Cardboard and paper packaging are used as a way to transport goods, keep them intact and protect them from damage. The environment can greatly impact the quality of these products and how long they can last before they need to be replaced. It has been seen that they are prone to environmental effects. Without taking proper countermeasures, there are multiple issues that you may face during the course of shipping, display, and storage of your packaged goods.
Here are some things you should know about how your cardboard and paper packaging might deteriorate over time:
Cardboard And Paper Boxes Can Deteriorate In Wet Weather
In wet weather, cardboard and paper can swell up and get soggy. You should avoid storing your product in the same box for a long period of time. If you store your product in a box that is already wet, this will make the cardboard more prone to molding or deterioration due to moisture exposure over time.
Cardboard Boxes can also become brittle under dry conditions if it becomes too dry and brittle; if this happens, then there is no way that you can use this type of packaging anymore because it will just break off at its weakest points instead of staying intact as it should be doing now.
If a piece breaks off during shipping or storage processes, then they will not perform properly anymore once they are out there again because their strength has been reduced by breaking away from each other so much throughout history since humans started using them back prehistoric times ago.
Read More: Matte or Gloss Lamination: Which One Should You Choose?
Exposure To Humidity Or Moisture
Cardboard is susceptible to exposure to humidity or moisture. In order to protect it from getting wet, you should store your cardboard wisely. If you are moving a lot of cardboard at once, consider using plastic bins or wrapping your cardboard up in plastic wrap before loading it into the car. This will help protect it from any rain that may fall on your car and prevent any accidents while driving. A general rule of thumb is that if you have a lot of boxes stacked upon each other and there is some overhang, cover them with canvas tarps to protect them from getting wet.
If wet cardboard gets exposed when out in the elements, make sure it is completely dry before placing it back into storage. Wet paper can be dried out more quickly by putting newspaper underneath it when stacking them vertically so air can circulate through them better than just laying flat on a tabletop surface where they might sit for weeks at a time until they are ready again.
Exposure To Extreme Heat
As we have mentioned before, cardboard and paper packaging are highly susceptible to extreme heat. It can warp, become damaged and brittle, or flammable. In the worst-case scenario, your package could even become toxic. That is why packagers are always told by the packaging companies to keep their packaged items at a place with moderate temperature to prevent both packaging and products from being damaged.
Florescent Colors Can Fade In Direct Sunlight
Fluorescent colors are more prone to fading in direct sunlight. Examples of fluorescent colors include green and blue. Non-fluorescent colors include white, yellow, and red. Some companies have made the switch to non-fluorescent packaging materials due to these factors:
They want their products to be environmentally friendly.
Their customers may not like seeing bright light when they open the package.
Read More: E-Commerce Packaging: A Beginners Guide
What You Can Do To Keep Your Packaging Safe?
Making packaging safe and secure from the environment is the thing that plays a key role in keeping the packaged items secure all the way from product encasement to storage and shipping. In this regard, taking the following countermeasures can help you keep your packaging solutions safe.
1. Always go for the best quality laminations and coatings like matte, gloss, and UV. They will keep the packaging materials from getting soggy in humid and wet conditions. Furthermore, inside vaxing can also help save packaging from spillage damage.
2. Keep your packaging in dry places. Also, ensure a moderate temperature.
3. The most important thing when working with cardboard and paper is that it should be stored in an area that does not allow for water sources. This can be difficult because many offices and warehouses have open floor plans with pipes, ducts, and other places that could lead to mold or mildew growth. To prevent this from happening, make sure all storage areas are dry before storing any type of paper or cardboard. You may also want to consider using a drip pan under your product so that any potential leaks will not damage your products while they are being shipped out (or even worse).
4. Another option would be using fans near where people work so they do not inhale harmful chemicals when looking at documents or records. You could also use dehumidifiers if needed - these devices use warm air from outside instead of cold air from inside, which helps reduce surface condensation over time.
5. Avoid direct sunlight and heat sources, such as heating vents, furnaces, and stoves.
6. Keep chemicals away from cardboard materials that you want to protect from the environment (i.e., pesticides).
7. Avoid sharp objects like knives or scissors that could damage your packaging when opened up for use by customers later on during the sales process stages, i.e., slicing off labels.
8. Be careful with rough handling because it could cause damage over time leading up to disposal time if not properly taken care of beforehand; this includes but is not limited to: dropping items onto flooring surfaces, banging against walls while moving around inside buildings/rooms, etc.
Further More: Why It's The Right Time to Switch to Sustainable Packaging?
Conclusion
The best way to keep your packaging safe is to ensure it is stored in an area that would not be affected by moisture or direct sunlight. This means that any cardboard boxes should be kept away from rain or snowfall and never stored near water sources like ponds or lakes. If you have storage areas that get wet during heavy rains, then ensure they are covered with plastic sheets or tarps so they do not absorb too much moisture over time.
