It is always important to match the tool to the job. For example, you wouldn’t use a 16 pound sledgehammer to drive a nail into your wall. That’s a easy example of mismatching.
In most single-use packaging applications, you can find ample evidence of companies that have mismatched, or selected the wrong material for the job. First, let’s make sure we understand that single-use packaging is just what it says: you use the packaging once to protect a product during shipping, then it is discarded, usually destined for the landfill. Many companies select fossil fuel-based materials, such as polystyrene, polyethylene or polyurethane foams, to protect products during shipping. These fossil fuel-based foams have been developed to last for hundreds - if not thousands - of years. They are not biodegradable or sustainable. And there’s the mismatch: the material is used for a brief time – sometimes for only days – and then thrown away, where it will last for centuries. Does this make any sense?
That’s why we encourage companies to use, and consumers to ask for, Green Cell Foam, especially in single-use packaging applications. Green Cell Foam provides the necessary protection during shipping, and can be easily and safely discarded: composted (biodegrades in less than 60 days), recycled (with corrugate), dissolved and even burned. Short-term use and short-term life.
That’s a match we can all live with.