their unboxing experience. Many say it determines their first impression of your brand and their purchasing decisions. Protective packaging ensures customers receive their products in the perfect shape, ensuring their satisfaction and creating a positive impression of your company. A positive impression and perception of your brand boost your reputation and encourage business return by gaining trust and credibility.
Prevented Physical Damage
Protective packaging prevents physical product damage by absorbing shock, vibrations and impact during shipping and transportation. Additionally, it prevents the entry and accumulation of dust and dirt on the product, which may impact hygiene or reduce value. It’s also sturdy enough to avoid compression damage when heavy items are stacked on each other.
High-quality packaging protects against puncture and abrasion caused by sharp objects, rough surfaces and external forces. It also prevents the breakage and destruction of fragile or delicate items, such as glassware or electronics.
Additional Moisture Protection
Moisture is a common handling, transportation and storage threat that may damage many products, including foods, beverages, auto parts, leather items and pharmaceuticals. Moisture-absorbent packaging keeps the products dry by reducing humidity levels and water vapor. This packaging prevents different types of product damage, such as corrosion and mold.
Superior Protection for Specialty Products
Protective packaging may be customized to offer superior protection to specialty products. For instance, anti-static packaging bags are designed to combat electricity buildup and minimize electrostatic discharge, preventing damage to computers and other electronic devices.
Volatile corrosion inhibitors (VCI) are protective packaging materials that prevent rust and corrosion on metal surfaces. Temperature-controlled packaging prevents damage to food, beverages and pharmaceuticals that may be affected by extreme heat or cold.
Common Packaging Threats
Packaging is meant to secure shipments while ensuring the product’s exterior appeals to the customer. However, goods encounter many threats, hazards, and risks during shipping that may affect aesthetics and functionality. Numerous factors along the supply chain may negatively impact packaging and the products it contains.
Here are the most common threats to packages.
Moisture and Humidity
Moisture and humidity are common threats to packages during transit and storage. Moisture can penetrate the package, damaging the products that are being shipped or delivered. It comes from water from rain, floods, or storms leaking into shipping containers, negatively impacting products not in watertight packaging.
Lack of ventilation in shipping containers leads to condensation or container sweat when there’s no steady supply of cool air inside. High humidity levels or rapid temperature fluctuations increase condensation levels. Moisture and humidity may cause several types of damage, including the following:
- Corroding or creating rust on electronic and metal products
- Forming mold and mildew on fabrics and materials
- Peeling or damaging of labels containing essential information
- Warping or weakening of a package’s or product’s structure
Moisture or vapor barrier bags offer superior protection against dampness resulting from humidity, water leakage or condensation. They can be made from paper-backed aluminum, polyethylene or asphalt-coated paper and protect a wide range of items, including food, chemicals, metal parts and electronics.
Silica gel or clay desiccant packs are placed in packages to absorb moisture, humidity, odors and other air-borne chemicals. They can be paired with humidity indicator cards to detect moisture.
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
Electrostatic discharge refers to the electrostatic charge or static electricity that builds up when two conductors rub together. It’s common when shipping metal products or electronic parts that may encounter dielectric failures or electrical shorts. ESD occurs during handling and assembly as employees walk or move around a facility. Packages moving on conveyors, assembly machines and trucks may also generate static charge.
Other factors that affect the formation of ESD include environmental humidity, which impacts a product’s ability to dissipate charges and a material’s chemistry and ability to store a charge. ESD can cause different types of problems, including:
- Failure of electronic devices.
- Latent damage or defects.
- Circuit melting or junction failure.
- Explosions caused by fuel dust or vapor.
Static shielding bags are the best protective packaging for shipping products susceptible to static charge. These products include explosive or volatile substances, processors, memory cards, disk drivers, semiconductors and sensitive electrical components. They work by creating the Faraday cage effect, which disperses electromagnetic radiation.
Most static shielding bags comprise three layers with different functionalities. The innermost layer is made from dissipative polyethylene to restrict static electricity buildup. The middle layer consists of aluminum or carbon that grounds any charges before they reach the products. Finally, the outermost layer is polyester and a static dissipative coat that disperses external electric charges.
Corrosion
Rust or corrosion negatively affects the quality and integrity of metals. Unprotected metals commonly corrode when exposed to moisture or humidity. Other factors like high temperatures, acidic pH levels and electrolytes like saltwater and acid speed up the chemical reactions that cause corrosion of metal products. These factors may also tarnish the exterior or result in structural damage to the material.
Corrosion may lead to extensive damage by deteriorating or weakening metal products over time. Volatile corrosion inhibitor packaging provides superior protection against corrosion. They create a secure and enclosed environment that keeps condensation and moisture out for prolonged periods to prevent oxidation and other associated reactions.
VCI protective packaging creates a thin, almost invisible layer that prevents contact with corrosion compounds like oxygen, water and salt. Packing metal parts with hygroscopic desiccants keeps metal products dry by absorbing moisture and preventing chemical reactions. Moisture barriers are an affordable alternative to VCI packaging that ensures no moisture collects on the products.
Shipping and Handling
The shipping process poses many threats that can damage the package and its contents. One of the major causes of damage during shipping is using packaging that’s too big. This means the products move and knock against each other, causing breakages and scratching. Using inadequate packaging material fails to provide your products with sufficient cushioning.
Therefore, choosing protective packaging for your products helps to prevent shipping and handling damage. It provides sufficient cushioning and support to preserve the quality and integrity of products. Cushioning and dunnage are a form of protective packaging that minimize the risk of shipping and handling damage by filling the gaps or absorbing impact shock.
While many people use cushioning and dunnage interchangeably, the two terms have some distinct differences:
- Cushioning: It is designed to fill gaps in packaging to stabilize products and absorb shock and vibrations — common examples of air pillows, bubble wrap, honeycomb sheets, foam wrap and packing peanuts.
- Dunnage: It’s a protective packaging material that separates items during shipping, providing stability during transport and handling. Wood pallets, plastic wrapping and bubble wrap are examples of dunnage that prevent product shifting and bumping.
Industrial Applications for Protective Packaging
The following are the key industries requiring protective packaging for storage and transport.
Food Industry
Protective packaging protects food items from various forms of damage. For starters, it prevents contamination by bacteria, physical impurities and fungi, minimizing the risk of spoilage and foodborne diseases. It also ensures that food stays fresh for longer by preventing deterioration caused by temperatures, moisture, oxygen, heat, cold and light.
With protective packaging, you can rest assured that your food items reach your customers without expiring, being deformed, losing texture or developing mold and mildew.
Consequently, the food service industry averages two types of protective packaging. Moisture barrier bags to prevent contamination by humidity, water, oxygen or grease and desiccant bags to absorb moisture and prevent mold and mildew formation.
Electronics Industry
Electronic equipment, devices and parts require special handling to ensure functionality at the point of delivery. Vibrations and bumps can damage these components while in transit, making protective packaging essential.
Static, which builds up as the parts rub together to create electrostatic discharge, is another risk factor when transporting electronic components.
Businesses in the electronics industry leverage protective packaging materials like static shielding or anti-static bags to create a static-free environment for sensitive components such as circuit boards, memory cards and disc drivers.
Desiccant packs may also be included when shipping electronics to absorb moisture or, better yet, volatile corrosion inhibitor packaging to create a protective environment against corrosion.
The Military
Military specification (mil-spec) packaging materials must meet the United States Department of Defense (DoD) standards.
This packaging can be used for packing and delivering military items like uniforms, which are made of materials that require special attention. Protective packaging ensures military uniforms are shielded from external conditions to keep them dry and maintain their appearance. However, businesses in a wide range of industries commonly use military-grade protective packaging to ensure their products receive the best level of protection and care.
Durable and precise protective packaging ensures safety for transporting explosive and hazardous materials. It boosts stability during shipping and can create a dry, sealed environment for transporting sensitive documents to military sites.
Automotive and Aerospace Industries
The aerospace and automotive industries leverage numerous parts to assemble complete vehicles or aircraft. Hot and humid environments threaten the integrity of the parts, potentially affecting the safety of the completed vehicles. As a result, protective packaging in the form of moisture bags and desiccants preserves the parts and components by shielding them from exposure to water and humidity.
The aerospace industry also leverages static shielding bags that protect electronic-based equipment and computers from static shock. These bags can be open-ended, heat-sealable or re-closable zippers, making them ideal for transporting and storing various metallic or electronic aircraft parts.
How to Choose the Right Protective Packaging Materials
There are many types of materials that offer different levels of protection in packaging.
Here are the top three considerations to make when selecting protective packaging solutions:
Custom sizing: Customizing the size of packaging materials provides superior protection for your products and saves you money by using just enough materials to fit the product’s size and shape.
Protective packaging products: There are various protective packaging products to choose from, and the right one for you will be determined by your unique shipping and storage needs. Go with options that specifically protect your products, such as ESD for electronic devices and components.
Quality: Partnering with a reliable manufacturer ensures you invest in packaging that provides the highest quality protection. Mil-spec packaging meets these safety and quality standards to safeguard your items from various hazards.
Contact Edco Supply Corporation for High-Quality Protective Packaging
With so many factors to consider when choosing the right types of protective packaging, you need a reliable partner to find the best materials and solutions.
Edco Supply Corporation is a leading industrial and commercial protective packaging solutions producer. We have an extensive industry understanding and a dedicated team of experienced professionals to guide you through the selection process.
Browse our expansive product catalog, featuring a variety of protective packaging solutions, or contact us to request a quote today.
