Brown Paper Tape: The Green Alternative
Statistics from home insurer Direct Line reveal that the online orders of 3.6 million Brits go missing every year, the value of this is estimated to be £250 million.
Katie Pumphrey
8 December 2018
Statistics from home insurer Direct Line reveal that the online orders of 3.6 million Brits go missing every year, the value of this is estimated to be £250 million.
It’s important to efficiently secure packages and make them as safe as possible whilst also looking their best.
There are many options available for making positive changes within your business and switching to brown paper tape, also known as water activated tape, is one of the quickest and easiest changes you could make today.
If you’re looking for alternatives to plastic tape, be it for that extra bit of security, better looks or to do your bit for the planet then brown paper tape could be perfect for your business.
Neil Plant
Business Development
Paper tape is an excellent tamper evident solution, it performs well on all grades of cardboard and, once applied, it creates a permanent seal.
Once it has been removed from the box it cannot be resealed, making it obvious if someone has tampered with your packages, an excellent deterrent in itself. It also ensures the tape does not break away from the box if it is crushed in transit, making the entire parcel stronger and more secure whilst cutting down costs associated with replacing broken or lost products.
Paper tape is much stronger than standard packing tape. When the adhesive is made wet it penetrates into the porous surfaces of the carton, increasing the bonding skin depth and surface area, this makes the entire parcel stronger and more secure than regular plastic tape, it also leads to a reduction in damage and loss from boxes that come open during transit.
There is little more frustrating for the end user than having to fight with a parcel to open it. Paper tape is both strong and tamper evident whilst still being very easy for the end user to open; no scissors are required to open the cartons leaving you with happier customers and understanding your customer’s packaging needs is very important.
Standard plastic tape is generally only suited to temperatures between 15-35 °C. At extremely high temperatures standard tape may be able to stretch more than it could initially, if the temperatures drops below this range the adhesive become harder and stiffer which lowers the overall elasticity of the tape and it begins to react like glass, this may lead to the tape losing some of its contact area, lowering its adhesion power.
Paper tape can handle fluctuating temperatures, it is ideal for parcels which need to be stored in humid or freezing conditions without risk of it deteriorating.
Standard adhesive tape isn’t the most attractive way of finishing your cartons whereas parcels sealed with paper tape look professional and tidy which reflects positively on both your product and your brand.
The tape is easy to print on which makes it a great, low cost opportunity to promote your brand by adding a logo or personalised message to the shipments.
Eco-friendly inks are also available.
Standard tape creates a lot of waste, using brown paper tape with a preset dispenser prevents unnecessary waste in the packing operation, generating more efficiency within your business.
In order to activate gummed paper tape, a tape dispenser is needed that will moisten the tape. There are many types available; manual, manual preset and electronic which will cut the tape automatically into pre-set lengths, dispensing the exact amount of tape you need.
When using a manual or manual preset dispenser the packing process becomes much quieter than standard tape guns, this could be a huge benefit if your business is customer facing or if you’re looking to reduce the noise strain on your employees.
Brown paper tape is generally the most cost effective carton sealing tape available, this is because where a carton would previously have required several layers of tape to secure it, it will now need only one due to the additional bonding power of the tape.
Paper tape is biodegradable and 100% recyclable without the extra process of having to separate the plastic tape from it during the mulching process, this makes it the perfect environmentally-friendly alternative to standard packing tape.
A leading supplier of health products on the high street has already made the switch to brown paper tape, shop paper tape to join them or get in touch to see how Maxpack can make your business more eco-friendly today.
Sales & Support: 01743 242900
Email: sales@maxpack.co.uk
3 January 2024
4 July 2023
