When using stretch wrap it’s critical that you choose the right one. UK businesses use over 150,000 tonnes of stretch wrap a year and according to SP News, companies can reduce their plastic wrap usage by 45,000 tonnes per year when it’s applied correctly. This will improve business’ sustainability and reduce costs, therefore improving profits.
Due to increases in plastic tax 70% of businesses said their costs increased by up to 24%. Implementing the right stretch wrap can have a huge impact on you reducing how much plastic tax you pay, helping your profit margins, the environment and your brand reputation.
So how can you choose the right stretch wrap?
There are a few things you need to consider, such as:
- Are your pallets uniformed or irregular?
- Your Operational layout.
- How many pallets do you need to wrap?
- Whether you have a chilled or ambient storage warehouse environment.
- How thick do you need your wrap to be?
- Whether you need at least 30% recycled content.
- The pallet load weight.
- Your method of transportation.
- Is it hand or machine applied?
- Call Titan!
The importance of getting the right pallet wrap for optimum load stability
Pallet stability is crucial for retailers, manufacturers and warehouses, since unstable pallets pose a hazardous risk for both staff and customers. Without it, companies potentially face financial and operational implications.
In fact, household brands such as Mcvities biscuits have fallen victim to inadequate pallet wrap. In 2022 a lorry filled with a range of biscuits crumbled en route in Derbyshire, causing traffic delays.
In 2019, another lorry caused the southbound stretch of the M25 to close due to spilling beans on the motorway.
It’s simple! Suppose load stability is not attained or your pallet incurs damage during transportation. In that case, it can result in significant disruption, harm brand reputation, delay deliveries and loss of product, impacting product margins and additional costs for your business.
When transported and wrapped correctly, businesses have the ability to not only achieve greater sustainability through minimising film usage to the necessary extent but also increase consumer confidence and brand reputation. In 2020, customer confidence in next day delivery services remained very strong, as 19.9 million pallets were delivered on a premium service.
The future of load testing
There are currently no laws or legal requirements surrounding load testing in the UK, however we’re seeing European countries such as Belgium adopt laws such as the Eumos standards.
The Eumos standards were originally introduced in 2014 with the aim of reducing the number of traffic accidents caused by unstable loads and have become legislation in Belgium.
These regulations were refined in 2018 and specify:
- The forces a load must be able to withstand.
- Violating the guidelines can result in high fines.
- The responsibility of securing a load has been moved from the driver to the shipper and even the packer.
- Packages need to be kept in place, upright and without deformation, sliding or tilting when being transported.
Following this implementation, it is predicted that the UK will adopt similar laws during 2024/2025. However, if you’re distributing in Europe you may already need to comply.
How film technology is changing
The technology of film is ever-changing and continually being pushed to reduce its thickness while maintaining its strength using multilayer films.
For example, nano stretch film is being used to securely wrap products, as it utilises multilayer films to reduce its thickness.
Nano stretch film is made from LLDPE and is extremely flexible giving it a strong holding force. Implementing this within your pallet wrap strategies can reduce your cost per load as you won’t need to use as much film. It also reduces your negative environmental impacts.
Other benefits include:
- It is tougher and has a stronger grip for pallet load stability.
- It’s flexible and can be easily adapted to fit different types of high-speed pallet wrap machines.
- It has stronger durability against punctures and tears.
- It’s highly stretchable.
Due to this, we’re seeing a move toward more environmental pallet wraps that still maintain their strength and durability. Are you doing everything you can to improve your pallet wrap usage?
Get in touch with a Titan!
At Titan, we evaluate the capability of pallet wrapping machines, test the holding force and optimise machine performance, to help better protect your products. This ensures the right amount of pallet wrap is being used to boost load stability and reduce plastic waste.
We are also able to reduce the amount of film or the thickness of the film you use by undertaking an audit. This cuts costs and lowers the amount of film consumed, reducing your impacts on the environment while improving your bank balance.
So if you’re utilising pallet wrap in your business, you may want to consider getting one of our pallet wrap experts in to review for you. Get in touch with Titan today to see how we can help.
