Brown kraft paper is an instantly recognisable and highly versatile material that has been used for many purposes over the years, from wrapping meat and sandwiches to filling the void in cardboard postal boxes.

For ecommerce packaging, kraft paper offers several important advantages, including:

• 100 per cent biodegradability
• Able to be recycled up to seven times
• Excellent strength and durability (after all, the name is derived from the German word for ‘power’)
• Natural appearance, making it suitable for many packaging purposes
• Impressive affordability helps to reduce packaging costs
• An excellent blank canvas for a range of colours

As well as kraft paper packaging, which is formed into a single, thin sheet, the material can also be layered to create a type of corrugated cardboard, due to its innate strength and flexibility.

How is Kraft paper made?

The production of kraft brown paper is similar to other paper types, all of which start with the extraction of wood pulp from wood. 

Wood contains two structural components: cellulose and lignin, which must be separated in the pulping process as the latter doesn’t make good quality paper. Wood chips are submerged in a sodium sulphide and sodium hydroxide solution, known as ‘white liquor’, which separates the cellulose and lignin and leaves behind a semi-solid pulp.

The pulp is screened to remove larger pieces, before being washed and drained to remove the remaining fluids. Treatment with sulfates then strengthens the material, making it suitable to be compressed into kraft paper.

Unlike other methods of making paper, the kraft production method can make use of any type of wood, including bamboo or pine, which are often excluded from other products. As all the chemicals can be recovered after the process for reuse, producing kraft paper is sustainable and fairly harmless to the environment. 

Contact Kudos Giftwrap for all your packaging solutions

For businesses seeking a natural, sustainable, and professional-looking packaging product, kraft brown paper ticks all the right boxes. At Kudos Giftwrap, our sustainable packaging solutions don’t simply protect your products during shipping: they act as a powerful ambassador for your brand, adding appeal to the unboxing experience, and cementing your business’s credibility.

To find out more, please get in touch on 01923 220055.

Image Source: Unsplash