Keep learning with our Hospital Breakfast Briefings Webinar Series. But theres a way to maximize its space. Regardless of the percent of recycled content, the resulting corrugated is not as strong as its counterpart comprised of virgin material. Before putting together a plan to reduce package damage during distribution and transportation through the supply chain, you need to examine how damage occurs and ponder these questions. Given the economic and environmental costs vs. benefits of different materials, designs, applications and logistical operations, whats the best way to effectively manage these variables to make the most appropriate packaging decisions? The corrugated industry produces the N1 transport packaging in the world. There are those owing to dimensional changes: the corrugated absorbs moisture causing it to swell, warp, or distort to whatever degree. The result is known as moisture resistant adhesive (MRA). Stiffer trailers combined with rough roads can magnify the compressive stress on boxes by a factor of 10. At 85% RH, a box has 50% of its potential stacking strength. An official website of the United States government. Checkout our packaging and processing solutions finder, ProSource. The document was updated in 2019, the major change wasthe new TS 702 on Fishtailing & Gap variation. PDF Effect of Environmental Conditions on Performance of Corrugated Sheet Moisture Range for Paper: 4% to 18% Moisture range for baled scrap paper: 6% to 40% Selection of paper types : 3 The setting of Tolerance limits Displays Pass-Fail Report Average of up to 100 readings displayed Data storage: max 300 readings (100 per paper type) Inbuilt Calibration Facility Battery Type: Compact 9V Alkaline Battery Saving mode The data below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of other miscellaneous packaging generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled. 2)XxN=.26^k )B7/-:vb aZ-NQ@4M Higher humidity levels can drastically affect corrugate strength. Furthermore, such a transparent standard, adapted to the material, also respects all its specific qualities . Store boxes flat from the time they are received until they are ready for use. <>>> The boxes are usable, and dont end up ready for recycling before they can fulfill their purpose; The boxes will run smoothly on automatic setup, filling and closing equipment, avoiding costly jam-ups, repacking and lost time; The boxes will stack squarely, avoiding costly accidents during palletization, storage and shipment; and. The corrugated medium is often 0.026 pounds per square foot (0.13 kg/m) basis weight in the U.S.; in the UK, a 90 grams per square metre (0.018 lb/sq ft) fluting paper is common. Evidence of damage is heavy creasing to the corrugate, a punctured case or other tell-tale signs, such as tears and rips. Damage to. %PDF-1.5 Store boxes off the floor, on pallets or other flat dunnage. Too dry, and the corrugated and glue can crack. Packaging engineers work to meet the performance requirements of a box while controlling total costs throughout the system.. Learn about the development and implementation of standardized performance measures. producers, packers or suppliers) are responsible for ensuring the quality, safety, and hygiene not only of food, but also of packaging. And if there has to be an investment in storage racks, a favorable tradeoff is that the specified heights of unit loads can be increased, leading to increased storage densities, and later, increased handling efficiencies. In a more recent publication,The Fundamentals of Packaging Technology(c.2013), an increase in RH from 40% to 90% can result in a loss of about 50% of a corrugated containers stack strength. Therefore a corrugated shipping case headed for humid conditions will need to be much stronger in order to compensate for this loss. <> Returning to the 95% statistic that opened this article, its division among the versions of corrugated might vary; however, corrugated, as an overall category, will retain its dominance. Typical analog range is 0-10% moisture and up to as much as 40%, subject to . 1 0 obj Throughout its time in storage and up to the time its erected into a box, corrugated should remain flat and never stored on its edge. However, once the . Yet other factors outside the transportation and handling of these products contribute to damages. What are some specific problems caused by moisture? 1 0 obj Once a box is formed, both before and after it is filled with product, maintaining its moisture content is critical to maintaining the boxs compression strength. Faced with the manufacturing-industry standard of a two-hour unload window or risk hefty detention charges, retailers frequently reject entire unit loads at the dockeven if only one or two cartons are damaged. <> Too much moisture can lead to weakened cellulose fibers, delamination, and weakened glue bonds. Simply stated, unusable boxes can result in unsold products. It combines loading pallets straight and turned. One effective strategy is pinwheeling, in which the direction of every other pallet is altered. Offering Packaging & Display Solutions for Over 50 Years, How Environmental Conditions Impact Corrugated Boxes, Marketing Secrets for Stand-Out Custom Retail Displays, Captivate Customers with the Best Design for Custom Counter Display Boxes, Customized eCommerce Packaging Supplies Foster Brand Loyalty and Reduce Total Cost, 3 Tips For Creating Effective Custom Point of Purchase Displays, Custom Countertop Displays Capitalize on Impulse Buying, dlodle@progresscontainer.com, solutions@progresscontainer.com, Relative humidity, under load (cyclical RH variation further increases compressive loss). Corrugated box design - Wikipedia Our team has worked with countless companies whose boxes have faced just about every environmental condition imaginable. The boxes provide the intended protection against damage, leakage or other loss. Read our latest Playbook to discover how to ensure efficient product handling, best practices Number 8860726. A matter of protection: The environment or the product? And unfortunately, humidity is one factor that cannot always be controlled. Relative humidity regularly varies between 30 to 90 percent depending on location . Innovative / Sustainable Packaging Products & Solutions | International This was 12.2 percent of all MSW combusted that year. Moisture and temperature are important considerations when discussing the strength and longevity of corrugated boxes. In 2018, approximately 32.1 million tons of corrugated boxes were recycled out of 33.9 million tons of total paper and paperboard recycling. Fax: 317-872-7872. Its not easy loading a 53-ft.-trailer. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. }]'YfN U zQnh)=nozo3gip&I|-5S|G~x?SAYY?\YX5~Z0oE8f6:34cw& XvZ-r) 4xB*vtlZsvq{ s8eSp|GcS*=hX f+*Pga!,#`~PT(9Ux]Ep|%P?>/+|xI 2$J[sASSt!X%PE$tC]a =J@5.F2` q p-"Aw;q^0rDNQNdS0Z"'Szt#c7Fz{DTm+p?iKB0)i:,3bJA41) Corrugated is an engineered material, specified by paper grade, flute, style, manufacturers joint, and adhesivemainly. How can we arrive at the optimal packaging solutions that strike the right balance between cost, environmental impact, and safety, while allocating costs appropriately? This article will use the word corrugated to refer to boxes in the KD (knocked-down) position, in contrast to the erected box. In addition to the structural design discussed in this article, printed bar codes, labels, and graphic . These latter quantities are not well documented, but the Agency estimated that amount of generation was 340,000 tons in 2018, none of which moved on to recycling or composting. Box 43176; Detroit, MI 48243; 313-531-1875 office; 313-531-1972 fax; sterlinganthony1@sbcglobal.net; www.pkgconsultant. Is there a viable solution? Data on the production of wood packaging are derived from purchased market research and research from the Center for Forest Products at Virginia Tech and the United States Department of Agriculture's Forest Service Southern Research Station. Sources: USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Containers and packaging are used in the shipping, storage and protection of products. What is The Joint Commission's position on managing cardboard or corrugated boxes and shipping containers? A very small percentagetypically less than 1%of the products within the cartons are damaged. In the end, supply chains suffer, manufacturer-retailer relationships are jeopardized, and consumers wind up paying. An excel testing template is available as a tool to support the statistical evaluation of the test results and communication with suppliers/customers. 4 0 obj Boxes and Shipping Containers | Hospital and Hospital Clinics FEFCO 1952 - 2022. The degree of moisture resistance varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and also depends on the conditions where the boxes will be used. Most plants are now checking their combined board's total moisture content, measuring it off of the dry end of the corrugator with an automatic weighing and drying oven (see Special Note). They can pull the pallet and put it in a re-coup area and submit a claim to the manufacturer. Its fair to say that billions of productsall types, all sizes, all purposesmake the trip from the manufacturing plant to a distribution center to a retail store. In this free ebook, learn how to leverage the strengths of each generation in your packaging department. The amount of wood pallet recycling (usually by chipping for uses such as mulch or bedding material, but excluding wood combusted as fuel) in 2018 was 3.1 million tons. The porosity of wood fibers, which is what corrugated boxes are made of, allows it to absorb and release moisture, a phenomenon that isknown as hygroscopy. The FEFCO GMP standard was launched at the end of 2003, renewed in 2006, to ensure that corrugated boxes meet all the requirements of quality, safety and hygiene. Beginning in 2009, the Glass Packaging Institute provided production data. Glass containers include beer and soft drink bottles, wine and liquor bottles, as well as bottles and jars for food and juices, cosmetics, and other products. Avoid temperature and humidity extremes and fluctuations in storage areas. Because corrugated is hygroscopic, the relative humidity of the storage area should be maintained within favorable tolerances. Moisture Content Takes a Leading Role. Copyright 2023. A dash in the table means that data is not available. corrugated boxes. Obtain useful information in regards to patient safety, suicide prevention, infection control and many more. The data below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of paper and paperboard generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled. All of these cause problems as the corrugated is erected into boxes, whether the operation is manual or automated. Knowing this, corrugated board manufacturers add small amounts of resins to the adhesive to give it moisture resistance. 3 0 obj stream Paper containers and packaging, excluding corrugated boxes, had a recycling rate of 20.8 percent, while corrugated boxes had a recycling rate of 96.5 percent in 2018. <>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 595.32 841.92] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Pallets made with green wood can have a moisture content (MC) ranging from 50-100% and can easily contain more than ten pounds of water. x=Fr?n[A]8)J$e;C`Dr6+W].yz}uw\|n=o+1WLyVY)Ww|n{_|zhz 2023 PMMI Media Group. Restated: what can compromise virgin corrugated can compromise recycled-content corrugated more easily. The recycling rate of PET bottles and jars was 29.1 percent in 2018 (910,000 tons). The data below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of containers and packaging generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled. At 85% RH, a box has 50% of its potential stacking strength. Phone: 317-872-0097 Weather Effects on Cardboard Boxes & Humidity | PackMojo 2013-01-05 09:18:09. Humidity varies by region and season, a fact intuitively grasped by all. Functionally, corrugated becomes brittle and crinkly. But is there an optimal balance between overpackaging and underpackaging? If other suppliers could provide measurement devices, please inform FEFCO. Solid fiber Offering versatility and durability, solid fiber is designed to be stronger and more moisture resistant than corrugated packaging. In general it is observed in paper, corrugated sheet board and boxes that have optimum combined properties are obtained at moisture content level at 7-8% and hence moisture content of 7-8% may be the ideal value for corrugated sheet paper used in corrugated packaging industry. Corrugated cardboard boxes are susceptible to moisture, water, vermin and bacteria during warehouse or storeroom storage, as well as transportation environments. for specifying conveyor and container handling equipment, and top tips for a successful pack This situation can be much like a double-edged sword. The amount of moisture in a board has a significant effect in the material's properties such as printability, shrinkage, dimensional stability, and physical strength. FEFCO has updated the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) document in March 2020. Learn how working with the Joint Commission benefits your organization and community. Set expectations for your organization's performance that are reasonable, achievable and survey-able. Furthermore, such a transparent standard, adapted to the material, also respects all its specific qualities (versatility, lightness, strength, recyclability). Registered in England and Wales. In very humid environments, such as a warehouse with an uncontrolled climate in the summertime, stacking strength is greatly reduced. endobj Cardboard too much water, will affect its normal use. But are they cognizant of the tremendous cost and waste that result from this practice? Kiln dried pallets have a much lower moisture content (~19%), and they will not release moisture when shipped because this MC is below the EMC in sea containers. First, its important to ensure compatibility between the film used and the stretch-wrap machinery. of strength/force applied to hold the product together. At FlexPAC, we take a customer-first approach through creative insights and data collection to create turnkey solutions in the areas of packaging products, package design, facility equipment & products, safety equipment, and training. While having a certain amount of moisture in the air (around 6% 7%) will ensure proper creasing, avoid cracks, maintain good bending and impact resistance, as well as cushioning and shock absorption, higher humidity levels can actually have a negative impact on those characteristics of corrugated board that we value most. Another way to stabilize, secure and protect loads in a trailer is by using dunnage, such as air bags, partitions, braces and load locks. If you work in the seafood industry, you know exactly how delicate the process of transporting the latest catch to its point of sale can On April 28, we join the rest of Canada in observing the Day of Mourning. Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling, Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures Report page, Paper and Paperboard Containers and Packaging. This web page contains product-specific information and data on Containers and Packaging. After recycling, the combustion of corrugated boxes was 230,000 tons, and landfills received 940,000 tons in 2018. FEFCO members can download the document here OR please contact FEFCO at Houriet.lefebvre@fefco.org OW8lF0Bd9n?DL0C S\E vmi]L'E`f ur4Z{.+};pf K@i%LEwpX9hH However, once the corrugated is manufactured, moisture regulation is critical, so the corrugated board is dried to achieve a moisture content of 10-12% to optimize it for strength and prevent box manufacturing issues, such as: Maintaining the moisture content of the corrugated box plays a critical role in its performance. Other aluminum packaging is based on Aluminum Association data. In addition to any aforementioned approaches that can be modified for low humidity, inventory control can be effective, utilizing FIFO (first-in-first-out). Some of these include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) soft drink and water bottles, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) milk and water jugs, film products (including bags and sacks) made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and other containers and packaging (including clamshells, trays, caps, lids, egg cartons, loose fill, produce baskets, coatings and closures) made up of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP) and other resins. That worker should be trained to never toss, drag, or drop that bundle. The corrugated paper, the properties of the base material of the base paper directly to the final quality of the fine in a package is assembled. Recycling of aluminum beverage cans was 670,000 tons, or 50.4 percent of generation in 2018. In 2018, paper and paperboard (cardboard) materials comprised the largest component of municipal solid waste (MSW). Thats bad under all circumstances but worse when the corrugated serves as a retail unit, sold from shelves or from pallets. With the aim to contribute to the sustainability of packaging, the FEFCO Corrugated Packaging Recyclability Guidelinesprovide the industry with a practical set of tools to implement in the recycling of paper and board to ensure the optimal use of natural resources and minimise their environmental impact. Overall, the amount of recycled plastic containers and packaging in 2018 was almost 2 million tons or 13.6 percent of plastic containers and packaging generated. Water is used in the corrugated board production and aids in creating the liner board, forming the flute structure, and as part of the starch adhesive that combines them. If the relative humidity is low, the corrugated will give up moisture. Loading decisions must seek to balance productivity, safety, transportation and equipment costs, and product protection. 3 0 obj Train your staff with a tool to quickly and efficiently assess standards compliance with our Hospital Compliance Assessment Workbook. The purpose is to ensure that from the purchase of raw material through the delivery of the finished product to the customers' premises, all parameters of quality, hygiene and traceability are monitored. Touch points can become flash points for product damage. We know, boxes are not rocket science. The recycling rate for corrugated boxes was 96.5 percent. Extreme cold also affects moisture content, making the boxes more fragile. The tear-resistant qualities of corrugated cardboard are hard to beat and they have the added advantage of guarding against moisture, so food items are kept fresh. Engineering, however, does not solve every problem that can be encountered with corrugated. The total generation of paper and paperboard in MSW was 67.4 million tons in 2018, which was 23.1percent of total MSW generation that year. Gaposis that originates at the palletizer dramatically increases the potential for damage. Water is used in the corrugated board production and aids in creating the liner board, forming the flute structure, and as part of the starch adhesive that combines them. Nondurable goods made of paper, excluding newspapers, had a recycling rate of 43.1 percent, while newspapers had a recycling rate of 64.8 percent. rAbuZrVI4*S~BA/9xd)0u Toll-free: 800-283-0097 Please click here to see any active alerts. )3$q:z]==V/_WwOw~cogf8{<>E5ep8\3^G}`*Y EPA estimated that the generation of these glass containers was 9.8 million tons in 2018, or 3.3percent of MSW generation. Reactions . If your boxes are crushing while stacked in your facility, or if you are planning to send product to areas where high humidity is prevalent, please contact us and allow FlexPAC to help you find the right solutions to your problems. Smaller proportions were combusted for energy recovery (3.7 percent) and landfilled (15.4 percent). Containers and packaging make up a major portion ofmunicipal solid waste (MSW), amounting to 82.2 million tons of generation in 2018 (28.1 percent of total generation). Most of the damage on an inbound load is compression based, with the lowest tier of a unit load being the most vulnerable, and the second tier the next most vulnerable.