The Protection vs. Planet Dilemma
Choosing packing materials used to be simple: use whatever protects the product best. But today, customers and regulators care about packaging waste. The good news is that the most protective options are often the most sustainable ones too.
Tier 1: Best Protection + Best for the Planet
Corrugated inserts and dividers — Custom or standard corrugated partitions that hold items in place within the box. Excellent shock absorption, 100% recyclable, and can be made from recycled content. This is what wine shippers and electronics manufacturers use.
Molded pulp — Think egg carton material but engineered for product packaging. Made from recycled paper fiber, fully compostable, and provides outstanding cushioning for specific product shapes.
Tier 2: Good Protection, Decent Sustainability
Paper void fill (crumpled kraft paper) — The workhorse of sustainable packing. Crumpled paper fills voids, provides moderate cushioning, and is fully recyclable. Not ideal for highly fragile items, but covers 80% of use cases.
Air pillows (paper-based) — Newer paper-based air pillows offer the convenience of plastic air pillows with better end-of-life options. They are lightweight and effective for void fill.
Bubble wrap (recycled content) — Still one of the best cushioning materials available. Look for versions made with recycled polyethylene. Not as green as paper-based options, but when protection is paramount (glass, ceramics, electronics), the reduced damage rate often outweighs the packaging footprint.
Tier 3: Effective but Problematic
Expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam peanuts) — Excellent cushioning, terrible for the environment. Not recyclable in most municipal programs, does not biodegrade, and fragments into microplastics. Avoid if at all possible.
Plastic bubble wrap (virgin) — Works great, but virgin plastic production is energy-intensive and the material is rarely recycled. If you must use it, choose recycled-content versions.
Our Recommendation
For most shipments: crumpled kraft paper + a properly sized box is all you need. For fragile items: corrugated dividers + paper padding inside a double-wall box. For ultra-fragile: bubble wrap (recycled content) + corrugated inserts inside a snug double-wall box.
Portland Boxes stocks all of these materials as part of our accessories line. Buy them alongside your boxes for one-stop convenience.