The number of ecommerce businesses making the switch away from non-recyclable plastic and foil packaging to sustainable alternatives is on the rise. Among them is our customer Temptation Gifts, an established homeware and gifts boutique who have been trading online since 2000. 

 With six high street shops across the UK and two ecommerce websites, Temptation Gifts are a successful example of the hybrid retail model being adopted by many independent retailers – and offer an interesting road map for other, similar businesses interested in managing the transition to sustainable packaging.

At the time Temptation Gifts approached us about sustainable protective packaging for their ecommerce gift range, the business already had a strong commitment to sustainability and a robust environmental policy in place. The team had lots of questions about the effectiveness, practicalities, and cost of sustainable packaging, however – and how this could integrate with their brand identity. 

Here's how we helped…

The challenge

Temptation Gifts’s predicament is a familiar one. As a successful and well-respected gift retailer, the company boasts an enviable portfolio of customer reviews. Aside from providing a stunning unboxing experience, their bubble-wrap and plastic air pillows have resulted in very few damaged items, making them a firm favourite among their clients. However, a few customers had begun to question the sustainability of their packaging approach. Concerned about sacrificing their unblemished breakage record for increased sustainability, Temptation approached Kudos for advice. 

How we helped

At Kudos, we thrive on finding solutions to every packaging requirement, even if this means thinking outside the giftbox. We asked our research team to explore the potential options for Temptation Gifts, working to match the right packaging solution with the customer’s required outcomes and business goals. 

• Firstly, and most obviously, the alternative packaging had to be sustainably produced and fully recyclable throughout its lifecycle. 
• Secondly, it needed to be cost-effective, both in terms of material costs, storage, and transport. 
• Thirdly, the packaging needed to be robust enough to avoid damage in transit and provide an excellent unboxing experience for Temptation Gifts’s customers.
• Finally, we asked the team to find a UK-manufactured solution to minimise the carbon footprint from delivery. 

The answer: 

Kudos is a distributor for Protega and Hexcel, UK-based packaging experts on a mission to provide “viable, cost-effective alternatives to non-sustainable packaging”. One of their latest innovations is paper bubble wrap. 

A remarkable piece of engineering, the wrap is supplied on manageable rolls, which stretch into comfy, resilient, and fully biodegradable cushioning whilst wrapping. The solution is a great one for both Temptation Gifts and Kudos: Temptation reported that their items arrived safely, and customers responded with positive reviews, and due to the fact that the paper bubble wrap is flat when stored, Kudos have saved an enormous amount of storage space! 

Alongside the Hexcel wrap, we also installed the Protega Cushioning that creates the void fill replacement for air pillows, supplied in manageable rolls. Due to the 3-ply roll configuration, the machines create the most protective paper cushion on the market.

What about the costs?

There are ups and downs to the cost of durable sustainable packaging. There is a slight price increase in moving from plastic to paper. Additionally, paper is heavier than plastic so – depending upon how the dispatching is handled – the extra weight may make a difference to delivery costs. However, the packing speeds for paper bubble wrap can be up to 50% faster than plastic, so the requirement for fewer operatives can quickly lead to considerable savings. Ultimately, the team at Temptation Gifts felt that the balance was a good one.  

Can I obtain paper bubble wrap for my products?

Yes. At Kudos we believe this two-part protective paper packaging system produced in the UK is the best that is currently available on the market. As such, we are now able to supply as much recycled paper bubble wrap as required, enabling even more of our clients to make the switch. 

Find out more

If you would like to learn more about making the switch from plastic-based to paper-based packaging or have a particular requirement you’d like to discuss with us, please call 01923 220055 for an initial conversation with our friendly team.

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