What’s an eco-friendly solution to plastic tape for retail and ecommerce?

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Plastic tape has long been a staple in packaging and shipping for retail and ecommerce as it provides a reliable, secure and safe way to seal parcels and boxes. However, the sheer volume of plastic tape now being produced to meet the increasing demands of online shopping for example, and its impact on the environment has raised concerns among businesses and individuals alike. New iTack offers a new groundbreaking eco-friendly solution to plastic tape that is effective but more importantly also environmentally friendly.

A different approach to plastic tape

The statistics of plastic tape production are not easy to ignore. The leading manufacturer produces over 12 million miles of tape each year, which breaks down to 22 miles every minute. That’s a lot of plastic! This amount of production creates  continued demand for new raw materials and unfortunately contributes the plastic waste crisis. Very little of it gets recycled and most plastic tape ends its lifecycle in landfills exacerbating the plastic pollution problem. This is not a positive situation for today’s retailers who are keen to show their eco-friendly achievements.

At Acopia, we felt the need for an eco-friendly solution to plastic tape to support Retailers in their sustainable ambitions. We set out to develop a product that could drastically reduce environmental impact without compromising on performance.

Plastic Tape Reimagined

iTack is a first-of-its-kind tape that is made entirely from 100% recycled plastic. Using recycled materials, iTack reduces the demand for new raw resources, changing the cycle of plastic production and end of life use. Choosing iTack means contributing to plastic waste reduction efforts and taking a step towards a more sustainable future.

iTack is paving the way for conserving natural resources, embracing a new way we can re-use waste and reducing energy consumption. It will significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions associated with manufacturing new plastic products. It’s a win-win solution that combines functionality with environmental responsibility.

What could iTack Mean for Your Retail Network?

For retailers looking to reduce their environmental impact, iTack offers a real solution. Not only does it provide an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastic tape, but iTack also performs equally well, ensuring packages arrive safely to their destination.

Choosing iTack means you’re making a statement about your commitment to sustainability and responsible packaging practices – and by making such a positive change with this innovation, it’s a good news story that you’ll want to make your customers aware of.

Using recycled tape along with other sustainable packaging choices will no doubt be welcomed by most consumers. To receive an online order parcelled up in entirely 100% recycled materials is a definite game-changer that supports a greener and more sustainable future for everyone.

 Make an informed decision with iTack

In summary, Retailers have several compelling reasons to use iTack from environmental responsibility and playing their part in reducing waste as well as contributing to a more sustainable way of doing business. We can provide iTack with your own branding with the opportunity to include an environmental message too.

It’s these small changes that collectively add up to greater change, keeping sustainability at the top of the agenda. Retailers who continue to add to the pollution problem will suffer at the consumer’s hands who want to see real change from the brands that they buy from.

If you would like to see how iTack performs in your own busy despatch department, you can get in touch for a free sample by calling us on 0845 075 6111.

And if you’d like to get in touch to find out more, just pop an email over to [email protected] for more.

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How to package items for FBA

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FBA stands for “fulfilled by Amazon.” It’s been estimated that around 7.7 billion packages are delivered globally every year. Therefore, if you are thinking about shipping items through Amazon, it is important that you use the proper packaging. That way, you can adhere to Amazon packaging requirements and make sure your package is safe on its journey to its customers.

 

If you are intending to send your packages out through FBA, you need to follow packaging regulations. Here is what you need to know to get started.

 

Why do I need to adhere to FBA packaging regulations?

 

Packaging for FBA is more than just finding a box to put your products in. Badly packaged products can have a number of consequences, including:

 

  • Being lost in transit
  • Being damaged in transit
  • Being mixed up due to badly labelled packaging
  • Being wasteful by not using eco-friendly packaging
  • Using too much packaging and hurting the environment
  • Damaging your brand and your business’s reputation

 

If you do not package your items properly, you may find that Amazon will issue a penalty. This could include blocking your future shipments, getting rid of your inventory, or even a non-compliance fee. That’s why it’s important to stick to the rules to ensure both Amazon and your customers are happy with your shipping packaging.

 

What sort of packaging should I use for Amazon FBA?

 

The type of Amazon FBA packaging you use will depend on the size of your items, what type of items you want to be delivered, and how they need to be shipped. There are some general requirements for packaging. These include:

 

  • Creating an FNSKU that is unique to the unit or type of product
  • Using Amazon barcodes, including ASIN or FNSKU, or manufacturer barcodes, including GCID, UPC, ISBN or EAN that are scannable and are easily readable
  • Making the package secure by using tape and placing it in a bag

 

Your packaging material can be provided by Amazon. This includes boxes, stretch wrap, poly bags and bubble packs. If you intend to use a box, keep in mind that you will need to use a B flute, regular slotted carton, Ect-32 and 200BH.

 

Can I use packaging materials for Amazon FBA?

 

Amazon FBA will allow you to use a variety of packaging materials to help you keep your items safe when you send them out in a parcel. You can use foam sheets, air pillows, paper sheets and bubble wrap.

 

Can I use labels on my packages?

 

It is necessary to use a label on your package to ensure it reaches the right customers. Amazon FBA have strict guidelines when it comes to the appearance of your labels.

 

All product labels must have the same product title that is under 50 characters. Don’t forget to capitalise the first letter of each word, but avoid using all caps, special characters, symbols and promotional titles.

 

If you intend to sell your items as a set, you have to have this marked on the package as well as the label. Be aware that all sets must be sold together. You will not be able to separate them.

 

Specialised packaging

 

There are going to be times when you ship products that will need to be packaged in a specific way. They will require specialised wrapping and preparation to ensure they successfully reach their buyers without breaking or becoming damaged. These products include:

 

  • Liquid products
  • Powder products
  • Pellets
  • Glass and ceramic items
  • Items with batteries
  • Jewellery
  • Baby items
  • Plexiglass

 

These items require specialised packaging to ensure they do not break or become contaminated on their journeys. You can find more information about their requirements on Amazon Seller Central.

 

What should I do before I ship an item?

 

Now that you understand packaging requirements for your products, it’s important that you keep a list you can check off throughout the shipment process. That way, you can ensure you fulfil all of the requirements and still give yourself enough time to make the shipment.

 

Are you ready to use Amazon FBA for your products?

 

Amazon FBA is a great way to grow your customer base. Whether your customers are scrolling and stumble across your product, or you advertise your product’s Amazon page, you’ll find that using Amazon FBA will make it far easier to get your products shipped as quickly as possible.

 

So, make sure that you follow the packaging regulations if you are going to use Amazon FBA. That way, you can ensure your customers are happy and that you are able to send out as many items as possible!

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How to Become Carbon Neutral?

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Two things to look at right now to start your journey to carbon neutral

We all often hear a lot of different terms being used to describe organisations moving towards doing greener businesses.  Terms such as net carbon zero, carbon neutral, carbon offsetting – as well as a lot of misinformation on what these terms all mean. It’s not easy to understand what your carbon goal could or should be or how to start your journey.  We take a look at what some of these terms mean and how you can make immediate changes within your business to make a difference from Day 1.

What does carbon footprint mean?

This is the calculation of an individual’s, a company’s or even a country’s carbon dioxide emissions. This is essentially a meaningful way to understand your environmental impact. It’s your first step on your journey to finding out what your emissions are and then implementing a program of reduction. As we say, to measure is to know!

What is Net Carbon Zero?

Net Zero refers to the complete elimination of carbon production. In simple terms, it means that the processes and activities taking place in a business generates net-zero carbon emissions. Sometimes companies, even countries, will publish and commit to a date to achieve this. The UK, for example,  has set a pledge to achieve net-zero by 2050. In fact it was set in law, with a milestone of a 78% reduction by 2035. 

What is Carbon Neutral?

Where business activities do create carbon emissions, a carbon-neutral approach can be adopted. This is sometimes described as Offsetting. So a company would measure it’s carbon footprint and use this calculation to remove the same amount of carbon from the atmosphere.

What is Climate Positive?

While carbon zero is an incredible goal to achieve, many seek to do more. Climate Positive, or sometimes referred to as Carbon Negative, is the focus on the removal of more carbon than is being produced. So this goes beyond Offsetting.

The 2 areas where can you start to make a difference today

If you’re a retailer there are 2 things that you can have an influence on right away – your packaging and how you use transport.

How the right packaging can help get you to carbon neutral

Packaging has become a big issue and sometimes a concern for consumers. Large eCommerce companies are often ‘called out’ by consumers who receive their online orders in wasteful packaging. Using your packaging efficiently not only cuts costs on the boxes themselves but if you’re posting your items – you’ll be charged more for those oversize boxes! And that’s not even thinking about damage to your brand reputation if something like this (below) happens. You will be seen as wasteful, not caring about your environmental impact and likely end up a ‘star’ on YouTube and social media for all the wrong reasons! You can see the full story about this unfortunate Amazon delivery and packaging fail here.

How the wrong packaging can disrupt your journey to carbon neutral

How the wrong packaging can disrupt your journey to carbon neutral

But getting good with packaging choice is much more than just cardboard box size – do you know its provenance? By that we mean:

Do you know where it was manufactured?

How many miles has it travelled to get to your facility?

Does it have FSC accreditations?

What percentage of recycled content does it have?

Can it be recycled by your customer? 

 

Will your customers be delighted with your packaging?

Will your customers be delighted with your packaging?

Having a better understanding of these criteria and challenging those weaker areas will all contribute to a better carbon footprint. An FSC accreditation, for example, is really something to shout about and something more consumers are looking out for. In fact, a recent survey revealed that 67% of those asked recognised the FSC logo and 75% stated that it was important for the packaging of the products they buy to be responsibly sourced. 

We’re proud that our eco-friendly e-commerce packaging range NEST is all responsibly sourced – all from the UK or Europe, many with FSC accreditations. You can find out more about the importance of FSC here. Every single product in the NEST range is 100% recyclable and many are manufactured with 100% recycled materials. We know the importance that customers place on recyclable packaging with over 88% of UK shoppers demanding on-pack information that highlights how environmentally friendly it is – or isn’t!

All this was factored into our thinking when launching a dedicated eCommerce packaging range and you can find out more about NEST here.

How clever use of transport can help get you to carbon neutral

Eliminating or reducing wasted miles has a hugely beneficial impact on your carbon footprint and getting smarter with how your operation or network uses transport is a very quick way to going greener faster. Think about the journeys your products take from sourcing to final delivery, the double handling they may go through and the travel infrastructure needed behind these processes.

Today, we see a definite trend in the move away from suppliers from the Far East and Asia. Companies who found prices attractive and could wait a reasonably long time for transport were forced to re-look at their supply chains once Covid started. Left high and dry and with escalating prices on top of that, this no longer became a reliable service for many. Throw in the environmental impact of products travelling thousands of mile makes sourcing closer to home now seems much more attractive.

Become carbon neutral with single source supply

Become carbon neutral with a single-source supply

If your business is a multi-branch operation, how can you optimise the process of sending your everyday consumables to your entire network? There is huge scope for getting smart with this area of your operation. Working with a single-source supplier is a really clever way to reduce your transport burden. This approach can also alleviate storage challenges you may have on-site, leaving more room in your warehouse for your profitable products. A single-source supplier can coordinate all your store deliveries effectively and efficiently – have it when you need it and in as few deliveries as possible.

The first steps

Without a doubt, packaging and transport changes will deliver quick green wins. To be able to demonstrate how your business is actively working to reduce its impact is something that is no longer nice to have. Having a Corporate Social Responsibility policy in place is something all end-user of your products will look for and your partners and staff will expect. There has never been a better time to start this process, document and showcase your carbon savings and take your first step to reduce your carbon footprint.

Need help getting started with this? Why not get in touch for free help and advice, drop us a message below.

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5 things to do to right now to beat the ecommerce cardboard shortage

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How to prepare your online business for Q4 2021 during a cardboard packaging shortage

We’re finding many e-commerce retailers are still struggling with the current situation on packaging supplies and looking for solutions due to the ongoing cardboard shortage, especially those concerned about the all-important Q4. There will be no surprises in that Christmas 2021 is expected to see more people shopping online which in turn puts increasing pressure on raw materials with manufacturers already struggling to keep up with cardboard box and paper packaging supply. You can read our guide to the facts behind the cardboard crisis here.

The ‘golden quarter’ at the end of every year is traditionally retail’s opportunity for recovery and growth but it all becomes a little bit difficult if you have a big online presence or are purely eCommerce – and you have no cardboard boxes to ship your stock out in!

So what steps can you take right now to make sure you’re able to maximise your sales this Christmas by having all your packaging ready to go?

 

5 ways to overcome the cardboard shortage

  1. Talk to your packaging supplier.
    Discuss your forecasts with them as soon as possible to ascertain whether they have what you need right now as well as evaluating their confidence in getting new supplies over the next few months. Also, understand how they see pricing panning out for you.
  2. If you know what you need – order now if you can!
    Yes, it may be 4-5 months before you require it, but by working closely with a supplier that can hold your stock for you for free for example, which you can call off as and when you need it is a great solution. You’ll also get the benefit of better pricing due to placing larger orders. In this way, you won’t run out of stock or be deluged with 6 months of supply to store! This approach guarantees to get your important Q4 sales out the door.
  3. Don’t be tempted by single-use plastic alternatives.
    Consumers will punish brands who talk about ethical packaging being part of their core values and goals and then switch to plastic due to the situation. Again, the answer is to find a supplier willing to work with you to achieve your packaging ambitions and if absolutely has to be plastic, be sure to make it clear to your customers about its recycled content and ongoing recyclability, such as these polybags.
  4. Get prices locked in!
    Finding and working with a supplier with a plentiful supply of eco-friendly eCommerce stock right now will undoubtedly be your best bet! If they have done their own due diligence with their paper mills and their own suppliers etc, they will no doubt have been hard at work on securing stock and resolving supply solutions for some time now, as we have. They should be able to offer you a good range with workable pricing, successfully navigating around the price hikes.
  5. Be open to something new!

    Beat the cardboard shortage with NEST eco-friendly packaging

    Beat the cardboard shortage with NEST eco-friendly packaging

Perhaps the cardboard shortage means it’s a time to re-look at your existing packaging, how it works with your products and the feedback from your customers. Is there room for improvement?  Try different solutions and discover innovative products that are really pushing eco-friendly boundaries. One such product is an eco-friendly void fill really maximising its green credentials. It’s called Zigglefil Kraft Eco and is probably the most eco-friendly void fill on the market today. Created as a manufacturing by-product of another very popular eco-friendly protective wrapping product called Snusghell, Zigglefil is delivered in reusable, recyclable cartons and sealed with paper tape. It doesn’t get much greener than that!

Beating the cardboard shortage together

Our cardboard shortage beater! The ecofriendly NEST packaging range

Our cardboard shortage beater! The eco-friendly NEST packaging range

We had the benefit of launching NEST, our new eco-friendly eCommerce packaging range last year which meant that we were sourcing and securing stock long before this current situation really took hold. Consequently, we have good supplies for cardboard boxes, mailers, wrapping and presentation products, void fill, paper tape as well as new paper document wallets.  You can shop our IN STOCK NEST range here

The beauty of the NEST range means you’re able to send a 100% eco-friendly parcel to your customer – both inside and out! This means the whole range is made from recyclable materials and is completely recyclable. Many products in the range are FSC accredited too. You can find out more about FSC products here.

If you have any queries on what eco-friendly products will work best for your product range, we’re here to help. We also offer free warehousing as well as direct to store delivery. Just pop us a message using the form below and we’ll get in touch. And if you’d like a sample of any of the range, we’re more than happy to send some for you to see and try.

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What’s the reason behind price hikes and shortages for cardboard boxes?

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12 months that saw prices for cardboard boxes rise ten-fold

As UK society takes more tentative steps towards recovery in a post-Covid world, international markets have been faced with everchanging circumstances and trying to navigate through them – as indeed we all have. We all saw petrol prices plummet when we went into the first lockdown due to a drop in demand as we all stayed at home. Other commodities in sharp contrast have been in huge demand as well as being impacted by unforeseen events. So, we are going to try to explain the contributory factors behind the price hikes for cardboard boxes and why it’s now been coined the hunt for the new ‘beige gold’!

How cardboard boxes became hot property

So how did this all start?

Well as you have probably guessed, the 2 main reasons behind this have been Covid and Brexit – but what is interesting is just how these factors played their part in price rises and supply shortages.

The cardboard ‘lifecycle’ very much depends and relies on recycling. Before the pandemic, high street retailers played a huge part in this recycling process, returning used cardboard boxes for recycling that arrived in-store. With the start of lockdown, non-essential retail closed and along with that came the seismic shift to eCommerce and home deliveries – this situation turned into a perfect storm. This meant a significant amount of cardboard was no longer available for that all-important collection and recycling. The reality was it was all piling up in consumer’s homes or worse, ending up in the landfill. The delicate circular economy of the manufacture of cardboard boxes collapsed.

The impact of eCommerce on box supply

And so started the next chain of events

Doorstep deliveries in cardboard boxes

Doorstep deliveries in cardboard boxes

Non-essential shops were closed. With consumers afraid to go out and visit even essential shops such as supermarkets – the UK took to buying online. People who had never shopped online before were forced to do so. Consumers were panic buying ahead of Brexit and after seeing the shelves stripped bare in supermarkets. A year ago, retailers were predicting that the way we shop could change forever as 33% more of us switched to getting our groceries delivered at home. By August of last year, three-quarters of us were doing the weekly food shop online.

Online retailers were also stockpiling cardboard boxes out of their own concerns about supply, Brexit and border disruptions. Businesses such as pubs, breweries, garden centres, flower growers and nurseries and charities all had to suddenly pivot their businesses online to survive. And what did they all need? Cardboard boxes!

Demand continued to grow, reaching record levels of online purchasing with an increase of over 74% – pushing box supply into further scarcity.  There were winners and also losers and if you were a retailer in the home and garden space, the only issue was being able to keep up with demand! The Royal Mail reported that there were over 200 million extra parcels processed through their courier networks in 2020 alone.

Cardboard supply in 2021

As we entered 2021, prices of old board had risen to £118 a tonne compared to £10 in January 2020. An article at the beginning of this year described the UK supply chain as “utterly overwhelmed” for corrugated board. At the same time, online retailers were being quoted double the normal cost to purchase their cardboard boxes and lead times being extended from a matter of days to two to three months.

In March this year, the Confederation of Paper Industries said that demand was 5 years ahead of pre-pandemic levels.

Simon Ellin, of the Recycling Association, stated the shortage was down to the “Amazon effect”. “There is a monumental increase in demand caused by the surge in online deliveries during the pandemic,” he said. “It’s a global shortage – not just the UK or EU – given huge demand from China. People are going around stealing cardboard.”

Current prices of old board are being reported at levels around £140.00 per tonne so the last few months are still showing strong price increases.

A look to the future with eCommerce and cardboard boxes

The affect of internet sales on cardboard boxes

The continuing rise of internet sales will impact the supply of cardboard boxes

The mills and manufacturers we work with are continuing to talk of extremely difficult conditions. Mills have been operating non-stop with machinery running in continuous and additional shifts without planned and reactive maintenance. They are now being forced to stop in turn to carry out these essential works.

We are being told that we should be in no doubt that getting hold of paper in this second quarter of this year is going to be more difficult than at anytime before in this crisis. Here are the 4 current factors, some we have looked at already, that will continue to dictate price and supply:

  • Mill downtime
  • Cost of imported paper up by 40% 
  • Waste supply and prices
  • Panic buying

Paper supply will continue to remain tight for the rest of 2021 – there is no doubt of this. We will have to all prepare for further increases in the very near future. Our best advice? Work closely with your supplier and continue to relentlessly monitor and manage your own supplies. You may have to make concessions such as using non-branded boxes or work with box sizes that aren’t your top choices. Investigating different void fill to make the most of different sized boxes may be worthwhile too. Make sure you look at your own forecasting and get orders into your suppliers as quickly as possible.

There is also no doubt that the UK’s love affair with eCommerce, born out of necessity from shopping restrictions due to Covid, will continue to grow. Last year, it was forecasted that we would spend £80,678 million in 2021 according to Statista so the struggle for cardboard boxes is definitely with us a while longer.

Need support or advice? We’re here to help. Just drop us a quick email and we’ll get right back to you.

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7 ways to build your ecommerce brand

Ecommerce is the name given to any business activity which depends upon electronically buying, selling and paying for goods and services over the internet. This can be B2C (Business to Consumer) or B2B (Business to Business). Most of these businesses will be selling tangible items, which then require a physical delivery service.

The whole process from purchasing online to delivery to location is all part of ecommerce. We have all probably bought something online, either for work or as a consumer. Many took to online ordering for the first time in this year’s pandemic and it changed shopping habits forever. Waitrose have stated that increase demand of online grocery shopping as a result of 2020 is now irreversible. But let’s take a look back to how this all started and what the future might hold for ecommerce.

How did ecommerce start?

The very first online buying and selling transactions were recorded around 40 years ago. An early UK inventor came up with an idea for ‘teleshopping’ – connecting a television set, a computer and a phone line! Then in the early 1990’s, the opening up of the internet was quickly taken advantage of by companies such as Amazon.

Accelerating growth over the next 20-30 years has recently become exponential. As previously mentioned, this has been assisted by the global Covid crisis. It resulted in projections for UK ecommerce sales in 2020 exceeding original levels that were not expected to be reached until 2027!

It’s expected that global mobile ecommerce retail sales will reach $3.5 trillion in 2021. The opportunities are huge, but the pitfalls can be disastrous if you’re not properly prepared. So, here are a few tips for a successful ecommerce business.

Build your ecommerce brand

Your brand is your product, your marketing and your service. Do everything you can to protect this. Registering a trade mark is quite inexpensive, but once you have done this you will need to make sure that the entire customer experience strengthens the brand. Do your market research thoroughly, then relentlessly pursue perfection in providing exactly what your target market demands. Brand is not just a logo, it is the whole customer experience, including the returns process.

Get found online

This is really the cornerstone for the success of your business. Google are championing Mobile First, a reaction to how the vast majority of buyers research and buy products versus desktop purchasing. This means your website not only has to look good, it needs to perform. Tactics from PPC, correct SEO on page formatting, picture optimization (so you come up in image searches too), product descriptions that include keywords – all this helps to build your online profile and ‘findability’.

Creating great searchable content will also draw in the enquiries. Get some professional help with site and page loading speeds. Slow loading leads to poor SEO rankings, and high percentages of website abandonment.

Be accessible

Provide every bit of information needed to help your potential customer make a decision right there and then. Make it very simple to find specs, select options, view prices, see when delivery will be and place the order.

Get your ecommerce packaging right

Despatch on time, and package suitably and securely. The first your customer will see of the goods is when they arrive on the doorstep, so make sure they will arrive in first class condition. Eco-friendly packaging is increasingly looked for by consumers, so this will most likely be an important part of your message.

Along with this, choose packaging of a suitable quality to reflect the value of the merchandise. Get ready to wow that first time customer with a great un-boxing experience!

Keep your customers updated

Communicate regularly at all stages of the process – don’t leave your customer in the dark. If things do go wrong, make sure you’re the first person to let them know and preferably by phone. A mistake or problem handled properly and empathetically will gain you a loyal customer.

Returns made easy

Ensure the returns process is very simple (a lot of packaging is designed to be easily re-used for returns), and process refunds fast. A seamless returns process, starting with the packaging, will make customers more likely to reorder.

Get the detail right

Small extra personal touches, or a special ‘thank-you’ message mean that the customer knows you really value their business. This will keep them coming back, and more importantly, spread the word!

Word of mouth

Make sure you encourage, and make it easy, for happy customers to post reviews. 55% of all online shoppers say that reviews have an impact on their buying decisions.  Pay attention to this important statistic and plan this to into your marketing activity.

What’s next?

Ecommerce presents huge opportunities, giving you access to millions of consumers who will benefit from your products. But do your research first! Make sure there is a market for your product, get your branding message right, have your infrastructure (IT and logistics) in place – then go for gold!

Why not let us know how you get on!

If you’re interested in learning more about packaging, why not take a look at these two further blogs on Plastic or paper and What does FSC stand for?

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