Pallet stretch wrap (also known as stretch film) is vital for any organisation looking to secure their products securely on pallets without damaging them.
It is thought that businesses use 150,000 tonnes of stretch wrap a year. And more often than not, companies fail to recycle stretch wrap, and it ends up in landfill.
With consumers now holding companies accountable when it comes to sustainability and carbon neutrality, it is important for companies to choose the right stretch wrap to help make their business operations more sustainable.
One way businesses can reduce waste, cost and materials used is by choosing the right stretch wrap.
What is stretch wrap?
Stretch wrap is made from plastic, and is an extremely stretchable film that is used to wrap pallets to prevent product loss, help protect products from water damage, tampering and reduce staff injuries.
The importance of choosing the right stretch wrap
The importance of specifying the right stretch wrap cannot be understated. According to SP News, companies can reduce their plastic wrap usage by 45,000 tonnes per year when they correctly specify their plastic wrap. This will save money and reduce both plastic wrap and Co2.
It’s important to think about your environmental impact, as this affects the planet as well as your business.
Companies that import or use more than 10 tonnes of plastic a year will be applicable to plastic packaging tax. Any businesses importing plastic packaging containing less than 30% of recycled plastic will be charged £200 per metric tonne.
Find out more about plastic tax.
How to choose the right stretch wrap
Choosing the right stretch wrap to protect your products is extremely important. Below are some factors to consider when choosing what stretch wrap to use.
- Do you need single or two-sided cling?
- How many pallets are you wrapping?
- Can you store the pallets in a cool, dry warehouse?
- How often will you be wrapping? Do you need a machine?
- What tear and puncture resistance do you need?
- How thick do you require the wrap?
- Can you afford to make noise pollution during the wrapping process?
- Do you want the wrap to be see-through, milky or coloured for example, blue or black?
- What is your load profile and height? Is this consistent?
- Do you want a standard or extended core and will you need a dispenser?
- Do you require at least 30% recycled content?
The different types of hand stretch wrap
There are different types of stretch wrap businesses tend to use:
Cast strength film
Cast stretch wrap is made from thermo-plastic material and is much glossier in comparison to blown stretch wrap. It requires less force to make it stretch and clings more to products and pallets.
Advantages of cast stretch wrap
- You’re able to see wrapped products as it is more transparent than blown
- Cast stretch wrap clings on both sides, making products secure
- Unwinds quietly compared to blown stretch wrap
Disadvantages of cast stretch wrap
- Has less of a holding power than blown stretch film and doesn’t have tackifiers to give the ‘stickiness’ which blown film has
- More likely to tear compared to blown stretch wrap
Blown stretch wrap
Blown stretch wrap is made through a blown extrusion process and is crystalised. As a result, it is stronger and more resilient than cast stretch wrap.
Advantages of blown stretch wrap
- Able to hold a heavier load
- Able to stretch more, making products more secure
- Suitable for cold environments
- Less likely to tear, with high puncture resistance, protecting products with sharp edges.
Disadvantages of blown stretch wrap
- Blown stretch wrap is crystalised, making it hard to see wrapped products due to its milky colour.
- Unwinds louder than cast stretch wrap
Pre Stretched Wrap
Pre Stretched film is becoming more and more popular amongst businesses as they look to reduce their plastic usage.
Using Pre Stretched film can help to reduce both film usage and core wastage by 50%. This is due to companies being able to obtain longer roll lengths, for example 600 metre rolls instead of 300 metre rolls, meaning operators don’t need to replace them as often.
Furthermore, Pre Stretched film is stretched during the manufacturing process, meaning you don’t need to use a lot of tension during the application process. The film is also much thinner than other films and therefore, is more efficient during application.
The importance of application
How you apply stretch wrap is just as important as the type of stretch wrap used. There are three ways you can do this:
- Manually applying stretch wrap - this is physically demanding and takes a lot of time
- Semi-automatic machinery - this reduces some of the time and physical exertion in comparison to manual
- Automatic machinery - automatic machinery is expensive but eliminates any physical activity, reduces time and ensures the wrap is properly applied
When budget allows, stretch wrap machinery eliminates any human error, increases efficiency and ensures consistency for every pallet wrapped. This also reduces any returns rates due to broken items, therefore enhancing positive brand awareness.
You should also always ensure your stretch wrap machinery is set up correctly with a free of charge stretch wrap audit.
Commonly used terms when talking about stretch wrap
- LLDPE - Linear-Low Density Polythene
- Elongation - refers to how much stretch wrap stretches. The higher the percentage, the more it stretches, meaning you use less stretch wrap.
- Micron
- - the thickness of pallet wrap and is often written as mu.
- Blown Stretch Film- A stretch film made using the blown extrusion process that has a higher puncture resistance.
- Cast Stretch Film - A stretch film made using the cast extrusion process. Lower manufacturing costs makes cast stretch film to be the more widely used stretch film.
- Cling- Is where the film sticks to itself and not the product. You can get one sided or two-sided cling.
- Co-extrusion- Extruding two or more materials through a single die making them merge.
- Dart Drop- A test used to measure the puncture strength of a stretch film. It involves dropping a semi-circular shaped object onto the film.
- Elastic Recovery-The ability of a stretch film to recover to its original shape after being stretched.
- Film Force- The amount of tension applied to the film as the film when applied to the load.
- Film Memory- The ability of the film to return to its pre-stretched form, allowing it to maintain a tight load during transportation.
- Gloss- The amount of light reflected from a film’s surface. Cast stretch films tend to have a higher gloss than blown stretch films.
- Haze- A lack of clarity in the film. Thicker plastic films generally have more haze than thinner films.
How can Titan help you find the right stretch wrap?
When you specify the correct stretch wrap you want to use, waste is reduced, money is saved and business improves.
Talk to our packaging experts at Titan, to see how we can support you in your packaging process from start to finish. We’ll help your business make sustainable and cost effective packaging decisions while following plastic tax guidance.
