Paper tape. Ecology in the world of packaging

E-commerce is developing at a crazy pace. Every year, the charts show a several-percent increase in interest in online shopping, peaking during the coronavirus pandemic. It is still a relatively young branch of the economy that keeps evolving, adapting to the standards of the modern world. That is why more and more companies operating in this sector invest in eco-friendly solutions for the environment.

Courier companies are choosing electric delivery vans. Seeing them on the streets of large Polish cities is no longer any surprise. EU institutions are trying to introduce further regulations aimed at reducing the amount of plastic waste in e-commerce.

Reducing and disposing of packaging is one of the most important problems in online commerce. Scientists are working on reusable parcels, but that is still a thing of the future. As the website dhlexpress.pl [1] reports, nearly 30 percent of parcels in online sales are returned, which creates additional waste. By comparison, in traditional retail this share is only 9 percent, and not all items there are packaged in plastic or paper.

Because of traditional tapes made of polypropylene film with an adhesive additive, proper recycling of cardboard boxes is very difficult and sometimes even impossible. An eco-friendly solution is modern paper tapes activated with water, which are gaining more and more popularity in the industry as an excellent solution for the environment. The tapes are made from wood pulp, are fully biodegradable, and can be recycled together with the packaging.

In this article, we take a closer look at eco-friendly paper tapes from the Bublaki brand.

What does shopping online look like?

Let’s stick to the statistics.

The report "Polaków Portfel Własny: Polacy w Sieci" prepared by Santander Consumer Bank shows that already nearly 88 percent of us shop online [2]. As many as 60 percent of respondents noticed that in the last year they bought online more often than in previous years, using marketplace platforms (e.g., Allegro, Ceneo, Amazon, Empik), where many sellers offer products in one place.

The most popular categories are clothing and footwear. Such items are ordered by as many as 59 percent of respondents. Next in the ranking are cosmetics, electronics, medicines and dietary supplements, and consumer electronics/home appliances. Consumer preferences differ by gender. Women most often buy clothes and shoes, as well as body and hair care and beauty products. Men, on the other hand, most often choose items from three categories: electronics, consumer electronics/home appliances, and sports.

In brick-and-mortar stores, we still prefer to buy food products, which was confirmed by as many as 91 percent of respondents. Many people are potentially worried about food not being fresh or simply want to choose the product themselves. A supermarket employee will not inspect each tomato from every side, but will just pick the first fruit from the edge.

The upward trend continues steadily. Among the key advantages of online shopping, consumers point to convenience, a richer store offering, more promotions, or the ability to check reviews of a specific product. Customers gladly use comparison engines to choose an item at the best price, as well as various payment and delivery options. Of course, you should also remember the threats that await on the Internet. Scammers try to trick buyers, including by stealing sensitive data (phishing), BLIK codes, or listing fake products.

What is paper tape?

Paper tapes are characterized by high durability, are safe for the environment and health, and at the same time very economical. They effectively protect the contents of transported parcels, being resistant to weather conditions—something we cannot always say about traditional tapes. Most tapes contain an adhesive based on potato starch. Thanks to this, they are fully recyclable together with the cardboard, which is a significant convenience when sorting waste.

There are several types of paper tapes:

Water-activated paper tapes: Tapes with an adhesive based on starch or other natural substances that activate when exposed to water. Thanks to them, during packing you will use much less material to fully secure the parcel, and at the same time enable its later recycling.

Reinforced gummed paper tapes: These tapes are intended for the largest parcels, where products exceed a dozen kilograms. Special fiberglass fibers form a mesh visible in the tape texture, which increases resistance to stretching and tearing.

Self-adhesive paper tapes: Self-adhesive tapes work similarly to traditional plastic ones. Their main advantage is, of course, that they are made from eco-friendly wood pulp and use a different adhesive substance.

Why are paper tapes eco-friendly?

Bublaki are made from wood pulp, i.e., material produced from used cardboard, newspapers, and other paper materials from recycling. No chemical substances are used to produce the pulp, which is safe for the environment and eco-friendly. The resulting material is durable and flexible and can take various shapes.

It is worth noting that a single tape will decompose by 83 percent within 4 months after water activation. In addition, Bublaki meet international quality and safety standards. The ISO standard ensures that the tape was manufactured with appropriate quality and attention to detail, and additionally under safe, eco-friendly conditions. The RoHS standard indicates that the product contains no substances harmful to the environment.

Which paper tape should you choose?

On the bublaki.pl website, we can find modern paper tapes that can be used in many places. The tapes are divided into three categories: water-activated paper tapes, reinforced paper tapes and self-adhesive paper tapes. Individual tape types differ in width and roll length.

To further streamline the process of packing items with paper tape, it is worth getting a dedicated dispenser. On bublaki.pl, devices are available for different purposes: for private use, for small and medium-sized companies, and for large enterprises. They differ in efficiency and operating mechanism (manual or fully automatic).

We discussed dispensers for gummed tape in more detail in another blog post: Aesthetics and easy packing with Bublaki dispensers.

Summary

E-commerce continues to gain popularity in our country. Already 88 percent of Poles shop online. Statistics show that the biggest problem in this branch of the economy is still ecology and environmental protection. More and more often, we see electric delivery vans on the streets of large cities, reducing CO2 emissions. However, at the moment the priority for most companies is reducing waste. Returns in online sales reach as much as 30 percent, which only intensifies the problem.

Modern water-activated paper tapes are an excellent alternative to traditional acrylic tapes, which greatly complicate recycling of cardboard packaging. The tapes offered by Bublaki are biodegradable, resistant to weather conditions, and can be recycled together with the cardboard. Additionally, they meet international quality and safety standards, making them an environment-friendly solution. You can choose from several different types of paper tapes. Reinforced tapes are intended for the heaviest parcels, while ensuring the safety of everyone involved (sender, courier, recipient).

[1] https://dhlexpress.pl/ekologiczny-e-commerce-jak-radzic-z-odpadami/
[2] https://www.santanderconsumer.pl/gfx/santander/userfiles/_public/o_banku/raport_ppw_polacy_w_sieci.pdf