{"id":9279,"date":"2026-08-06T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marcobrustia.com\/?p=9279"},"modified":"2026-08-11T14:46:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:46:51","slug":"imballaggio-senza-plastica-spedizioni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marcobrustia.com\/en\/imballaggio-senza-plastica-spedizioni\/","title":{"rendered":"Plastic-Free Packaging: How to Ship Wooden Items Without Breaking Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Packaging is the only part of the product that the customer throw it away within thirty seconds<\/strong>, and it's also the first thing he sees. This contradiction explains why so little investment is made in it and why it's one of the few areas where the environmental impact can be improved without remaking the product.<\/p>\n

Since I started shipping wooden objects, I have removed the polystyrene: I have switched to a plastic-free packaging<\/strong>. Not because it's eco-friendly: because complaints were coming in. I'll tell you what really works, what it costs, and where it goes wrong.<\/p>\n

Styrofoam protects, but customers hate it.<\/h2>\n
\"Imballaggi<\/figure>\n

Expanded polystyrene is an excellent technical material: lightweight, shock-absorbent, and economical. It has three problems that aren't related to protection.<\/p>\n

It crumbles.<\/strong> Static balls end up everywhere, and the customer ends up cleaning the floor to open your package. It's the kind of annoyance that always ends up in reviews.<\/p>\n

It's hard to dispose of.<\/strong> Formally recyclable, in most Italian municipalities it ends up in the unsorted waste because it is bulky and dirty.<\/p>\n

Communicate the opposite of what you sell.<\/strong> A solid wood cutting board, presented as a natural and durable object, emerging from a cloud of white plastic: the message contradicts itself, and the customer registers it even without thinking.<\/p>\n

What do I use instead, in order of usefulness?<\/h2>\n
\"Scatole<\/figure>\n

Crumpled kraft paper.<\/strong> It's a direct substitute for loose fill. It's inexpensive, can be crumpled by hand or with a hand-cranked machine, and absorbs shock by deformation. It needs the right weight: under 70 g\/m\u00b2, it provides bulk but lacks protection.<\/p>\n

Double-wave corrugated cardboard for the bottom.<\/strong> For a heavy, flat object\u2014a cutting board or pastry board\u2014the critical point is the corner. Two layers of shaped cardboard on the bottom and short sides absorb the impact of a fall better than any filler.<\/p>\n

Gummed paper tape.<\/strong> It's the only tape that allows you to declare the box fully recyclable without having to remove anything. It costs more than PPL and requires a dispenser to wet it, but it seals better on recycled cardboard.<\/p>\n

Pressed cardboard corners.<\/strong> On more delicate products, they replace the polystyrene corners with an almost identical result.<\/p>\n

What I completely eliminated: bubble wrap, Styrofoam chips, PE bags for the individual piece, plastic tape.<\/p>\n

Does it cost more? Yes, and it's still worth it.<\/h2>\n
\"Materiale<\/figure>\n

It must be said honestly: Plastic-free packaging costs more for the same protection<\/strong>, between 15 % and 30 % more per package depending on the format. Anyone who says otherwise has never done the comparison.<\/p>\n

But the bill doesn't end with the cost of materials. The savings on the other side must be budgeted for:<\/p>\n